HOMECOMING

Well, we are finally home with our little man. Today was just surreal. It is so awesome to have him home. One of the best things is that when we pick him up now, we dont have to worry about pulling any IV's or cords. It is so freeing just to pick him up whenever we want to. Right now I am teaching him how to chill on the couch. Thank you so much for all of the prayers that have been prayed for Watson. We have never felt so loved as we have the last two weeks.

HOMECOMING

Day 11

Even though it is only 1pm, today has already been eventful. I was in the NICU this morning at 6:30 when MD's OB came by to do the circumcision. He said that it was a great sign, because it meant that Watson was well enough to have the procedure. Even more exiting today was that Watson passed his hearing test. Early on we were informed that hearing loss was a potential complication of meningitis, so this was awesome news. Our little man is resting easy now and just looking forward to the day that he goes home.

Day9

Watson had a great day today even though things were crazy for his parents. Today was official shift change in the NICU and we had to say goodbye to Dr. Makdad and say hello to Joe Shmoe. We had gotten fairly attached to our Doc, so today we felt a little like we didn't know what was going on. The great news is that the infectious disease Doc came in today and said that Watson can officially stop taking one of his antibiotics. We initially didn't understand, but they assured us that it was no longer necessary and that the medicine was particularly harsh on the body and would benefit him by no longer having it. Tomorrow some of our favorite nurses will be back, which always makes it easier to leave. We love yall and Watson can't wait to meet everyone.

rb & md

Little Dawg

Our little bulldawg had another good day today. Good enough to dress him up and take pictures. Watson graciously gave up his pole position in the NICU today to a more needy premature baby. We are now in a little corner a little closer to the door, which means we are closer to coming home.
Watson is just hanging out in this picture with his 'life is good" blanket on (from Doc), and we keep telling him that life is still good, even in the NICU. One of my favorite people reminded me today that in times of trial, God is refining us. What a sweet message of how God loves us. Thank you guys for all of your prayers and we hope that this picture will make you laugh.

Day 7

Watson had his 1 week birthday tonight, he celebrated by tinkling on his face. Oops. He had a great day today. The diaper rash/fungal infection is getting much better, so he is resting easier. He got his 2nd bath today and wasn't to sure what to think. Today was wonderful because got an estimated time of departure from Dr. Makdad, assuming no unforeseen fevers or complications. If all is well, we should be coming home we the little warrior on July 29th. what a sweet day that will be. The nurses are just having a fit over our little man, every time there is a shift change there is a fight over who will get to take care of him. He is so well loved when we are not there, it makes it almost bearable to leave every night.

Day 6 nicu

Today was awesome. We recieved great news from Dr. Macdad. She informed us that the cultures came back negative and that our little boy is doing great. Now we just have to pray for no surprises and for the antibiotics to blow away any chance of this meningitis ever coming back. Some funny stuff about Watson... He is becoming somewhat of a legend in the NICU. He is eating so much that he is breaking records. Random nurses in the hall will make comments to us about how cute he is and how much he eats. One of the nurses said that it was rare for the cheeks to be wider than his head, and that he was destined to be a linebacker (proud moment for dad). Thanks for your continued prayers.

Day 6 nicu

RECAP

For those of you who have not heard the full story, here is a recap. Watson was born July 15th 8pounds 12ounces. He had a fairly traumatic entry to the world. When he was born he had labored breathing and a high fever. He was rushed to the NICU to start antibiotics due to his fever. The fear of newborns with fevers is that the infection will spread into the cerebro-spinal fluid (the fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord). An infection in this area can be very dangerous as you can imagine. The night of the 15th Watson was given a spinal tap and a chest x-ray. The x-ray revealed he had a slight pnuemothorax of the the lung. The spinal tap consisted of drawing fluid from his spinal column and testing it for bacteria/infection. The results of the spinal tap caused the dr. to diagnose Watson with meningitis (a very emotional moment for us). Dr. Macdad said that she thought that they caught/began treatment early enough to avoid long term effects. So the treatment was to begin a 14 day course of antibiotics and pray that the cultures would come back negative and that the fever would subside. Since that first night it has been a rollercoaster with victories and defeats. The victories were that the fever subsided within 24 hours and Watson began to breath completely on his own with in 24 hours. The scary stuff had to do with his antibiotic delivery. Apparently Watson is a very tough "stick" and IV's were becoming a quick issue. The plan was to do a "PIC Line" (i think i butchered the spelling) that would be a stable line to run antibiotics for the 2 weeks. After two seperate failures the decision was made to put a line in his little neck that would involve a little surgery. This was a tough day because he had little bruises all over his head and arms were they tried to run the lines. Thursday morning a new Dr. came in to do the surgery, and it was a success thank the lord. Since that time Watson has really flourished, he is eating great and sleeping like a champ. So at this point we are just praying that the medicine does what it is supposed to do and that Watson continues to flourish. We recognize that what happens to Watson is out of our hands, but we thank you for praying to the One who is sovereign and good on his behalf, He is very near.

day 5 nicu

Day 5

Today is a breath of fresh air, Watson is eating like a champion and doing well. He has a little diaper rash problem they are a little worried about, but hopefully this will be alright. We got a huge surprise last night when Brooks, Smith, and Kathy showed up and what a breath of fresh air they were/are. I had to go back to work today which has been tough, i just really miss those cheeks.

rb

day 4 continued

Today has been a rollercoaster. Watson is doing awesome, his surgery went well and he is getting the medicine that he needs. Also, he is eating so much. The nurse said that he is eating more in one feeding than most of the babies do in a day. So today was a huge victory at the hospital. Outside to hospital on the home front is were alot of action took place today. By the end of the day we all just had to laugh at all the things that happened. As about 2pm at flash storm popped up in Richmond and knocked our power out. Some of our friends in Richmond were nice enough to take us in for the day/evening. The power finally came back on tonight at 11pm so we came back home. My car had branches all over it so i decided to move it from under a tree and it would not start, not only that, but the windshield was completely shattered. (I am laughing as I write this by the way). It is so great because all of these stupid little hiccups are just easy to laugh at because our little boy is doing so much better, and the good lord has been very near to us. Thank you so much for your prayers, they are felt, and they change things.

Love rb and md

day 4

Watson had his little surgery today and it went well. He now has a central line in his neck that feeds into his superior vena cava. The Dr. said the line is a little lower than she would like, but that everything looks good. So hopefully the little IV on his precious little head will come off today. Some funny news- Today the nurse said that Watson ate more food this morning than any baby she has ever seen in the NICU. That has to be good news. So as of now, we are just loving on him and praying that the meds do their thing.

rb

day 3

Today was fairly uneventful. Watson's pulse oxymeter was removed today (it didnt really work well anyway becuase they said his foot was to big for an infant reader to fit on), but it is one less cord/tube that is attached to him. They delayed the little surgery to place the port into his neck today, and they are going to do it tommorow. This will allow them easier and more reliable access for his antibiotics which is the priority. Prayer requests: Watson has been through many attempts to place this "central line" that have failed... pray that the surgeons will be able to place this tomorrow so he can get the meds he needs. Thanks for all the support.

rb and md