Lots of stuff to talk about

It's time for another Carter update and we have so much to report. I'll try to do a quick rundown so there's room for pictures.

• We spent Easter week in Ohio with the Dreyers and while we were up there, we took Carter to Cincinnati Children's Hospital for a consultation with their neonatologist/therapy/nutrition team. They gave us lots of suggestions and thought he looks great! They were very impressed that he has no pulmonary issues. He flirted with all the ladies and made lots of friends. We decided to make the 12 hour drive up there overnight and Carter slept the entire drive. Those NG tube feeds come in handy on long trips :) Nash and Kelly were so sweet to let us crash with them and fed us lots of yummy food--Skyline Chili and ribs from Montgomery Inn. Ella and Will were great entertainment and Carter really enjoyed watching them play. I think he was in awe because he's never really been around little kids before. Luckily, they were out of school for Spring Break, so they didn't expose Carter to those icky munchkin germs. Brad even had the honor of watching "High School Musical 3" with Ella!

• Carter started trying to combat crawl while we were in Ohio while reaching for Ella & Will's Easter eggs!
  
• Carter's FIRST tooth popped through today! I will try to catch a photo, but everytime we try to see it, Carter sticks out his tongue.
  
• He had his FIRST well-baby check at the pediatrician today. It's a small world because his pediatrician told us that she went to medical school in Louisville with the neonatologist we saw in Cincinnati! Carter weighed in at 15 pounds, 6 ounces and 26 1/2 inches long. That's a 1/2 pound gain in a week. He also got his 6 month vaccinations, so he was not a happy baby.
  
• We have been given about 3 months to make progress with his feeds before it's time for the g-tube. The team at Cincinnati say the "window" of feeds is around 9-10 months and if he's not PO feeding by then, it's time for a g-tube. I think the team at Duke agrees, except they don't think we should wait that long.
  
• He's now on 26 kcal/oz formula (normal formula is 20 kcal/oz) and we were able to cut back on the volumes just slightly to 800 mLs/day. The goal is to get to 900 mLs/day but we have to make those adjustments very slowly.
  

And now for many pictures because I just couldn't decide which ones to post...

Prayer Bear "Hope" went on the trip, too! Hope spent every single day in Carter's bed in the NICU so we feel like she's our lucky charm.

Will got out his Doctor kit and checked Carter's heart. Sounds good!
Ella buried Carter in all of her stuffies while he laughed and laughed. Can you find him?

Trying to crawl!Kelly & I went shopping and found these monkey sunglasses

The Secret to Tummy Time

We've been trying to get Carter to tolerate "tummy time" for longer periods of time. A few nights ago, he was in his crib while Brad and Lucy were playing. Lucy was running around Carter's room, being a silly dog, so Carter rolled right over in order to get a better look! Carter started hysterically laughing, pushing up on his arms, and lifting his head. After taking pics of Carter, we remembered that there is a similar photo of Brad as a baby, so I included it (the second picture). I think we have found the secret to tummy time....Lucy!


The rest are just some cuteness we thought we'd share.

Beautiful Day

After spending the morning cleaning up Carter AND Lucy puke, I decided we all needed some fresh air and sunshine. It was a beautiful, warm day so into the back yard we went. Since Carter spent his first 4 months of life inside the hospital, he's very sensitive to bright lights and wind. He didn't really like the sun in his face and tolerated it long enough for me to snap the pictures. He did like being on the screened in porch, and laughed at Lucy as she ran around in the yard. He gets a big kick out of watching her toys fly by and her right behind them!

Carter told me that he wanted to wear his United States Marine Corps shirt today in honor of Bodee's (our CDH pals from Duke) dad, Mark, who is currently overseas protecting us. He just left for 7 months, and Kristen is home alone with Bodee and their 3-year old daughter, Dakota. We have so much respect for their family and will continue to say many prayers for Mark's safe return.

Growing Boy

We had a weight check today at the peds and Carter now weighs 12 lbs, 11 ounces. It was the first time I've taken Carter out all by myself and we did very well. We've had a horrific week with feeds, so I'm very optimistic that he's gained some weight in the last week, even though it's only 4 ounces. He's been super fussy, refusing to eat, and puking more than usual but it's hard to tell if it's from reflux or teething. He is constantly gnawing on his hands and will end up gagging himself. He then looks at one of us like we did it. I wonder when he'll figure that one out!?!?

We've been in touch with Duke and Cincinnati Children's hoping to figure this out. We really fear that if he doesn't start making some progress with awake feeding, he's on his way to a serious aversion. We work so hard to make eating a good experience for him and he screams at the mere sight of the bottle. Some days are great, and some days I just want to throw in the towel. But, somehow I just can't bring myself to admit defeat to a 4 1/2 month old! :)

Isn't she so pretty protecting her little buddy? It looks like Carter is telling Lucy the secret to his feeding puzzle since she won't tell!

Now that Carter is teething, he tries to put EVERYTHING into his mouth (well, everything except for his bottle, which he still hates). Today, he tried this little trick on Lucy--see video. Yummy...dog hair!

Awwwwww!

Just some more pics. I am doing a blog book for Carter so that's why there are often random pics and posts :) I want to make sure we capture all these moments for him.

Lampshade Lucy! The vet gave Lucy this "accessory" because she continued to lick her boo-boo, causing a terrible abrasion on her mouth. She, like the Duke basketball team, continues to lick her wounds. (you know I had to throw that loss to UNC in there) For fear that her muzzle may get infected, she now has to wear this until it heals. :( Poor Lulu!