Ethan's Trip Home

Here are few pics from Monday night! We're so happy to have Ethan home.

Katie in the elevator on our way up to Ethan's room.

This is Ethan in his car-seat. The hospital will not let babies go home from the NICU before they've passed a 90 minute car-seat trial. They do that to make sure that the baby handles the car-seat well, and the design doesn't cause them to have breathing issues.

We carried Ethan from the room down to the car, then this is another picture of him, in the car this time once we got him situated.

Home! We have Ethan in a bassinet next to the bed for easy access. I think we originally intended easy for us to access him, but Ethan decided that access worked both ways. Monday night he explained to us how much he appreciated that access until about 1:00 am. We've since figured out his schedule a little bit, and now are getting a reasonable amount of sleep.

We're really excited about having him home with us. I don't know how we'd be handling everything if he was still in Winnie Palmer, now that we're in New Smyrna Beach. Thank you all for praying for us, we'll continue to keep you updated!

- Ken

Coming Home!!!

Great new! Dr. Alexander told Katie today that he is planning on discharging Ethan on Monday! Unless Ethan gives us reason to pause, we're planning on that. Please pray for us this weekend. We will be combining moving with bringing our son home, so we're going to be very busy, and probably emotionally and physically exhausted.

Don't worry, I intend on having the camera close by on Monday. I'll probably not post anything until Monday late night or Tuesday morning.

- Ken

Memorial Day

Good Morning! Katie and I are up at the hospital with Ethan, and since she's feeding him, I figured I'd take a moment to give you our weekly update. (WITH pictures this time)

Ethan has continued to improve his strength and endurance while eating. He still brady's about once a day on average, but it seems to be less frequently as the week has progressed. He starts most of his feeds orally now, and finishes a couple each day! His little body is starting to chunk up a little, it's really cute to see.

You can see here^^ Ethan stretching. Every three hours or so, he wakes up and stretches, yawns, and then decides to tell us that he's hungry! No, he can't talk yet, but he definitely communicates his desires!

Katie calls this his "milk coma". Just like you and I do after thanksgiving dinner, Ethan gets tired when he's full, and drifts off to sleep with a satisfied smile on his face!

We still don't know when he's coming home, but I know that we're a week closer than we were last Sunday, so that's good news! He's progressing at his own pace and we're just praying that he continues to develop. Your prayers are still very much appreciated, thank you for your continued support.

- Ken

A Whole Feed!!!

Well, Katie and I got home late last night, so I figured I'd post my weekly update this morning. I'm so glad I did! When we arrived at the hospital, his nurse told us that he'd taken his whole bottle at one of his feedings in the night! That was SUCH an encouragement to us, Katie really had begun to feel as though this waiting was interminable.

We forgot to bring the camera cord up to the hospital, so I'll edit this post when we get home this afternoon and put some pictures up. Enjoy your day!

- Ken

3 Weeks Old

I put the original emails on a page here (look at the hard to read page titles at the top of this page) so that you can catch up on the original emails if you missed them. (Click here)

Ethan has continued to have a great week! He did very well those first couple of days after Tuesday, so the doctors moved him up to 2 feeds orally, and Katie is able to nurse him for both of those. Of course, that's been a special thing for her and Ethan, and we're excited that he's come this far.

He's also continued to get bigger. This evening, he weighed 3 lbs, 10.8 oz, which is an improvement of almost half a pound over his initial birth-weight! We are truly blessed for Ethan to be doing so well.
As I was looking for which pictures to put up today, I noticed that we didn't take any of Katie and Ethan, because most of the time she was holding him, she was nursing. I'll try to fix that this week, she is of course much better to look at than myself.

He's been very alert, as you can see in some of these pictures. His eyes aren't yet focusing on anything in particular, over the next 2 weeks that ability should develop more. At some point before Ethan joins us at home, he'll be tested for hearing and sight.
One of my favorite things that has developed this week has been Ethan's personality. I know that I can't really tell who God's created him to be yet, but periodically I think I see flashes of "Ethan" in his responses. I wonder if all parents feel this excited just to discover who their son/daughter is?

Bottle Feeding

Another great report! Ethan has continued to gain weight, he's now just over his birth weight. Also, he started showing signs that he might be ready to try bottle-feeding. Sucking on his fingers, waking up when its time for his feeding, etc. So, yesterday the nurses gave him a bottle for his 3:00 feeding, and he ate 10 cc's from it! We're really excited, it's another milestone for him, and a big one. We've been told that the two goals for him to be able to go home are 1) weigh 4+ lbs, and 2) for him to be taking all his feedings by the bottle/breastfeeding. He's also continuing to gain weight. Katie and I are trying to not get our hopes up, but we're eagerly looking forward to the next couple of weeks.

Happy Mother's Day!

To all you mothers, Happy Mothers Day! This was Katie's first mother's day as a mother, and it was very special for her! We went to church this morning, it was good to be with our church family again.

Ethan has continued to eat, sleep and grow, He's up to about 3.2 lbs today. He's showing signs that he's getting ready to start bottle-feeding. He's waking up and staying awake when it's time for his feeding, starting to "root" around by sucking on his fingers, taking the pacifier, etc. We hope that he'll start bottle-feeding soon, it should happen whenever the doctor's feel like he's capable.

I'm trying to get a couple closeup pictures of Ethan with his eyes open for you guys, but they turned out really grainy. I'll try to get some this week, thank you for all your continued prayers and love!

- Ken

Gaining Weight

I'm happy to share the news that Ethan is now on his way to being a chunky baby! He's back up to 3.1 lbs now, and the nurse tonight gave him 27 oz. of milk for dinner. As he gains weight, they'll be able to feed him even more. He's consistently keeping his food down, so we're thrilled with that. We get to hold him for about an hour twice a day, so Katie holds him during the day shift and I go back up at night for a little while. Today and yesterday, the nurse had Katie place Ethan in the nursing position and let him "nuzzle" for a while. He seems to like "them" just fine, we're looking forward to when he's developmentally ready for nursing. The concern at this point is that his brain can't coordinate sucking, swallowing and breathing all at once.

Another thing that is an issue with premature babies is bradycardia. Ethan has had a few episodes here or there, but he's on a caffeine treatment for that. Overall, he's a happy little baby, with a small feisty streak. We're so proud of him, and we cant wait to bring him home!



As a followup from my post on Sunday, Doctor Alexander said that his brain ultrasound came back showing nothing for concern. Praise God! We'll still need to see how his tests for hearing and sight go over the next few weeks, but so far so good!Not much more to add at this point, so I'll sign off for now. Thanks for your continued prayers for our family!
- Ken

One more step

Today was another day closer to Ethan's trip home! In these first two pictures, you can see the nurse in the background getting Ethan's lunch started. They still have his feeding tube going into his nose, he seems to handle that better than in his mouth. He looks like a burrito wrap in this picture below because 1-he feels safe and secure that way, 2-it keeps him from pulling his cords! I remember my dad telling me that after he had surgery, he woke up very determined to get that tube out of his throat. This must be in the Sherman gene pool somewhere, so Ethan comes by it honestly. I wonder how Dad would have responded to being swaddled though...Today we went in to see Ethan, and discovered that he'd outgrown the extra small diapers they'd been using, so they went up a size. Apparently, baby diaper designers didn't really think through their sizing charts, as you can see below. Katie and I spent a good 10 minutes laughing at this. Ethan didn't seem to mind, he was pretty good-natured about it all as he slept. He was actually a little bit lethargic today. I was a bit concerned at first that he was so sleepy, but Katie read that all babies, especially premature babies have active days, and tired days. I know that its true for adults too, so it makes sense.

While we were at the hospital today, Katie and I met a family who also has just had a premature baby. We had a mutual friend who put us in touch with each other, so we thought we'd get to know them a little as we are both spending significant amounts of time at the hospital over this next month or so. It was a very pleasant, and encouraging time for us. Their son is even younger than Ethan, and has a few more challenges to face, so please lift up the Bolton family as God lays them on your hearts.

This last couple of days, Katie and I have been confronted again and again with the realization that God has been so gracious to us. Ethan was certainly young, but he is healthy in so many ways. We thank God for that, and give Him glory. There are others that we've seen who are in our situation, but God for His own reasons chose to give their children more difficult times, yet they still praise God and give Him glory! I love that my God's goodness and praise-worthiness is not dependent on my situation.

One Week

Today has been a big day for Ethan! He decided that he didn't need to be on the nasal cannula today, so he pulled it out. When the nurses last night and this morning put it back in, we're told that he took it back out and vocally expressed his desire that it remain out. Since his oxygen levels were doing well, the nurses left it out until Dr. Alexander came around. Not only did he agree with Ethan on the nasal cannula, but he said that Ethan's ready to come off of his IV as well! Katie and I are SOOooo happy to have Ethan hooked up to a few less cords. They're going to leave the IV in for a day, in case they need it soon, but he's not getting any fluids through it.

Now, other than the monitors, the only cord connected to Ethan is his feeding tube. You may notice in his pictures that his feeding tube is now going through his nose instead of his mouth. In the last 24 hours, Ethan has pulled out his feeding tube at least 5 times that I know of. Dr. Alexander says that they will try to start him bottle feeding at 32 weeks (gestational age), which will be this Wednesday! I'm looking forward to that, I'll make sure to ask the nurse if she'll do it at a time when I'm around with a camera!

A couple days ago, one of Ethan's nurses noticed a little bit of drainage from one eye. She took a culture of it and sent it off. Dr Alexander talked with us today regarding that, it showed an infection in Ethan's eye. He didn't seem very concerned with it, as Ethan's been on antibiotic eye-drops for a couple days now. (they started him on that when they sent the cultures off)

Over the next 3 weeks, Ethan will be tested on his hearing, and sight. He had an ultrasound today to check his brain for any signs of hemorrhage. We'll hear about the results of that tomorrow. There isn't any reason to be concerned, these tests are just routine, to make sure that there were no complications with his birth. Of course, we'd love your continued prayers that our son keeps getting stronger, and is fully healthy!

I decided that I would post a video today, I hope you enjoy! As far as news goes, Ethan's doing great, he's off the phototherapy! Praise God for His continued blessings!
- Ken

First off, to make up for yesterday, some pictures!!!This one shows you how we take naps together. I have to be careful not to fall out of my chair, but Ethan looks pretty comfy, huh? The one below shows how they have us "hold" him while he's in the incubator. The idea is that by securing his feet/legs and placing my hand over his head, I'm mimicking some of the security that the womb offered. Ethan really likes this, or also a variation of this where I hold his legs and he holds my pinkie.


The reason that these pictures are all blue is from the light they are using for his phototherapy. He's been responding really well! After the first day, his billirubin levels plateaued, and then today they were down to 7.8 from 11.2. Our hope is that he will be off the treatment within 24 hours or so.

This picture above is from Kangaroo Care time with Katie and Ethan. He LOOoooves his mommy... This look is the reason that he has his nurses wrapped around his finger. He really does, every time I go in there, the nurses go on about how he looks at them so cute when they change his sunglasses!
Today Ethan was bumped up to the next level on NICU. This is a great sign! Kimberly (his nurse today) told us that he's what they call a feeder/grower, that all he has to do is eat and grow, and he'll be coming home in no time! This is great news for Katie and I, we were really encouraged by our visits today. So far we've been holding our breath, waiting for something to go wrong, but day by day, as he gets stronger and stronger, we're getting more and more excited!

I am running to head back up to the hospital. More to come tomorrow,

- Ken

First Day of Commuting

Hello Family and Friends! Before I really get going, I just want to say thank you for the texts, emails, and comments on this blog that you all have been sending. We're so encouraged by the support that God has raised up around us.

We've made it through the first day. :-) I'm a little tired, but Katie is more so. I ran up to the hospital late last night to make a milk delivery, and hung out with Ethan for a couple hours. His nurse claimed that he is a little feisty, I'm wondering how he got that, since Katie and I have such cherubic natures! (FYI - yes, I'm being facetious) His nurse today mentioned something about him being a fighter too, so it must be true...

Ethan is doing really well. His billirubin levels started to plateau, so we're anticipating that tomorrow morning they'll be on the decline. Once they're down enough, the doctors will take him off the phototherapy, (probably take away his cool Oakley sunglasses too...)He's still on the nasal cannula, and he seems much more comfortable with it today. Yesterday, he was constantly pulling at it. Today, I didn't see him grabbing at it much at all.

I make an effort to discuss with the nurse on shift when his "hands on time" is going to be, and then try to coincide my visits with one or more of them. This afternoon, I was there for one, and got to change another diaper. That made 4. Oh, that reminds me of a story I wanted to tell!

Yesterday, I got to change him for the first time. I prepped the diaper, slid the back side under his bum, and took off his dirty (wet) diaper. As I was wiping him down, I noticed a little brown on the wet-wipe, so I wiped again. Apparently, my wiping him stimulated a need to "poo". The nurse and I stood there, and waited for him to go. After he went, I wiped him down again, which caused him to finish going! This time, it got on the new diaper, so I had to get a new one down there, wipe him down again, and strap the new diaper on. Just as I was finishing doing the straps (what are they really called?) Ethan felt the need to water his horses. Of course, I felt the need to chuckle hysterically for a moment. Then I cleaned him again, and put a new diaper on, while holding my breath that he was done!

Many of you have encouraged Katie, telling her your own stories of emotions, or sharing verses, etc. Thank you, as she has been blessed by them! Of course, we're still having to take those moments as they come, but reading what you've sent has been perfect for her.

I'm sorry I don't have any pictures today, I know you guys would much rather look at Ethan than read my reports, but hey, variety is the spice of life, right? ........ No? Ok, tomorrow I'll be sure to take more pics :-)

- Ken

Kangaroo Care

I mentioned in my other post this morning that Ethan's UAC (Umbilical Arterial Catheter) was going to come out today. It did!
We were so excited about this because it meant we will now be able to hold him! We had to wait a few hours until his belly button closed up a bit, but around 2:15 this afternoon, Katie was able to hold Ethan for the first time! We both cried a bunch, it was so special to us! Here are some pictures of that time.

Hump Day

For those of you who aren't familiar with the expression "hump day", Katie and I sometimes use it to refer to Wednesday, since it's the middle of the week, and once you get past it, it's downhill to the weekend! Katie had a student that used it while she taught at Yellowbranch Elementary in VA, and it has stuck with us since!

I think today is the start of "hump day" for Ethan. He's been so great; he's alert, has been breathing on his own, and digesting all his food. We're such proud parents! There were a couple things that we've been expecting to happen at some point. This morning, I talked to Dr. Alexander (Ethan's NICU doctor) who explained that Ethan is a little jaundiced. It's something that is very common in premature babies, so on some level we were expecting it. As I type this, Ethan has on his Oakley's and is sitting in the tanning salon! (Phototherapy is the treatment for jaundice)

The other thing is that Ethan's breathing is a little faster and shallower than Dr. Alexander would like, and although his oxygen saturation is within the acceptable range of 85-100%, it's been hanging around in the lower part of that range. Ethan is now on a nasal cannula. They currently are giving him 23% O2, which is very close to room air (21%), but they'd like to wean him off that over the next day or so.

The good news (GREAT NEWS) for today is that the IV in Ethan's umbilical cord will come out today! We will have to give his little belly button a chance to close up for a few hours, but we'll be able to hold him either today or tonight! That is such a joy for us to look forward to.

Katie is still doing great, she's walking around at 90% normal speed, and is doing extremely well with the pain. Its to the point she might better start pretending like it hurts more, or she risks losing a few sympathy points from me. (I'm just kidding of course) She's producing enough now that she's keeping up with Ethan's intake, so that is an answer to prayer of course.

Thoughts for prayer:
1) We pray that Ethan will respond well to the phototherapy, and will do well with his breathing
2) Katie is experiencing some hard emotions right now. Although she knows the truth, the notion of her body "rejecting" Ethan is very difficult for her to handle. We've spent some time in prayer, and she certainly understands that this was out of her control, and was simply God's plan for Ethan's birth. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would minister to her emotions, especially if we get to go home today.
I will edit this post and put some pictures here in a few hours. (done now!) Thanks for your love, know that we love you too and appreciate the support you all offer.
- Ken

P.S. - Below are some pics from late last night, I got to hold him in the air as his nurse changed the sheets under him!

More benchamrks

The last 24 hours have been exciting for us! Ethan came off the CPAP machine and is now breathing on his own! He's started eating this morning, they're feeding him every 3 hours. There is a line going into his mouth all the way down to his stomach. They give him about 3 cc's each feeding to start with. Before each feeding, they syringe out the tube to check if he has any undigested food left, and so far, he's digesting all or nearly all each time. This afternoon, the nurse gave him 4 cc's and he ate it all! They will slowly increase his amount over time.
They don't want to overstimulate him, so the nurses schedule "hands on time" every 4 hours to change him, check temperature, etc. Katie was able to be at the last 2, and has changed his diaper twice. (Mommy-hood here she comes!)
It's certainly very fluid based on how he does, but if everything goes well, we'll likely get to have Ethan come home in about 4-5 weeks.



Katie is off all IV's, and is just on one med for her blood pressure. They were able to take out the epidural last night, and after a shower, Katie felt much more human. She's alert, and doing very well, walking around, sitting most of the day today in a chair not in a bed. Katie is so busy eating, sleeping, and pumping! We've heard that this is going to be a time of very little sleep, but we're experiencing it first-hand now.

Dr. Iurcovich came in today and told her that he will most likely send us home tomorrow, so we're excited about that.
We love you guys so much! I know many of you are anxious to come see us and visit. We'll let you know as soon as Katie feels up to visitors. Thank you all for your support, love and prayers!
- Ken