No Results

Sorry it has been so long since the last update. We have been going to lots of doctor appointments and just buisy with it being holiday season.

Since the last update we have seen a a few doctors. First, Peyton was able to finally be circumsized. Let me be the first to tell you, if you don't have it done at the hospital when they are still too young to know what's going on it is horrible. He was perfectly fine when we got him back then about 2 minutes later there was a horrifying look and he screamed like to other scream. Since then when he wakes up he gets really scared if he does not see someone he recognizes. Things did go well though. Also the genetist did not find anything wrong with Peyton genetically, praise God. However, they did see some spots on his Renal Ultrasound indicating possible kidney stones, so they referred him to the renal specialist. Two weeks ago now, we saw the renal specialist and he confired they were NOT kidney stones, merley calcium spots that should go away over time. The doctors thought maybe Peyton's calcium extrection in his urine was a possible reason to his having rickets. The doctor does not have the full results back on Peyton yet but says there is not a renal issues contriubuting to his rickets. So he is sending us back to the Endocrinologist. Hopefully one day we will have the answer to why he has rickets and what can be done to correct it. They all just keep saying they think it might just be prematurity and if that's the case it should correct itself over time. Let's hope for that. In the next two weeks Peyton will see the Endocrin, the Genetisist and the Cardiologist since they thought they may have seen on the NICU a small hole in his heart but Peyton was too small to really be able to tell. He did get his second RSV/sentigen injection last week as well. We will keep you updated as we get results.

Peyton is now 5 months old as of yesterday and we thank GOD for his growth and giving him to us for 5 months! Thank you all for the continued prayers, we love ya'll.

Happy Halloween!

As you could guess this is Peyton's first Halloween. No he couldn't go trick or treating for the risk of catching something and getting sick. So we took Peyton to his grandparents houses and trick or treated. We thought we would share our cute little pumpkin with you.

Happy 4 Months!

October 26th Peyton turned 4 months old! Yes, I know it is very hard to believe, it seems just like yesterday he was in the hopsital. Praise God he has now been home for 2 months!

On his birthday he saw the Pediatric surgeon whom confirmed it is now time for Peyton to be circumsized. If the doctor waits much longer then they will have to use anestisia and he wants to just use a local since we don't know everything that is going on with Peyton right now. So he is set to have surgery this coming Wednesday, November 4th. Please pray that everything goes well and he has know complications as this is considered a surgery now since he is 4 months old. Some of you may be wondering why it has not been done yet, when he was in the NICU they checked Peyton and said he was too swollen to be able to safly do it. Apparently Peyton still is a little swollen so there is a small risk he will bleed and need stitches but obviously there is a greater risk to wait and then have to put him under anestitia. Again please pray for Peyton during this.

Also this past Monday we saw the Pediatrician for his 4 month check-up. He now weights 9lbs and 13oz. and is 21 and 1/2 inches long, he is definitly growing as you can see from the pictures. He was such a happy baby, cooing and playing until they gave him his shots. He cried and then went to sleep.

As if we weren't having enough fun with doctors and hsopitals Patrick, Peyton's dad broke his nose and had to have surgery this past Wednesday. Everything went well and his nose seems to be healing just fine. Please keep him too in your prayers as he is still in a lot of pain and constantly has a headache.

This past Thursday Peyton saw the genetistics. The doctor was very thorogh into Peyton's background going all the way back to his greatgrandparents. No we do not have any anwsers yet, however he did send Peyton for a renal ultrasound looking for possible kidney stones, as well as blood work, urninalysis, and about 20 more xrays looking into the rickets more. The doctor hoped he would have all the results back this next week and maybe some answers to what is going on.

Please continue to pray for Peyton and that hopefully there is nothing wrong and they are just being over cautious since what he has come through. Again thank you for your prayers and we will keep you updated as we hope to get results and as Peyton has he surgery. We love ya'll!

Doctors appointments

Well we have been to several doctors appointments since last update. Peyton is doing very well for where he came from 3 and a half months ago.

About 3 weeks ago now we went to have xrays taken to show how his rickets was doing. It showed his rickets was very active and the pediatrician referred us to an Endocrinologist. We saw the Endocrinologist about a week ago now and she did confirm his rickets and showed me nodguels on his bones and where his joints could not absorb the calcium. The doctor put him on a new medication called calcitrol to try and get more vitamin D and Calcium in him. I did ask her if the damage was already done and she said if there was no other underlying problems then hopefully we could get this reversed. She had us go get blood work and a urine specimin done that day at Texas Children's where she is and they were great with him. We do not have the results yet however she did refer us to a genetic specialist to make sure there was nothing possible in his background that would cause rickets. We are not able to get into him until December. We will update will update you when this happens. The doctor did mention that it was possible that the TPN fluids he recieved in the NICU could cause the rickets as well however, we can not be upset with this as they were doing there job as saving his life.

Last Wednesday we saw an Early Childhood Intervention worker and Physical Therapist to evaluate Peyton's developmental progress. Things went very well, he almost scored out of the program. They are allowed to correct for him being premature up tp 2 months. He scored between a 2 and 3 month old developmentally, yea! He is less than 3 % weight and height even for a 2 month old, so needless to say he is still very small for his age but that's expected however they did say he was porportionate. The only reason he qualified for this program is because of his rickets and the possibility of needing help with that.

Yesterday we went for a recheck to the pulmonologist and everything checked out very well. Peyton finally gets to get rid of his heart and apnea monitor that he has been having to wear. We will finally get to move about our house like a normal baby not attached to anything! This is a major praise.

Next week we go to the pediatrician for his 4 month check-up, yes that's right 4 months thank you God! Also we will be seeing the pedi-surgreon as well to see if it's possible to get him circumsized yet.

Thank you for all your prayers and please continue to pray for him and us. God has done a mighty work in this little boy and on our hearts!

Newest Pictures and Update

These pictures were taken when Mimi Hickman (Pat's Mom) was taking care of him on his 3 month birthday. He is doing good just having some issues with acid reflux and throwing up once or twice a day. Today was his first day without getting Caffeine, Potassium, and Diuril. The Caffeine was used to help make him remember to breathe, the Diuril was to make sure no excess fluid built up around his lungs, and the Potassium was to offset the losses from the Diuril. He ahd his X-rays to check for Rickets today at TCH but no results from that yet. Just wanted to give everyone an update and post new pictures. Have a safe week and God bless.

Patrick

Latest Update

Wow, how our life has changed since he has come home! We do not get a lot of sleep between giving him a bottle every 3 hours and giving him his 7 medications that range anywhere from giving it 30 minutes before bottles, some twice daily and even one mixed in every bottle. However, we would much rather have him at home to finally try to be a family at last.

Friday Peyton went to the pediatrician and he now weighs 6 lbs. 10 oz. and is 19 inches long, yay for his growth. He had a good check up and th dr. said he wanted to see Peyton back at 4 months of age which if you can believe it or not is only a little over a month away.

Yesterday, Monday, we went to the Pulmonologist for the first time. He was great, he spend almost an hour answering questions we had as well as giving us a lot of knowledge about what to expect. Peyton again checked out very well! They decreased one of his medications to every other day and the medications that went in his bottle cut it to half the dose he was getting. We are supposed to do these for a week and then discontinue them on Sunday evening. Once we got home the doctor called back and said they had had a chance to read his heart monitor download and that he had only had one apnea episode and it was 2 days after we brought him home so he has been doing really well. Because of this they are also allowing us to discontinue his caffeine he was getting every morning to help him remember to breath on Sunday evening as well. They said that when we get rid of the caffeine his acid reflux should get a littler better, thank goodness as it seems to really hurt him. Finally we are getting to get rid of 3 of his medications, only 4 more to go.

Peyton has made great strides and as you can tell he is getting bigger which helps out as well as they tell us he will grow out of a lot of his problems with age and weight. On Saturday, September 26th he will be 3 months old, he was supposed to be due this Friday, September 25th! Next week we will be going to Texas Children's to get x-rays done of his wrist to see how his rickets is, which is what tells us how fragile his bones are. Please continue to pray for him to grow and get stronger!

Aubrey Fleming, Alaina's younger sister whom originally started this blog for Peyton is having a c-section on Friday, Sept. 25th at the Women's Hospital of Texas. Please pray for her, the baby and the doctors that everything goes well as we are sure it will. With this in mind Alaina, Pat and Peyton will be going to see her this weekend. If any of Peyton's nurses from the NICU read this blog and will be there anytime from Friday to Monday please let us know by commenting to the post as we would love to bring Peyton to come see you guys.

Thank ya'll so much for the prayers and support! Please continue to pray for him as he still has some hurdles to go through and we will keep ya'll updated of his progress. Also please pray for the Fleming family and God Bless!

Update

Peyton now weighs 5lbs 15oz and is 17 5/8" long.

He had his first check up yesterday and he seemed to enjoy the car ride this time. The dr. said that he is doing very well. He is in the <5% for his age but he should grow and catch up by 1-2 years of age.

He is pretty much just sleeping and eating all day long just as he was in the hospital. Although yesterday he did stay awake from 4:30pm to 8:15pm. He also figured out that it was fun to pull his mommy's hair yesterday so that was fun to see that he is grabbing at things. Peyton did have a good night sleep but he was upset after his 11pm feeding and took awhile to fall asleep.

We want to thank everyone for their prayers and please continue to do so. Ask that God continue to watch over him and give him the strength to grow stronger everyday.

God bless,

Patrick

Homecoming

Peyton's blood work came back with good results. His blood is regenerating itself and his calcium and phosphorus levels are back in normal range. During his car seat study he got a little upset but finally calmed down and was able to hold his respiration and heart rate levels.

He got to come home last night about 7pm and we are so thankful. His first car ride was not his favorite, he seemed to think we were on a roller coaster or something. But we made it and he seems to be doing very well. He did mange to set off his monitor a couple of times but they were just false alarms do to his leads coming loose. He did have a little trouble eating last night but he figured it out about 2am this morning.

Sorry this post seems so scattered but we did not get much sleep last night. We just want to thank everyone who kept him in their prayers. God obviously has big plans for him and he is proof of the power of prayer.

Thank you and God bless. We will continue to update the blog so everyone can keep track of his progress.

Patrick

Weekend Updates

Peyton now weighs 5lbs 6.2oz.

He had a sleep study yesterday and all indications are that it went very well. We are still awaiting official results from that and should get them back in the next 24 hours. He did well throughout the weekend and seems to be very happy as long as he gets fed when he wants to.

He will have some blood work done today to determine if his blood is regenerating itself, if his Calcium and Phosphorus is normal, and to see if the rest of his electrolytes are in the normal range. Please pray that everything goes well with this because this could be the determining factor on whether he comes home in the next few days or not. He will also have a car seat study done today to see if he can handle riding in a car seat while maintaining control of his breathing and heart rate. This is done because he is to small to fit in a car seat normally and his chin may tend to drop and thus cut off his air supply a little, the nurses have ways to pack blanket rolls in the seats to help limit this effect.

Thank you to everyone who continues to pray for him and please continue to do so. God is giving him strength and watching over him. Thanks and God bless.

Patrick

Update

Peyton now weighs 5lbs 3.3 oz.

He is doing well with the new medication the gave him and he seems to be able to eat a little more now that his stomach is digesting things a little faster.

The doctors are a little concerned with his Calcium and Phosphorus levels still being low. The levels are coming up just not to the amount they are wanting them to be. The doctor is going to have a meeting with the nutritionist today to discuss other options in regards to supplementation for the Calcium and Phosphorus.

He is also going to have to have another sleep study done in the next couple of days and may have to have another blood transfusion if he does not start producing red blood cells at a faster rate. the doctor said he is producing the red blood cells but they are taking more blood out to test him than his little body can produce.

Please continue to pray for Peyton and ask God to watch over him as he continues to grow.

Patrick

More Medicine

Peyton now weighs 5lbs 1.2oz. He is starting to get his appetite back after a couple of days of not wanting to eat.

The doctor put him on a new medicine yesterday to try and relieve some of his reflux issues. It is supposed to help with the motility of the intestinal tract and empty his stomach out a little faster to prevent the food from backing up into the windpipe. So far it looks like it is helping because he is eating faster and seems to want more than his minimum amount of food.

He is having some blood work done today to determine if his Phosphous levels are coming back up or if they need to add more formula to help with that. The tests will also determine if he will need a blood transfusion again to increase the number of red blood cells which will help in the transportation of O2 in his body. The doctors think he is doing good making his own red blood cells but the amount is still a little low and this may be contributing to some of the breathing issues.

All the problems he is having are fairly normal for premeis and should be resolved with time and growth according to the doctors.

Please continue to pray for Peyton and that God continue to watch over him during this time.

Patrick

Minor Setbacks

Peyton now weighs 5lbs 0.2oz.

His eye exam yesterday went well and the doctor said that his retina is nearly fully developed and he has a good chance of having 20/20 vision. His sleep study showed inconclusive results. They say he does not need full time O2 but it is not going to hurt him to have it. The study also showed that his acid reflux is worse than originally thought, so they are going to try some different medications and formula to try and correct the problem. He also had his immunizations yesterday and everything seems to be ok there.

The setbacks are that he had an A&B spell yesterday morning and this morning. In order for him to come home he has to have 5 consecutive days without any episodes. The doctors and nurses all seem to think that these A&Bs are related to his reflux, they think that if they fix that he should be ok.

Thank you all for all your prayers and support. Please continue to pray that God watch over him and make him stronger with each passing day.

Patrick

Update

Peyton had his sleep study late last night and into this morning. No official results yet but the nurse said he did well.

The only issue that is keeping him from coming home now is his Phosphorus levels are to low. They started adding Enfamil to his milk to raise his Calcium and Vitamin D levels last week, and now they are going to add more to get his Phosphorus level up. This is a concern because he is showing early signs of Rickets which is a softening of the bones which can lead to fractures. The doctor said there is nothing to worry about and he will eventually out grow it but for now they are going to continue to monitor him until they get his Phosphorus back up.

He is also going to have another eye exam today to test for ROP. If this test goes well they probably won't check him again for about a month. He will also probably undergo a car seat study sometime today to see if he can hold his head up enough to breathe and ride in a car seat. Also his immunizations are going to be today and have to be given over a 24 hour period. Please pray that all these tests and procedures go well and that God continue to watch over him.

Thanks to everyone who continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Patrick

Update from the Weekend

Peyton now weighs 4lbs 13oz and is 17.25in long.

He is now able to have full breast milk feedings but they are adding a little formula to his milk to help with calorie intake and calcium consumption. He is able to eat as much as he wants as long as he finishes 40mls and he is doing a great job of that.

Peyton should have his sleep study today to determine if he needs O2 at home or not. Tomorrow he should get his immunizations (has to be given over 24hr period) and he will get another eye exam. The doctors and nurses keep telling us he is doing so good, which is very reassuring.

He had a hearing test on Friday which went well and they said he has no hearing problems.

Hopefully, God willing, Peyton will do very well on his sleep study and have no ill effects from the immunizations and he may get to come home soon.

Sorry for the short post but he is doing well. Please continue to pray that God watch over him and protect him. Thanks to everyone who continue to think of Peyton during this time.

Patrick

No More Tubes or Incubator

Peyton now weighs 4lbs 10.2oz, again. He is putting back on the weight that he lost when he got on the diuretic.

He is now in an open crib (the same ones you see in newborn nurseries) and he got his feeding tube out. They also are trying him without oxygen again, so he has no more tubes or tape on his face. This is very exciting since it is the first time we have ween him without anything on his face.

They are letting him eat as much as he can stand every 3 hours as long as he finishes a minimum of 40+ mls. He finished 55 mls yesterday morning but then spit up for the first time so we think that his capacity is probably closer to 50 mls.

He will get his immunizations today and possibly get circumcised as well. They are doing that now so he has the weekend to heal before they run anymore tests next week.

Please continue to pray for him and that God may watch over him and protect him. We really want to thank everyone who continues to pray for his health and please continue to do so.

Patrick

Good News

All of Peyton's tests have come back favorably.

He now weighs 4lbs 8.8oz, so he lot a little bit of weight the last 2 days due to the diuretic. The doctor told us this might happen since he is expelling excess fluid in his body.

He is down to 25% on his O2 and they are going to continue to ween him down on that today. He is not in an open air crib yet but could be moved to one today.

He is feeding on all bottles now and they are allowing him to eat as much as he can stand as long as he gets a minimum of 40mls. Yesterday he finished at least 45mls every feeding so he is doing well with that. The only thing that is keeping him from getting the feeding tube out right now is his Vitamins and medicine. However yesterday they ruled out the possibility of him needing anymore antibiotics so he will most likely come off the feeding tube today.

It has been 2 days since his last A&B spell, which is important because it has to be 5-7 days straight without incident before they will let him come home.

Thanks to everyone who continue to pray for him and please continue to do so. He is proof that pray works and he still needs all the help and support he can get.

Patrick

More Tests

Peyton had his developmental assessment yesterday afternoon and the doctor said that he is doing very well and right where he needs to be in terms of his growth.

He is now getting to have 8 bottles a day (full bottle feeding, no more tube) but they left the feeding tube in just in case he needs medication. 2 of his bottles now are Alaina's breast milk because they want to see if he has out grown his early allergy. Since he is getting the diuretic they are having to include some potassium into his food because he is urinating so much he is having trouble maintaining those levels.

He also had his ECO yesterday but there are no official results back on that at this time. We will probably get additional information on that around 5pm today.

They have also started weening him down on his O2 and everything seems to be going good on that for now.

He will have his VCUG (Dye Test) today to make sure everything is flowing out of the body and not backing up into his kidneys. Please pray that everything goes well with this test and that the ECO results come back favorable.

Please continue to pray that God watches over him and protects him. Thanks to all who continue to pray for him and think of us at this difficult time.

Patrick

Almost out of the Incubator

Peyton is now down to 28°C on his incubator and up to 7 bottle feedings per day. So he should be moved into an open crib in the next 1-3 days.

He now weighs in at 4lbs 10.1oz so he has almost gained 3lbs total.

Yesterdays tests all came back ok. His brain scan showed a little improvement from last time which is good and the doctor said there is nothing to be concerned with on that. His Chest X-ray came back a little fuzzy but they said his heart and lungs are developed. He is going to get a low dose diuretic the next few days to reduce the amount of fluid in his chest cavity to see if he really needs O2 full time or just during feeds.

He is supposed to have his ECO test today and the child life development therapist is going to be doing an assessment on him as well. Please pray that everything goes well during these tests because they are the ones that determine how long it will be before he comes home and how much additional support he is going to need when he gets home.

Please continue to pray for him to get stronger and healthier and that God will continue to watch over him. Thanks to everyone for thinking of Peyton during this time and please continue to do so.

Patrick

Tests

Peyton now weighs 4lbs 9.5oz and is 17in long.

He had a follow up head ultrasound today to check for any bleeding in his brain. So far no official results back on that but I will keep everyone informed. He also had a chest X-ray and will have an ecocardiogram later today to check and see if everything in his heart and lungs are developing properly and to make sure there are no complications. Please pray that all these go smoothly and that he continues to get stronger with each passing day. He will also have the dye test and the developmental procedure done later this week so lets hope everthing is in order there.

Peyton is now up to 5 bottles a day and they have him at 28.5°C on his isolette. After he gets to 6-8 bottles and 28°C they are going to put him in an open crib and he will be a little more free.

He is getting a little spoiled now according to the nurses because he is getting used to being held after his feedings and the nurses do not usually do that like we do. So he cries when they tube feed or bottle feed him and do not hold him for at least 15min afterward.

Thanks to everyone who continue to pray for him and please continue to ask God to watch over him and continue to make him healthy. Thanks and God Bless.

Patrick

Good News

Peyton is doing much better since they put him back on oxygen. He is keeping his O2 stats where they want them and he seems to be getting some of his energy back.

They are upping his feedings to 4 times daily at 43mls (30mls = 1 oz). He now weighs in at 4lbs 7.1 oz. The nurses have turned his isolette down to 29° and he is doing very well regulating his body temperature so he may be coming down to 28° an time now.

Prayers needed for next week, as he will have multiple test done to determine how healthy he is and how much support he is going to need when they do decide to send him home.
He will undergo a "dye" test where they are going to inject dye into his bladder and make sure everything runs out of the body not backwards into the kidneys. Then he will undergo an MRI of his heart and lungs to double check if everything is full developed and functioning properly. He is also going to get his 2 month immunizations.

We really appreciate the support and please continue to pray for him. Ask God to watch over him and the medical team to allow him to continue to grow healthy and strong.

Patrick

Thursday News

Peyton had a couple of Apnea/Bradycardia episodes last night. The doctor said that this may be due to the fact that he is having to work to hard to keep his O2 saturation level up. This is also the reason that they said he has been acting kind of tired lately since his O2 stats seem to be lower during the times when he is off oxygen then during feedings when they are at 100%. She thinks that maybe they were to aggressive in weening him off of his oxygen, so they are going to put him back on it full time to see if that will make an improvment.

He is still getting 3 bottles daily and he is still doing very good on those so maybe in the next couple of days he will get an increase in food levels or another bottle added to his routine.

Over the last week or so he has begun to smile quite often while his is out of his isolette and we are holding him. So we are very happy to see him doing that.

He weighs 4lbs 5.3oz, so he is gaining weight and beginning to outgrow some of his little clothes that he has gotten.

Thanks to all who continue to pray for him and please continue to do so and ask God to continue to watch over him.

Patrick

Pictures

Good News

Peyton's eye exam yesterday was negative for ROP. He will have another test in 2 weeks and if that is negative the risk of him developing the disease is very low. Thanks to everyone for the prayers, he is living proof that prayer works.

The doctor increased his feeding to 38mls from 36mls. He is still tolerating all his feedings and may get increased to 4 bottle feedings per day very soon. Last night he weighed in at 4lbs 3.8oz.

The nurse last night decreased his isolette temperature down to 29.5°C so only 1.5° to go before he may be able to be in an open crib.

The doctors also ordered the portable apnea monitor and portable oxgen for him yesterday. This is a sign that they may be getting ready to send him home in a few weeks. They said that ordering the equipment is precautionary and he may or may not need it by the time he goes home.

I want to thank everyone for their continued support through this difficult time and ask that we continue to pray for him and ask GOd to watch over him.

Patrick

Prayers Needed

Peyton will have his second eye exam today before 12 noon. They are going to see if he is developing Retinopothy of Prematurity, which is an abnormal growth or lack of blood vessels in the retina. Please pray for everything to go well and that the outcome be favorable.

He also had his upper G.I. test yesterday afternoon and he does have a significant amount of acid reflux. The doctors have started him on Prevacid to stop the reflux and hopefully that will stop his A & B issues after feedings. They said he will grow out of this issue and it is nothing to worry about it is perfectly normal. He will probably have to be on this medication until he comes home and about 2 months after.

Last night when we tried feeding him at 5 pm he was very tired and did not seem interested in his bottle so he only ate 30 mls from the bottle and they tube fed him the other 7. The doctor attributed this to the fact that he had a big day and was probably very tired from the G.I. test. He did however finish his bottle at 2 am this morning in his usual 9 minutes so that is a good sign.

Again please pray for Peyton today during his eye exam and help him continue to endure all the test that are needed to ensure he comes home healthy.

Thanks to everyone who continues to think of him and pray for him during this time.

Patrick

Please Pray

Peyton will have an upper G.I. test today to see if he is having acid reflux. The doctor thinks this is what is causing him to have Apnea & Bradycardia spells about 15-45 minutes after feeding. The test will just be him drinking barium with his usual formula and the technician doing an X-Ray to see if the food is coming back up the throat once he is finished. So please pray that everything goes smoothly with the test and the outcome is favorable.

He is now weighing 4lbs 2.2oz and measuring in at 16.5in.

Tomorrow will also be a very big day because he has his 2nd eye exam to see if he is develoing ROP which is a problem with the retinal blood vessels. So please pray that eveything goes well with that test as well.

We are so greatful that everyone continues to pray for God to watch over him and give him the strength to endure and battle through these though times, and we just ask that everyone continue to do so. Thank you so much for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

Patrick

Roller Coaster Ride

This is what Alaina and Pat refer to as the roller coaster wave. This is from about a week ago, so I guess he was five weeks old.

Peyton is doing really well for being a preemie. He did good on his bottle again. They are considering taking him off of oxygen today (I think!). The only time he will have oxygen is when he is eating because it is more likely for him to need it.

He is still wearing clothes and is doing a fairly good job regulating his body temp.

They are not sure if Peyton is actually allergic to Alaina's milk or not and plan to reintroduce milk sometime soon.

They will restest Peyton's eyesight next week.

(Sorry this post is kind of scatter-brained, but with two little ones and being preggo, I can't think properly!!!)

Good News ..... For the most part.

Peyton now weighs 3lbs 12.3oz so he has almost gained 2 whole lbs.

He got to drink out of the bottle again today and he again finished the entire thing. But when Alaina was trying to burp him he had a couple of Bradycardia (heartrate drops below 100 bpm) spells. The doctor took it under advisement and is going to keep an eye on him for a couple of days and possible do an upper GI later this week to see if he is having acid reflux problems.

This is the first A & B spell he has had since Saturday so hopefully this was a fluke but the OT nurse said that it was normal for premies to have reflux issues after first feeding from a bottle.

The nurse told Alaina yesterday that as long as he is tolerating his 1 bottle a day they might try to bump him to 2 a day in the near future and then in a couple of weeks all bottle feedings.

Thanks again for all the prayers and continue to do so. He is living proof of the power of prayer and is truly blessed.

Patrick

First Bottle!!!

Peyton got to drink out of a bottle today for the first time.

Alaina got to feed him around 8 am this morning, and he finished the whole thing (33ml). She said that it is really different than feeding a full term baby because you have to stop alot to make sure he is regulating his breathing and to make sure he keeps his tongue out of the way. He still has his feeding tube in but once a day they are going to let us feed him with the bottle.

He has been on hypoallergenic formula since he started feeeding again because there were indications in his blood work that he may be allergic to some sort of protien. His blood work yesterday showed that the new formula is helping, so they are going to keep him on it for awhile. They told us that he may outgrow the allergy so they may try to put him back on Alaina's milk before he leaves to test that theory.

He is down to 35% on his oxygen and doing well, but they turn it up during feeding time just in case he has any problems with reflux.

Yesterday afternoon they did a renal ultrasound to make sure everything was ok, this was precautionary based on the UTI, and everything is functioning like it should. They are going to have to perform a dye test later this month to recheck but they are optimistic everything looks good.

We thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers.

Patrick

Good News

Peyton now weighs 3lbs 11.3oz and is 16in long.

He had some more test run over the weekend to check for recurring UTIs and other issues that could arise form that, but so far everything has come back negative.

He got his PIC line out again this morning and they are going to let him try to drink out of a bottle for the 1st time today or tommorow. He is doing a decent job of regulating his body temperature now so he got to wear clothes for the first time last night and seemed to enjoy that, but I think Alaina liked it even more.

Alaina and I got to see him get a bath last night, and he did not enjoy the water but liked the clean feeling aftwards.

Sorry it has been awhile since we have posted anything new but Aubrey is very busy taking care of Elias, Ethan, and E3. And Alaina and I have not done a very good job of updating her to get information on here.

Continue to pray for Peyton he still has a long way to go. We are so thankful for everything everyone has done and can really see the power of all the prayers in him.

Patrick

Peyton is SPECIAL!

Peyton is special because he decided to pull his feeding tube out yesterday! So, they now have his feeding tube through his nose instead of his mouth. Because of this they are going to go ahead and try to bottle feed him next week. They will start with one bottle a day and progress slowly.

Right now Peyton is up to 15 mL per feeding with the hypoallergenic formula.

They noticed that the PIC line was floating close to his heart, so they moved it a little.

With all the changes he has not had any A&B's (apnea--not breathing and bradycardia which is a slow heart beat) lately.

Today he is having a renal ultrasound to see if the urine is going back into the kidneys from the bladder. He is also having a bladder tap to see if his UTI (urinary tract infection) is gone.

Peyton is One Month Old!!

On Sunday Peyton marked a new milestone: he turned one-month old!!!

Peyton has had quite a set back in the past few days with his urinary tract infection. He will have six more days of antibiotics. Then, they will do a renal (kidney) ultrasound and put dye in the urine to see if it is backflowing into the kidneys instead of flowing from the bladder out of the body.

Today he had his first eye exam and things look normal which is a big praise to God! They will recheck him every two weeks until he reaches what would have been 36 gestational weeks (he is now at 31 wks).

They are questioning whether Peyton may be allergic to some type of food. Because of this they are putting him on hypoallergenic formula for a while to see if things go more smoothly.

Today they inserted a PIC line again because the IV that was in his hand kept coming out. Evidently Peyton is an active little guy! The PIC line procedure took three hours in surgery! Before they did the procedure he had an IV in his head because that was the best place they could find for the time being. Because of this he has a couple bald spots, but they gave the shaved hair to Alaina to keep.

Peyton's weight is up to 3 lbs 5.2 oz, so he is really growing! 5 more ounces and he will have doubled his birth weight!

Good News (for the most part)!

Peyton does not have meningitis! YAY! He does however have a urinary or bladder infection (I can't remember which one). The infection is minor and they are treating it with an antibiotic. Peyton is still not getting milk at this point. He is getting a custom Gatorade type concoction made especially for him.

We are thankful to God for Peyton not having to fight meningitis!

URGENT PRAYER NEEDED

Today is Peyton's 4-week birthday! We have had good news almost the whole way, but the family needs your prayers at this very moment. The doctor called my sister to say that Peyton had four A&B's (stopped breathing) last night. His body temperature has risen also. They are doing a spinal tap on him sometime today to see if he may have meningitis. They are also running test to see if he has a bladder infection.

My sister is devastated by this, of course. Please Pray that God would heal Peyton from whatever he may have. Pray that the spinal tap would go very smoothly and that the medical team would be able to interpret the results properly and devise an excellent plan for Peyton.

We will have the preliminary results of the test this afternoon.

We covet your prayers and are thankful to God for them!

New Milestones

Peyton is just over 3 lbs and is drinking about 27mL of milk. He was also moved from level 3 to level 2 NICU which is a very exciting thing!

Look at all that hair!

More Good News!

Alaina went to go see him this morning and thought she was looking at a different baby! They took the c-pap (I think that is what it is called) out of his nose. That was the device that was keeping pressure in his lungs so it wasn't so hard for him to breathe. Now he has just a normal oxygen line in his nose (like the ones that everyone else has--it goes around the ears). They are giving him 100% oxygen today as a precaution since they just switched him to that.

Good News!

The brain scan was the same as last time which is a good thing. It means the bleeding has stopped and it may reverse itself. They will do another check a few days prior to him leaving the hospital.

He is up to 2 lbs, 10 oz--he has almost gained one pound!!

Also, today is his 3-week Birthday!!! We thank God for him giving Peyton to us for three weeks!

Donating Blood

If you haven't already given blood and would like to, Gringo's Mexican Restaurant is offering a nice incentive. You can donate at Pearland (the old location), Pearland Town Center, La Porte, and Fuqua locations on Saturday, July 18 from 11:30am-4:00pm. Or, you can donate at the Stafford, Texas City or Champions locations on Saturday, July 25 from 11:30am-4:00pm. They will give donors a t-shirt and a $10 gift certificate to Gringo's!!!! YUMMY!

DON'T FORGET to put it towards Peyton Davis, son of Alaina Davis at the Women's Hospital of Texas NICU.

Thanks so much for donating. Even if it can't be used for Peyton someome else will benefit from your kindness!

Please Pray

Tomorrow Peyton will have another brain scan to see if he is the same or better (or worse) than he was last week. Please pray that God has healed his brain from the bruising and that the medical staff would be able to interpret the results accurately.

UPDATE: Peyton is now 2 lbs 9 oz!!!! And he is drinking 21mL of milk! He moved to a different type of bed which means he is more stable. Also, he got his "PIC" line out of his foot which is the line they used to give him his meds, etc.

Peyton has moved up one floor!

Peyton is doing so good that he has moved to a new floor at the hospital. He is still in the level 3 NICU which is the most life-threatening, but has moved to the more stable part of that level.

Peyton now weighs a whopping 2 lbs 6 ozs! Because of this they are taking him off his lipids/fat--the milk is plumping him up just fine! He is getting 12mL of milk now and they may bump him up to 14mL!

Within a week or so they are planning to take the pressure line out of his nose that is helping keep his lungs inflated. They also hope to take the line out of his leg then which I think would mean he would not be hooked up to anything....maybe.

We are grateful for his progress!

A little short and sweet update:

Peyton weighs in at 2 lbs 4.4 oz!!!!!!!!!! We are so excited about his weight gain! He is drinking 10mL of milk, which seems like such a ton compared to the 2mL he started on! They took the pressure that was keeping his lungs inflated from a level 10 to an 8 which means he is getting more independent.

We are so thankful to God for these improvements and we know only through Him are they happening.

Peyton's 1 room condo

Peyton at 3 days.

Peyton's Big Debut!

Peyton is Two Weeks Old!

Sorry it has been a while since I last posted. Here is the latest...

On Thursday Peyton had many blood tests run including his thyroid, but we will not know the results for several days.

Peyton's daily life is good. He sleeps a lot because of how full he is getting. He is up to 8mL of milk every three hours. He has a couple handmade crocheted hats that were donated by charities and he looks pretty cute in them (from the pics). He is receiving caffeine injections every morning to help him remember to breathe--this is normal for preemies.

Alaina and Pat have been doing skin-to-skin contact with him which all parties enjoy, of course. They say this is very good for Peyton's well-being.

Peyton will have another echocardiogram soon. They are questioning whether they saw a thin membrane, reflection, or tiny hole in one of his atrias in the heart. More testing will give more knowledge. Again it may or may not be a tiny hole. It is my understanding that it is not life-threatening and if it is a hole then they can fix it when Peyton is a little older and stronger.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE CONTINUED PRAYERS AND SUPPORT!

Ultrasound Results

Texas Children's did the test today. The left side of the brain scored a '0' which is the best it can score. The right side of the brain scored a '1.' The scale runs from 0-4. 0 means nothing is wrong, 1-2 means it might be okay, and 3-4 is not good. The right side of the brain has some bruising on it and that is why it scored a '1.' The doctor doesn't seemed to be concerned at this time. They will run another test on Friday, July 17 to see if there is any improvement. The doctor doesn't want to do anything invasive at this time as it may harm the brain even more. It sounded like this was kind of normal with preemies. The doctor will again check the brain at seven weeks of age.

Thanks for the many prayers!

Day 9

On Friday they had him on 2 cc of milk. Then on Sat they upped it to 4.5 and today to 7 cc of milk per feeding! And he is keeping it down and having normal bowel movements! Tomorrow is another big day. They will do an ultrasound of each side of the brain to see if there are any developmental problems. This is the last big test (I think) that he will have to go through to determine if everything works properly. God blessed Peyton with healthy lungs, heart and intestines, so we pray he developed his brain also.

Daddy's first picture with his little boy.

Mommy's first picture holding her son.

Peyton Is One Week Old!

b We are so excited that God has given Baby Peyton to us for one full week!

Peyton's Progress: Last night Alaina got to hold him swaddled in her arms for one full hour! They will get to continue this once a day. Tonight Pat gets to hold his son, so he is very excited.

They laid Peyton on his tummy and he seemed to really enjoy it. He has dark colored hair.

Peyton has gained 2 ounces!!!!!! They said to expect him to lose weight the first week, so this is a very big deal. This means he weighs almost 2 pounds!

Peyton has received some Mommy's milk and had a diaper from it, so this means everything should be functioning normally.

Giving Blood

Evidently people have been having problems donating under the correct name, so here is Peyton's number at the blood bank to make sure he gets credit for it: 3754873. "Davis Baby of Alaina" is what is in the computer.

THANKS THANKS THANKS!!!

Day 6

Today they took the line out of his hand, so he is a little more independent now.

Please Give Blood

Over the next several weeks little Peyton will need blood. He has already received blood but will need more. Anytime they take blood they have to give the same amount back to him because he has so little blood. Peyton is B+, so O+, O-, B+, or B- will work for him. Even if you are not one of those blood types you can bank your blood under his name and they will receive a credit for it. What this means is that they don't have to pay for the blood if they have enough credits for baby Peyton.
You can donate at any Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. You just need Mama and baby's names which are Peyton and Alaina Davis and the hospital which is the NICU at Women's Hospital of Texas.
THANKS!!!!!!!

YEAH FOR DAY FIVE!

We have WONDERFUL praises to God for Peyton's progress!
1. He had a photo light above his bed to help break down bilirubin in his liver--The light is GONE!! And he had to have little glasses to cover his eyes from the bright light, but now he doesn't have to anymore. Mimi Mangum (Alaina's Mom) got to see his eyes open last night when they visited Peyton.
2. He got a catheter put up his leg which will deliver glucose and electrolytes the next couple of days. They will take out the tube in his belly button which is the way he was receiving these things before.
3. Yesterday he had a spinal tap and the preliminary results are good however we have to wait a full 72 hours for full results. Because of the good report he is off morphine and antibiotics! Also the spinal tap showed his white blood cell count was low so that means there should be no infection (this is what they thought sent Alaina into labor).
4. He should be off the ventilator this afternoon. He will have a tube in his nose to keep his lungs inflated, but not giving him any oxygen. They want him to breathe on his own, but that could be strenuous. This way his lungs will not have to do all the work.
5. He will have a feeding tube inserted in the next couple of days which should help plump Peyton up!
6. The echocardiogram showed no signs of the duct still being open. But they do not have the full results yet.

Praise God from whom all these blessings flow!

Day Four

He will have to have a spinal tap and his echocardiogram today, so please pray!

Day Three

Well, we are on day three and so far so good. He has gone up and down as far as the percentage of oxygen is concerned that he is receiving from the tube. He is close to breathing room air, but not there yet. Alaina got to change his diaper last night through the hand holes, and she was REALLY excited about that. One downfall he had was acidosis which means he wasn't exhaling as much CO2 as he was supposed to, but they have made adjustments for this. Tomorrow is a big day test wise. They will know if he has patent ductus arteriosis, which means a little flap in the heart may not have closed yet. They have been giving him medicine to try to close it and they will check it tomorrow. If it isn't closed (they can hear a murmur), then they will do an echocardiogram and then if needed surgery to fix it. I will 100% keep you posted on this.
Peyton is still in our Good Lord's hands and I know neither he or Alaina would be alive if that were not the case.

Our First Family Picture!!!

The first picture of Daddy with his newborn son.

Our first glance at Baby Peyton in the hallway. He was on his way to the NICU.

Baby Peyton's Arrival

Peyton Shawn Davis was born June 26, 2009. Alaina was only 27 wks pregnant. Peyton was born at 2:07pm at Women's Hospital of Texas. He weighed 1 lb, 13 oz and measured 14.75 inches. Peyton opened his eyes in the delivery room, so that is exciting. Right now they have his eyes taped closed with cotton balls and he is on all kinds of monitors. He has a feeding tube through his belly button. These first three days are life-threatening. No one can touch him, but they can see him. After that the next benchmark is 10-12 days of life--that is when they will know that the brain is ok. If he makes it through that then I think it means he will be fairly normal. He cannot come home until he would have been 37 gestational wks, so about 10 wks. Mommy is doing good physically! Mommy and Daddy are struggling emotionally.