First Food

Today we tried giving Kai his first bite of rice cereal! He has been showing some of the signs such as:

• Can hold head up
• Sits well in Bumbo chair
• Makes chewing motions
• Shows significant weight gain (birth weight has doubled)
• Shows interest in food
• Can close mouth around a spoon
• Can move tongue back and forth, but is losing tendency to push food out with tongue
• Is teething

I only tried a small amount and will try this once per day for now...

1 tsp. of this 

4 tsp. of this (already mixed with water)

Mix

Spoons up!

And open up...

And he's spent...it was a success

Hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas weekend! We sure did...

P.S. I've been updated the Photos tab as well as the What Kirra Is Up To tab--check them out! :)

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours, we hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year! 

Sammi The Seal

Kai started his respiratory treatments today. He didn't seem to mind getting his medication through his cute nebulizer...

Sammi the Seal

Ready for Round 1

And this is Tucker the Turtle

We also let Kai have one of his Christmas presents early since he's been such a WONDERFUL boy!

Bumbo

He really enjoyed his new blue seat. He likes playtime so I think this is a great addition and perfect timing to start using. 

Kai is still going to OT every other week and PT (Cranial Sacral) opposite week of OT. Yesterday his OT was once again impressed with his progress. Not that he has been doing a whole lot more, but the fact that he's just simple "able" to do/try the exercises without complication. So what we will be working on now is crossing his midline with opposing hands reaching for toys. He's always been able to put a toy straight to his mouth once in hand, so now he needs to reach for it in a sitting motion. He somehow manages to get a toy in front of him while doing tummy time. We are still practicing rolling, but he hasn't done it on his own yet. We stretch him much less than before now, but still enough here and there to get him out of his comfort zone (especially out of his minor left should torticollis) Still doing massages on his arms and legs after baths. Still doing mini pull ups (which he is a pro at). I'm not really sure what else he does that he "needs" to be doing for a 4 month old because his doctor believes as long as he reaches milestone eventually he is fine. So he hasn't been testing to see if he's been acting age appropriate really at all (for his adjusted age; 4 months).

I also forgot to mention that he did receive his flu vaccination with his 6 month round last month so this Friday he's due back for his booster and a quick chat with his Pediatrician about this wheeze.

Cold Air

Yesterday Kai met with a Pulmonologist at Stanford. He was referred by his pediatrician because Adam and I had noticed a little wheeze when he breaths. The doctor determined he does have a slight wheeze when he exhales which is most likely due to this cold air. Although he is not sick the doctor still wants to treat him with two different medications which he had while he was in the NICU. He prescribed him Pulmicort and Albuterol to inhale through a nebulizer. He wants Kai to start with Pulmicort 2 times a day for the next two months until the doctor sees him again.


He said because Kai was born with RDS (Respiratory Distress Syndrome) and also experienced extremely low amounts of amniotic fluid while in utereo, he will be at risk for Pulmonary Hypoplasia.Pulmonary Hypoplasia (P-Hyp) is the failure for lungs to develop in-utero. This often afflicts only one lung. Basically, the lungs do not have sufficient tissue and blood flow to adequately perform the oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange that the body requires to function. While in utero, Kai experienced prolonged oligohydramnios, where there has been long-term deficiency of amniotic fluid, the lack of development of kidneys, and premature rupture of the membranes. (The doctor also asked about his kidneys because that was a concern as well. A few days after Kai was discharged from the hospital we went back for a kidney ultrasound and never heard results from it. Well the doctor yesterday looked up the results since all of Kai's info is in Stanford's database and it said he had an "unremarkable" ultrasound with no areas of concern! Wow that's awesome! No wonder we never got a phone call.) 


Anyways, a definitive diagnosis of Pulmonary Hypoplasia can only be made through an autopsy, so diagnosis is really a strong suspicion and based on clinical presentation along with historical factors. Either way he still has Chronic Lung Disease which I was told is not so "chronic" but more acute meaning short lasting through his "baby years". It's sort of hard to explain. There are many malformations that can happen with lungs when born so premature simply because they were nowhere near fully developed. In closing the doctor basically told me to be aware of any other symptoms noticed that are respiratory related. Kai's lungs are the most important factor in his health as of right now. 


Additionally everything else is checking out great for Kai! This doctor whom we've never met before was just as impressed with his progress as all the other doctors have been since he's been home. His current weight is 14 lbs 10oz and 25 in at 7 months old. He falls into the 50th percentile for height and weight for a baby at his corrected age (almost 4 months) but of course below 5th percentile for his actual age. 

Walk With Us!

Dear Friends & Family,


Our family is walking in March for Babies on Saturday April 28, 2012 at 9:00am in San Jose (exact location TBA). We’re proud to be helping the March of Dimes by walking together for stronger, healthier babies.

Team Kilo Kai is walking in celebration of Kai, who was born at 26 weeks nearly 3 1/2 months early. The March of Dimes works to understand and prevent the problems that threaten our babies and supports local programs that help women have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies. 75% of their donations are used to actually support these programs (75% is a large percentage for a fundraising organization!)

We want to help, and I’m asking you to help, too. Together we can do so much more. When you sponsor me in March for Babies, you make a difference in the lives of babies and their families — right here in Santa Cruz and across the country.

I want to invite you to walk with me on March for Babies day. You can join the team on our fundraising page http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1759984 Just click on JOIN THIS TEAM button and it will walk you through each step! I also created a tab under this blog titled >Join the WALK< Each walker will specify a desired amount of money to raise on their own. Check out what goals I have set for TEAM KILO KAI! I will also provide each walker with a team t-shirt in remembrance of this day of giving back.


**You do not need to make a donation to sign up and walk**


If you want to learn more about March for Babies and the March of Dimes, there’s great information on marchforbabies.org and marchofdimes.com.

I'm very excited to be a part of March for Babies this year and hope you will join my team!

Thank you for helping me give all babies a healthy start!

Please walk with us! :)

Let the laughing begin