Day 7 in NICU

Carter had another good night. His plumbing is working great and he took his 5:30am feeding of 45ml all by a bottle. We gave him his 8:30 feeding with a bottle, but he only got about 25ml in before he pooped out on me and the nurse administered the rest through the feeding tube. They do this because after 20 minutes, he is just burning too many calories and so we need to give him a break. Night nurse schooled us on our "reading materials" last night before Garett left this morning. He has to be back at work because he is on call.

Carter is 5 lbs 5 oz now...he gained another ounce in the last 24 hours. We are getting bigger and stronger! Dr. Pope, Carter's pediatrician, says that he may get his own room by Tuesday or Wednesday and we should all be home together by next weekend. The steps are small but we are incredibly thankful that they are in a forward motion and not backwards.

Grandpa Craig and Grandma Robbie are on their way to meet their first grandchild!

Day 6 in NICU

We got some more good news this morning!! Carter was able to drink his whole bottle at his 5:30 am feeding and then he drank most of his bottle at his 8:30 feeding. The little guy got too tired and fell asleep so we ended up feeding the remainder of his bottle through the tube. All of these little steps are a great reminder of what God does for us each and every day!!!

Day 5 in NICU

We arrived at the hospital at 8am and visited with Carter's doctor. She said that she is pleased with his progress and the earliest we may be home is Sunday. She then stated she increased his amount of food from 40ml to 45ml and if his breathing continues to improve, the nurses may introduce bottle feedings this evening!! Throughout the night, the nurses gave Carter his first bath, wore his first pair of pj's, and turned the heat off in his bed. This morning, he was still able to retain heat and is doing very well!! We will keep you posted.

Day 4 in NICU

Carter is improving but still needs some medical interventions. He has been removed from the bili bed and his feeding amounts have been increasing all day long. We are now at 40 ml which is about 1.5 oz. The doctor was in this afternoon and she is pleased with his progress. She said that they could remove his IV when the site had become a problem. The nurses took the IV off at about 2:30pm and as a result his feedings were increased to that 40ml amount. We are still staying at a hotel because we don't have a room yet. When Carter earns his ticket out of the NICU they will give him a room on the floor and so then we will be staying here. For now though, we are staying at the Baymont Inn & Suites. The hospital has a pretty sweet deal with that hotel. After purchasing a vouchure at the admissions office here at the hospital, we only have to pay $10 a night. What a God send and blessing!

I took some more photos and a video. Hope you enjoy them.

This is "Leo the Lion" he is Carter's crib mate!

1st family photo!!

Carter's new name tag! That sure makes things REAL!

Carter has been being fed through a tube every three hours. He is up to 15 ml over an 40 min time span. His bilirubin levels are up and so that is why he is sporting some sunglasses and under the light. Bowel movements are not happening again and this will be affecting his bilirubin level because he can't get that stuff out. If he doesn't have a movement by 5pm today, they will administer another subpository to get things rolling again. As far as his respritory rate, he sometimes spikes to 100 but does real good during feedings when we are holding him. Carter's doctor has said that he really needs to be at a 70 consistantly before we can introduce a bottle. This could take up to 5 days on average and we are on day 3 right now. Therefore, the next 48 hours will should see some improvement. Prayers are always welcome!!

Garett, Carter and I would like to thank everyone for all the thoughts and prayers. We are very blessed to have such amazing friends and family!

Look how little Carter is next to Garett's hand!

Blowing bubbles..

Eyes are open...sorry the photo is dark...we were shading the light so he would keep them open for a photo.

Feeding time...

Last night was our first time holding him....he is soooooo little!

This morning he is doing good. They have moved his feeding tube from his mouth to his nose so that we can eventually start stimulating for a bottle. His respiratory rate has gone down a bit which is good cause it means that he is getting stronger. Feeding will now be changing from a continuous feed of 3 ml an hour to 9 ml every three hours. Just got the call to go and feed him...more photos to follow.

We have started a new chapter in our life. Carter Garett Wiltse was born on April 23rd, 2011 at 8:05am. He weighed 5lbs 9oz and was 18 inches long. Both Garett and I are flying on cloud 9 still but wanted to get the meat of the information out now with some photos. Hope you all think he is as handsome as we do.

Carter was about 3 weeks early and needed to have a cpap machine to help his little lungs a bit. As of tonight (Sunday), he no longer has the cpap machine but will need oxygen for a bit longer. We hope to get a chance to hold him for the first time tonight.