Tanks Alot!

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Colton is home. The doctors decided to let us oxygenate the boy at home. We have 2 big tanks with enough oxygen for 30 days. We're praying that is enough. It will hopefully make everything easier. Two kids are enough of a logistical problem without one being in the hospital.

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The oxygen tanks come with a free Sirius Satellite radio! At least I thought it was a satellite radio at first.

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Cooper is high maintenance. Now there's tubes and tanks and more devices around for him to mess with. He knows what "no" means, but it doesn't mean anything to him.

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Lather, Rinse, and Repeat

For the most part you could probably read the post from last Wednesday and it would fit perfectly for today. We're hopeful that Colt will get out tomorrow, but Micole doesn't believe that will be the case. He is definitely better than he was a week ago, but he just can't seem to shake it off. I'd like to thank everyone for the kind words and concern. Right now everything seems a little out of sync.

Cooper and I are having a good time in spite of things. We've reached a new interesting stage in his development. You can ask him to go get something and he'll do it. Micole asked him to bring his drum to her. He did. I asked him to go get the doggie and he did. He's done stuff like that before now, but you could never tell if it was just some random occurence. When I asked him to get the doggie, he got up, looked around, pointed, made a noise, walked over, and then grabbed him. No doubt about it. He knew what I was saying and he knew what to do.

Cooper's a smart kid. He's definitely a problem solver. If you put an obstacle in his way, he'll look for a way around. If there is one, he'll find it. I hope as he grows up he keeps that part of his nature.

Here We Go Again

Colt was admitted to the hospital last night. When they tested him he was getting a little less oxygen than he needs. Not as bad as last week, so maybe it won't be another 5 day affair.

The Soap Opera Continues

Micole took Colton back to the hospital tonight. He seemed to have some facial discoloration which is one of the things the nurses told Micole to watch. She called the doctor and he wanted Micole to take him to the emergency room to be observed with a "pulse oxymeter" or some other medical dohickey. Back to square one?

Micole asked me if I thought she was being paranoid. Uh, no. His skin definitely looked purplish-black around the nose and lips. After what Colton's been through I think a little paranoia might be a good thing.

Back To Normal

Colton and Micole came home from the hospital today. He was able to go over 7 hours without supplemental oxygen. Things are back to the way they should be.

Cooper keeps trying to play with Colton. He brings his toys over to him and he tries to sit in Colton's chair, while Colton is still sitting in it. Cooper is into everything. He's still throwing everything down the stairs. What are we going to do when they're both mobile? They're going to age Micole and myself five years overnight when they get to that point.

If Colton had any more hair he would look like a member of the Hair Club for Men.

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Give Cooper food and he'll usually eat it.

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Not Home Yet

Several days have passed and we're still in the same position. Colton is doing better with the oxygen but not well enough to come home. He needs to be able to stay off for about 6 hours. He's been able to do 2 and a half. The doctors are hopeful for tomorrow, but we've heard that line for a few days. Now young Colt is also being treated for ear infections in both ears.

The situation is roughest on Micole. She has cried more than once. She's been spending about 20 hours a day at the hospital with Colt. Her parents have helped out a few times and stayed with Colt so she could come home and have dinner with us.

Pappy, Aunt Kelly, and Granny came to the hospital this weekend to see Colton.
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He just looks so pathetic with the oxygen tubes on him.

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I wonder if Cooper wonders what happened to that little guy that was here for a few days.

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Cooper and I

Colton is still at the hospital. Between visits to the hospital I was able to work 6 hours today and hopefully I'll be able to put in at least another 6 tomorrow. Big guy is doing better. Micole thinks they'll release him tomorrow. She's been by his side almost the entire time except for a few visits home to freshen up and get some clothes. She HAS to be there to nurse him. No way around it.

They're trying to wean Colt off the oxygen. He was on a higher concentration yesterday. A couple of times they took off the oxygen today, but he still is getting just a little less than he needs to be getting. He is getting more oxygen on his own than when he first got to the hospital yesterday. So we're crossing our fingers on a little more improvement and a hospital release for tomorrow.

The Mini Cooper and I are on our own this evening. He spent last night at Joyce's house (AKA "The Best Babysitter In The Whole World"). Tonight us dudes are doing a lot of male bonding, which mostly involves walking around in our underwear, eating red meat, making monkey noises, spinning the dog around until he can't walk straight, and watching television (but not necessarily in that order). Of course, there was also the secret sacred ancient tribal binky sharing ceremony, which I'm expressly forbidden to talk about. Oops. The first rule of the secret sacred ancient tribal binky sharing ceremony is that you do not talk about the secret sacred ancient tribal binky sharing ceremony. I've already said way too much.

Poor Colton

We had to take Colton to the hospital today. His respiratory infection wasn't getting any better. Micole and I have been at the hospital for the better part of the day. They admitted him overnight. Micole is staying in the room with him.

He's got RSV, which is about like a common cold for an adult. For infants it can be quite serious because they can't expel the mucus efficiently, which then causes some difficulty breathing. They've got Colt on oxygen. When they tested him he wasn't getting enough oxygen. He looks so pathetic with the tubes going up his nostrils. He's doing much better now that he's getting oxygen and also because the nurses have used a tool called the BBG (which all of the nurses call the Big Booger Grabber) to suction out the excess mucus.

Hopefully my baby can come home tomorrow. It really just depends on how long he needs to be on supplemental oxygen. It's possible he'll have to stay a few days.

Back To Work

I go back to work tomorrow morning. Micole doesn't go back to work until August, but she's got her work cut out for herself. Cooper is extremely dependent on his mother and she has her hands full with Colton. I'm sure I will be coming home often to one stressed mommy.

Here's a glimpse of tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that.

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Poor Colton has a bad cold. He sounds just awful. I'm sure it's not that bad, but when you're little like that and you have all those small passageways it can be extremely hard to breathe. At least he has his one week appointment tomorrow. Happy to report his jaundice is on the wane. No more blood lettings!

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Is Cooper establishing his territory?

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Cheez-It crackers are the official snack cracker of this blog. Cooper loves them just as much as his dad.

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Eat, Sleep, Poop, Cry, Repeat

Newborns are boring. I didn't really notice it when Cooper was a newborn (At that point in time I was still excited about my entry into fatherhood and still somewhat nervous about my new role). Newborns don't do much. It's eat, sleep, poop, cry, repeat.

Don't get me wrong; I'm sure 6-9 months from now I'll be wishing for boring. Cooper is already more than a handful. Everything within his reach, that he can lift, and that is not tied down winds up at the bottom of the basement stairs eventually. Boring is not so bad. Besides, the real joy is getting to see Colt grow from this perpetual eating-sleeping-pooping-crying machine into a perpetual eating-sleeping-pooping-crying-walking-talking-laughing-throwing things down the basement stairs machine.

Boring yes, but also sublime.

A photo of our three redheaded boys together.

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I don't know if Cooper has any concept that Colton is his brother. I do know for certain Cooper likes him. He's really curious about Colton, always looking over at him. He has even brought Colt a toy or two to play with. They're going to be good buds.

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Poor Colt still has the jaundice. The bilirubin test he took today was a little high, so he has to go back to the hospital tomorrow and get poked in the foot again. He doesn't seem to bleed enough, so they have to poke the poor boy in both feet to get enough blood for the test. The doctors think he's probably going to peak today, but they want to be cautious.

Colton is much calmer than Cooper was at this age. He only gets fussy when it's time to eat or it's time for a diaper change. It'll be interesting to see if his personality is laid back when he gets older.

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Let me just state for the record, the car was parked and not in motion when I took this photo.
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The Baby Is Home

Colton's picture is up on the hospital website, here. That's the blanket Grandma Barb made.

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Here is Cooper's hospital picture for comparison. Colton has got way more hair and he's one chunky monkey when compared to the Mini Cooper.

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Last night Cooper and I left Micole and Colton at the hospital. Cooper has a bit of cold and a rash which is either the hives or some disease that requires you to know Latin to even be able to pronounce it. It was mostly a quiet evening for us. Several times Cooper went up to the window to look out. I think he was looking for his Mommy to come up the driveway, but of course she never came.

Colton has to go back to the hospital tomorrow to have his bilirubin checked. It was a little high, but not too high. They're just being cautious.

Friends and Family

It's been a long day and we've had a lot of friends and family visit us in the hospital. I have more to say about today, but I'll save it until I'm rested.

In comparing Cooper and Colton physically at birth, I would say they look a lot alike, but Colton is a bit pudgier, has more hair (he's almost ready for a haircut), and they have different noses.

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Colton is much calmer than Cooper was when he was born.
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He rarely cries.

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Cooper meets his little brother for the first time. We're not sure he likes Colton yet.

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Aunt Marie.

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Grandma Sherry, McKenzie, Grandpa Mike, and Uncle Tim.

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Grandpa Mike.

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Uncle Joey.

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McKenzie and Colton. She's almost two months old, but he weighs more.

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Pappy.

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Some New Baby Pictures

Here are some pictures from this morning. I'll post some more later this evening.

Cooper with Grandma Stella. He turned 13 months old today. We took him to the hospital with us this morning, where Joyce our babysitter picked him up.

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Micole can't believe she was forced to have this baby naturally. I'm sure she wants to ring the neck of the anaesthesiologist who messed up the epidural.

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He looks a lot like Cooper did when he was born except he is a little chunkier and has more hair than Cooper did. At 9 pounds, 7 ounces the kid is a load. I could immediately tell the difference when they put him in my arms. Cooper seemed lighter than air when the nurses handed him to me.

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I'll have more pictures loaded later today.

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Colton Bailey

9 pounds, 7 ounces. Micole went natural because the epi didn't take. It went fast. Born at 6:19 AM. I'll put some pictures up later.

WI-FI Basecamp established

We're at the hospital. Micole's got her epidural but it's not working yet. I feel bad for her. The nurses had a lot of trouble getting the IV in her. They treated her like a pin cushion for awhile. She's at 7 cm.

Going

to the hospital! Contractions about 5 min apart and fairly intense.

Contractions: Part Deux!

Micole has been having contractions again. They are about 8 minutes apart. I think this time it will not be a dress rehearsal. I've got to shower and get ready just in case. I worked out in the yard today and I'm all stinky and dirty.

Contractions!

Micole's been having some hard transactions for the last few hours. They're coming about 15 minutes or so apart. So it's nothing for sure or anything, but we're going to get everything packed up for the hospital in case we have to go in the middle of the night. I'm tenatively excited. Tonight would be a good night for the baby to arrive because I was off today and I could make it a long, long weekend.


UPDATE 11 PM: She's had more contractions, but they've slowed down to about one per hour. Might happen tonight; Might not.

UPDATE 7 AM: Nothing happened. False alarm. The induction is scheduled for next Thursday morning.

A Rare Midweek Post

No new baby to report on yet. Like I said, I think we'll be inducing about this time next week. I might be proven wrong, but for whatever reason Micole doesn't seem to be biologically capable of spitting out babies early or even on time. She is apparently good at getting pregnant, but not so good at getting unpregnant.

Micole is going to the doctor tomorrow morning, so I may update the blog then with what is going on with her innards. I have not the slightest clue what it all means, I just know the doctor puts on a rubber glove, sticks his hand here and there and says some gobbeldygook about some measurement using the crazy metric system and some percentage that means nothing to me. With Cooper we were certain Micole would go early. The numbers have been about the same with Coltlin, but still no early go.

Since the babysitter is going on a field trip, I have the pleasure of staying home with Cooper tomorrow. It makes me think about all of the time I've spent with him over the last year and all of the precious time shared. Soon I will get to experience all of those same things with a new baby, except this time around I have a one-year-old whose entire existence seems to revolve around finding new things to throw down the basement stairs and pooping. It's going to be so great!

Off the subject a little bit: I used my riding lawn mower for the first time today. It's got a cup holder! So now I can take something I don't like to do (mowing the lawn) and combine it with something I really like to do (drinking beer), which then equals something I like to do (drinking beer while mowing the lawn). I'm loving it, though I'm pretty sure I missed a few spots (perhaps a result of the beer drinking).

I was told I had to post this picture by my wife, because Aunt Kelly bought him this shirt. We do what we can to make Aunt Kelly happy.

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A booboo update. Yesterday when Micole dropped Cooper off at the babysitter's house, Cooper fell and hit his eye on the corner of a table. Cooper's okay except for a little bit of a black eye. The table is listed in stable condition.

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Coop's a sleepy baby on this peaceful evening.

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Happy Easter

Yesterday we took Cooper to an Easter egg hunt at his babysitter's church. He doesn't quite grasp the concept of picking up the eggs and keeping them. He passed up the chance to pick up dozens of eggs. Considering that some eggs had cash rewards, Cooper would've finally been able to pay his room and board. This house isn't free, you know.

Here's about a 3 minute video of Cooper at the Easter egg hunt.

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Cooper loves playing ball.

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Cooper's time at the ducky pool soon turned into a splash fest with another baby.

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We've been enjoying the weather, though yesterday was a little hot.

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We're still waiting on baby #2. Since we don't know if we're having a boy or girl, right now we're calling the unborn baby Coltlin, which is half Colton and half Caitlin.

Despite the fact that Micole says she is full and there is no more room left in her belly, my guess is we'll probably see Micole induced on the 26th or 27th of this month. She's had no movement on that front in a few weeks. She's still 2 cm and 50% thinned. Micole is ready for labor, but Coltlin isn't.

Cooper gets his hands on everything. Anything he gets hands on will eventually be thrown over the gate and wind up at the bottom of the basement stairs. I've had to give him a firm "No!" or two (or three or four or...), which either leads to what I call the "5 second cry" or pouting in the corner for half a minute. He doesn't have the attention span to pout much longer than that.

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The Week In Pictures

It's been a week since my last post. There's not a whole lot to say. Baby #2 is still in a holding pattern. No movement on that front. Still 2 cm and 50% thinned. We went to church yesterday with Pappy and Granny, because Pappy got baptised. It's April 10th and I still haven't finished my taxes, but I did start working on them tonight.

Cooper likes peaches. We haven't been able to get him to eat very much meat. Yesterday he was eating his chicken tenders. When he saw that I had peaches he spit the chicken right out.
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We've been treated to an ample share of baby laughs and smiles.

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Cooper got his 1 year pictures taken on Thursday.

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Cooper has figured out how to turn off the television. And turn it on. And turn it off. And turn it on... You get the picture.

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The weather has been nice.

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Another week begins and perhaps by the time we finish this week there will be pictures of a new baby to post.

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"DAAAAAAADDDDDDDDD!"

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It's been a week since my last post and there's so much to note. Not sure if I will remember it all, but there's so many little things going on right now.

First of all we're just 20 days out from the due date. It seems like our world is about to change by the power of 4. There's a definite excitement in the air. It hasn't been that long since we've been at 20. I looked up my post from February 20th of last year, when we hit 20 days. It starts out "The whole "Micole is uncomfortable" thing has become a cliche, but it remains true today."

Not much has changed. Micole is once again uncomfortable and tired of being pregnant. For sure. Her back hurts and she has the gait of a Weeble. Last Friday's doctor's visit stats are 2 cm and 50% thinned. My money is on the baby arriving a few days early this time. Certainly not another induction. I hope not.


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Cooper's world gets a little bit bigger everyday. He is a curious boy and enjoys exploring the house. It is so exciting to have a world anew. The smallest things, the things most people wouldn't notice or care about, excite him. Yesterday I rolled a ball to him and he rolled it back. He laughed. I bounced the ball. He laughed even more. I rolled him the ball and the process repeated itself several times.

Micole took Cooper to the doctor today for his 1 year appointment. I didn't get the exact stats, but percentile wise he is 90th in length/height and 25th in weight. He didn't gain much weight since his 9 month visit, but then he's been sick several times in the last few months and he's gone several stretches when he didn't eat a whole lot. The doctor was a little worried about the weight, but he certainly has an appetite now.


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For awhile now Cooper has been saying "Mamamama...". He would say it anywhere at anytime. It would be like the syllable "Ma" being repeated constantly on a skipping record player. Now he's yelling "DAAAAAAADDDDDDDDD!". I hear him say it a lot. It's as if he's found a new toy and he wants to play with it all the time. I like like this part of his development.


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