Preston is FINALLY home!!!

Sweet Preston is FINALLY home! He was released from the NICU Thursday March 17th...maybe he has a little Irish in him! I know Meredith, Ken, and Pierce thank each and everyone of you for thinking of them.

Rooming in...FINALLY...what we've been waiting for!

Meredith had to be at the hospital last night by 6pm to begin the "rooming in" process in order to take Preston home. She was SOOO excited she could not find enough things to do in order to keep her occupied. Meredith did not get much sleep but she's not complaining! Preston grunts and stretches as he sleeps.

The picture above is Ken feeding Preston while they anticipate going home.

KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED!!!

This is the day we have ALL been waiting for!

Coming home soon!

If all goes well, Preston will be coming home next week. He is doing great! He will have an MRI of his brain in the morning and Meredith will hopefully be "rooming in" next week. This is WONDERFUL news!

Doing Good!

Sweet Preston is doing good. He is now eating from a bottle 2 consecutive feedings and then he takes a break (Meredith fed him a bottle at noon and 3pm but he took a break and let the tube do the work for the 6pm feeding but he picked back up at 9pm). If he keeps this up he will hopefully be on his way home soon. Keep your fingers crossed!

The "sideline" hold

The OT taught Meredith a new feeding position and Preston is doing MUCH better when he is eating. She taught her the "sideline" position which allows him to relax. Preston, keep up the good work...we are ready for you to come home!

Pretty good job today!

So much pressure...

Meredith and I went to the hospital a little before noon to get ready for his feeding. When we arrived, Grandpa and Kim were there visiting. The sweet little fellow was enjoying their company. Right around 12:03 Meredith began feeding Preston. A little after 12:30 she stopped and she would tell you herself...it was not the best feeding they have had. During those 30 minutes there were MANY ups and downs.

Preston has been in the NICU for ALMOST 2 months...this has been a VERY LONG 2 months but please continue to pray and remember the entire Bishop Family.

Sunday's update

Preston has been on room air since 9:45am and he is doing good. He drank 31ccs out of 38ccs from a bottle. Only changes...the doctor has requested them increase his feedings to 40ccs with a chest xray Monday morning and some lab work.

He's doing good...yay!!!

Sort of like a roller coaster...

Well since Tuesday, Preston has had his ups and his downs.

On Tuesday the doctor said that Preston could have chronic lung disease which would cause him to have to go home with oxygen. This is not a great possibility, but it is a possibility. If he did have to have oxygen at home, it would eventually be weaned.

Back in Room 3...and loving it! The Room 3 nurses talk to Meredith and Ken and put their mind at ease about everything going on with Preston.

Thursday morning...Ken spoke with the nurse practitioner and his chest xray shows that his lungs are clearer than they were yesterday. This means the diuretics are helping clear the excess fluid. They are about to perform an xray to see if the hole in his heart is getting smaller.

Thursday afternoon...Meredith breastfed Preston for the first time, he latched on and did great!

Friday morning...his heart echo has stayed the same. It hasn't opened up anymore but it hasn't closed yet either. His lungs are clearer and he is eating good.

Friday afternoon...Preston latched on but he just wasn't interested. He then took 33ccs from a bottle and 5ccs down the gtube. The nurses and doctors are hovering but that's a good thing...Meredith and Ken WANT TO KNOW whats going on every minute of every day!
Dr. Bonner also spoke with Meredith again today and Preston's lungs look much clearer. They are now thinking he needed the oxygen all along because of mild aspiration and acid reflux. He latched on again at noon but he just wasn't interested so Meredith gave him a bottle and he drank all but 5ccs. (FYI...Preston has to work much harder sucking while breastfeeding than he does bottle feeding...so of course he is going to prefer the easier route) Rice will be added to his feedings and they will prop him up higher in the bassinet.

Turns out voicing their concerns and requesting Room 3 has really made the hospital staff step up to the plate and look into Preston's situation.

Back to room 3...thank goodness!

Turns out Meredith and Ken have not been happy with the nursing staff in room 4 so as of 7pm tonight Preston will be moving back to room 3...yippee! The nurses in room 4 just don't do as good a job taking care of sweet Preston as the nurses in room 3. This move will help Meredith and Ken relax a little these last couple of weeks.

Preston is now in a bassinet instead of an isolate...Yay! He is also drinking 3 bottles a day. One at noon, 9pm, and 3am. His nasal passage was drying out a little so they have added water to his oxygen mixture to help moisten things up.

Doctors orders...

Doctors orders for today are to increase his breastmilk every feeding. He is currently drinking 38cc's. He will also start drinking up to 3 bottles a day. The doctor wants to decrease his oxygen slowly and wean him out of the isolette. This is turning out to be a great week for Preston after all.

Getting a little frustrated...

Today Preston drank his entire bottle of breastmilk and he did this without any trouble, however he is still on oxygen. Although it is only 30% and room air has 21%, the fact is, he still has to have it. Sometimes it can be a little discouraging and Meredith is ready for more progress. She has to admit, today was better than yesterday and yesterday was better than Sunday but its still hard not having sweet Preston at home.
Meredith is continuously working on Preston's room so it will be ready when he gets to come home. This is a hard road but one they must travel so please continue to keep the Bishop family in your thoughts and prayers.

Shhh...Preston's sleeping

Thirsty little fellow!

Preston drank the whole bottle today during his 3pm feeding. This is an AWESOME achievement. We are crossing our fingers he will be on his way home in about 3 weeks. Cross your fingers too!

Evening update!

They have to give Preston blood because his red blood cell count is low and if his red blood cell count were higher his oxygen rate would be better. This is not bad news because most preemies have to be given blood and they are actually surprised that they have not had to do this sooner.

Got some answers

Meredith went to Dr. Newman yesterday for her 6 week check-up and she decided to take the opportunity to ask why this might have happened. Dr. Newman said he has thought about it a whole lot and that he wishes he would have put Meredith on bed rest but that he doesn't think it would have avoided Preston's early arrival. He also said that according to Dr. Ashurst her placenta was full of clots indicating a detached placenta and that the bleeding was coming from the placenta, not the cervix. Dr. Newman continues to call the hospital to check up on Preston and that from what they have told him he has a feeling Preston will be able to come home the end of February or the beginning of March.

As for Preston, he drank half of the bottle and did much better...almost as good as he did the first day! Keep growing mighty Preston!

We can all use a little extra air!

Last night they had to put the nasal canula back in Preston because he was having a little trouble breathing. This creates a continuous flow of room air into his lungs and we can all use a little extra air! We can thank God that Preston is doing so well and this is only a minor set back. Please continue to kep Meredith, Ken, Pierce, and Preston in your thoughts and prayers!

Preston's FIRST Bottle!

Preston drank breast milk from his FIRST bottle today. The OT came today at 3pm to feed him and once she got him started she handed him over to Meredith :) Preston caught on like a pro. She even said he did better than most babies. He is currently eating 32cc. His bottle feedings will increase when he is able to drink an entire bottle in 30 minutes. The OT will continue feeding Preston at 3pm so Meredith plans to step in and take over for all of these feedings.

Weighing in at...

Preston weighed in at 3lb 9.1ounces last night! He is an amazing little boy!

Wide awake and ready to eat!

Preston is WIDE AWAKE and ready for his noon feeding on Friday.

Are you familiar with the NICU?

Are you familiar with the NICU? Well needless to say Meredith and Ken were not until Preston decided to come into the world Christmas Eve. In fact, Christmas Eve Meredith and I sat in the hospital that night reading the NICU information book. We actually thought the NICU was just the way we always saw it on television...you know with the glass for you to peek in at the babies? Well, its nothing like that. It is actually a VERY secure area of the hospital. When you arrive on the NICU hall you have to have permission to enter. Once you enter the actual NICU and arrive in the room where your baby is staying, you begin the scrub down! Yep, a 5 minute scrub from finger tips to elbows with soap and sponge. After you have scrubbed yourself to a dry prune, you are allowed to enjoy time with your baby. The babies are constantly monitored by nurses and various machines. In fact, sometimes the beeping might even scare you.

MOVING ON UP...

Such a sweet picture...Mommy enjoying some snuggle time with Preston. After last night, Meredith needed some good news and she got it. Preston is 3lbs 7ounces and he has been MOVED TO ROOM 4! For those of you who are not familiar with the NICU...you move from room to room as your progress and room 4 is the best room to be in because its the room right before you get to move out!

Again...its all about who you know in the NICU

Okay so last night sweet Dorothy brought the Bishop family dinner and then it was time for the nightly visit to the NICU. Ken had already told us that twins were being delivered from Selma so we should arrive right at 7:30pm. Of course...we took our chances and we arrived later. When we buzzed room 3, the nurse FINALLY answered the phone and was actually pretty rude while telling us she was not going to allow us to visit with Preston. Needless to say, Meredith was NOT a happy camper. So, again its all about who you know in the NICU.

growing...growing...growing

Little Preston is slowly but surely becoming BIG Preston!

In his onesie!

Look at little Preston, he is such a BIG Boy in his first onesie! He now weighs 3lbs 2.5ounces...moving on up!

Such a GOOD Day!

They have now removed Preston's temperature probe so he is keeping his temperature stable. He is also one step closer to being bottle fed because they have moved his feeding tube from his mouth to his nose. Mimsy held him for the first time last night because he is finally 3lbs in fact he is 3lbs 1.1ounces. When Meredith went to visit today, he was wearing a shirt and the doctor checked his eyes. Everything appears to be normal. This has been such a GOOD Day!

Big Boy!

Tonight Preston weighs 3lbs 0.7oz. This is AWESOME! Keep on eating Big Boy!

Almost 3 lbs

Last night Preston weighed 2 lbs 15.3 oz...only .7oz more and he will weigh 3 lbs!

This is wonderful news! He is doing exactly what they want him to do: eat, sleep, and gain weight!

Once again...all depends on who's on duty in the NICU

Meredith and Ken were both very disappointed last night when they were not allowed the awesome opportunity to bathe sweet Preston. The nurse on duty does not like to remove the babies from their beds and therefore bath time did not happen.
But for some happy news...Nurse Joy (the queen of holding) sat down and spent some time today with Meredith while she was admiring baby Preston. She informed Meredith that once he reaches 3 lbs he will be able to keep his temperature the same and he will then have one less wire.
Preston has shown us so far that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
We all know God is good and please keep praying!

Splish Splash...

Preston's taking a bath! Part of the NICU requirements "to take your baby home" is to bath your newborn preemie. Well, since Preston is growing so much, its time for Mommy and Daddy to bathe him. Tonight's the night...check back to hear how it goes!

Just here to eat and grow...

Preston is continuing to improve each and every hour of every day. They are currently feeding him 24 ccs of breastmilk and they will continue to up the amount as long as there is no residual. The nasal cannula is at .5, which is the lowest, and now we are just waiting for them to remove it. The doctor told Meredith today that Preston is doing great and he is pretty much just in NICU to eat and grow!

Its the little things in life...

Meredith just sent me the following text "Its the little things in life we take for granted. He sucked on a pacifie for 40 minutes. The sound of the sucking was awesome. He is up to 22ccs and receiving some extra vitamins. He weights 2 lb 10.6 oz."

Keep on growing Preston!

Preston is a BIG BOY

Tonight Preston moved to room 3...yippee! This is great news! He also weighs 2lbs 9oz and they are feeding him 16ccs of breastmilk every 3 hours. They are no longer providing him with fluids...only caffeine and he takes that orally.
Way to go little Preston!

Peaceful Preston

Preston continues to grow bigger and healthier everyday.

Meredith decides to check his diaper...he was smiling an awful lot!

What a WONDERFUL way to begin the NEW YEAR!

On New Year's Day, Pierce joined in on the visit to see Preston in the NICU. Mommy and Daddy are blessed with two beautiful boys!

First time holding sweet Preston

Instead of just staring...

Ken is back in the office, Pierce is going to Mrs. Libby's, and Meredith spends the majority of her day in the NICU. Today, instead of just staring, she read Preston a book. Thanks to Mrs. Patsy Jeffcoat, Meredith has now begun reading to Preston while she visits. We all know how important reading to children is and this is the perfect opportunity to get started with Preston. Today Meredith read the children's book Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney.

excerpt from the book Guess How Much I Love You
...He was almost too sleepy to think anymore. Then he looked beyond the thorn bushes, out into the big dark night. Nothing could be further than the sky. "I love you right up to the moon," he said, and closed his eyes. "Oh, that's far," said Big Nutbrown Hare. "That is very, very far." Big Nutbrown Hare settled Little Nutbrown Hare into his bed of leaves. He leaned over and kissed him good night. Then he lay down close by and whispered with a smile, "I love you right up to the moon - and back."

Preston is doing very well. The nurses continue to up his breast milk intake and they also remind Mommy and Daddy that Preston is doing exactly as expected...sleeping!

Gaining weight

Preston now weighs 2lbs 9oz...he is almost up to his birth weight...hooray! He continues to improve in every way. He is currently eating 7cc of breastmilk every 3 hours and they will continue to up the amount every 9 hours. He just LOVES spending time on his tummy!

So far so good...

Happy New Year! So far the year of 2011 has been GREAT which includes Preston's improvement. On New Year's Eve both Meredith and Ken were able to actually hold, snuggle, and enjoy little Mr. Preston. It turns out you just have to learn how things work around the NICU. Meredith and Ken were lucky enough to come across the "Queen of Holding" Nurse during their afternoon visit on New Year's Eve. The "Queen of Holding" suited them up and let him hold him until their hearts were content.

On their way to a New Year's get together they picked up Pierce to join in the festivities. Everyone had a great time and raised their glass to Preston the little fighter!

As of this afternoon, Preston's breastmilk intake has been increased to 6cc every 3 hours. This is AWESOME!

He continues to improve with the help of your thoughts and prayers. Thank you!



**don't worry, pictures are soon to follow!