Alex

Hello, everyone. Elijah continues to do well. He weighs almost 11 lbs now and is developmentally acting like a 2.5 month old, which is where he should be. He smiles and coos a lot, especially at his big brothers. He is starting to sleep through the night now, which is wonderful for me! His reflux still bothers him and he has alot of gas and is starting to have issues with constipation. I'm trying to get his doctors to change his formula. They don't want to because he is on the high calorie preemie formula. But, his older brother had to go on Alimentum due to protein and milk allergies, so I think that is the problem here.
Halloween is coming and Alex is going to be a buccaneer. His costume is adorable! I'll post some pictures. Dillan my big boy is going to help his Nana pass out candy. My niece Cassie is going to be a Southern Belle, her costume is beautiful!
I've been very busy with school. I'm taking online course for my Masters in Elementary Education, very time consuming! But, I'm home anyway so it works out! Wish me luck. Continue to pray for my family.

illness and RSV

Well we had a little scare. Alex (our two year old) started running a 103 degree temp. Of course we were worried about him and about Elijah catching his illness. It turns out he had an ear infection and so far Elijah hasn't shown any signs of sickness, so pray he won't! Speaking of infections RSV season is upon us, I found a neat form letter for parents to send out about RSV, so I'm including it in this post!

RSV letter and awareness:
Dear Family and Friends,
We're writing regarding a very important matter: RSV. For those of you who plan to visit us over the next few months, and even if you are not, please take a few minutes to read this letter. We want to start by saying thank you for the outpouring of support we have received from everyone. So many people have done so much for us, and every bit of help we have received truly is appreciated. We are experiencing
the biggest challenge of our lives, and we're lucky to be surrounded by so many family members and friends who have shown us so much love and support. We'd also like to share an important topic that we recently discussed with our babies' pediatrician. If you are not aware of RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, you are among the majority. Most people have not heard of RSV, even though nearly every child has had the virus by age two. For full-term babies, RSV typically is not any worse than a common cold, but for preemies, the virus can be quite different. Babies born earlier than 36 weeks are at the highest risk for serious complications like pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and other sometimes fatal complications. Our
baby was born premature, is a multiple, and had low birth weight; these are among the highest risk factors for contracting RSV and developing serious complications. This website offers a great visual comparison of a preemie's lungs compared to the lungs of a full-term baby: http://www.preemiecare.org/LungsTrees03-4.pdf
Preventing the spread of RSV is very difficult. Thus, we must be vigilant about keeping our child safe during RSV season (October through April). The virus is spread through physical contact, in the air via a cough or sneeze, or by touching an infected object. The virus can live as long as six hours on hands and up to twelve hours on objects, and it spreads very easily, especially from child to child. Studies have also shown that infants pose an even higher risk of spreading RSV to others. You may ask, "Can't they fight it off and build up their immune system? Kids need to get sick, right?" The simple answer is NO. Since our baby was pre-term, he did not acquire the necessary immunities to fight off infection.
If he contracts RSV, he could be hospitalized and develop serious complications. We'll be asking our visitors to follow a few guidelines to help prevent the baby from contracting RSV or any other illness.
We ask that all visitors do the following:
1. When you arrive, please wash your hands and use hand-sanitizer as needed before touching the baby.
2. Please, if it is possible, get a flu shot.

3. Please refrain from coming over if you are currently sick and have not been symptom-free for at least 5, if you live with someone who is sick, or have been in close contact with someone who is sick.

4. If you smoke, we ask that you change your clothing and refrain from smoking prior to visiting, as a
preemie's lungs are very sensitive to smoke. Most RSV sites recommend against passive smoke
exposure.

5. If you are parents to a baby or toddler, please refrain from bringing them to our house during RSV
season.

Unfortunately we will not be attending many events during RSV season. Our goal is to make it through this and the next RSV seasons without the baby contracting RSV or any other serious illness. His lungs are still very fragile until he is 2-years-old. Please understand that this letter is not meant to offend anyone, just simply to provide an explanation. We hope you understand, and we appreciate your help keeping our baby safe.
We are also providing several resources with additional information about RSV below.
http://www.preemiecare.org/rsv_resourceshtm.htm
http://www.preemiecare.org/rsvfaq.htm
http://www.preemiecare.org/rsv2.htm
http://www.mostonline.org/preemieBB/viewforum.php?f=82


Love and best wishes to all!
Elijah's family
Brian and Denise, Dillan and Alex

Just another crazy day....

Hello everyone. Oh the day I had today, someone actually backed their car into my double stroller as I was putting my babies in the van (thank God they were not in the stroller). I don't know what was wrong with that girl, my stroller was sitting so close to my van that if it hadn't been there she would have hit the van. People need to pay attention to what they are doing. So impatient, I would have gladly moved it if she couldn't wait for me to buckle the car seat in, she just had to ask! Believe it or not no damage was done to my stroller(as far as I can tell), maybe it was worth $250 after all! The physical therapy office gave me a big run around, they had given me the wrong time for therapy, come to find out they were mixing our name up with someone else, Pruitt instead of Privett. Then when we finally made it to the appointment there was no referral for Speech. The doctors office was supposed to schedule for O.T. not speech, so the day was wasted and very stressful. I've requested home health care to do therapy in the home!
Elijah is doing good. His reflux is pretty bad though, he is on medication for it now! We have so many appointments. He is in Physical Therapy and will also be getting occupational therapy as well as early intervention services. He has an appointment next week for his cardiomyopathy. Everyone pray that we get a good report. I'm putting it in God's hands!
He is off oxygen now, which is wonderful news for us! His big brother's are doing great and adjusting to their new brother. It is so funny what kids pick up on. My two year old is becoming wise beyond his years, he can tell you everything about a hospital and the doctor. He has also developed a fear of nurses!
Yesterday I was upstairs with Alex when Elijah's Apnea alarm sounded, as I headed down the stairs Alex(my 2 year old) looked at me and said, "he's still breathing". And of course he was, we have so many false alarms now. I think the pulmonologist plans on taking him off the alarm soon. I'm going to be so nervous about that!
Elijah weighs 10lbs 2oz now, that may sound very small for a 6 month old, but it is a long way from 1lb 8oz! I don't even try to look at him like a 6 month old, I see him as a 2 month old and that is how I expect him to act developmentally. He is very alert and coos at us and smiles alot now, especially at his brother. He is such a blessing!

Recent Pictures

Elijah update

Well Elijah is doing great. He actually gave his big brother a REAL smile, actually a few of them, this makes me so happy! He now weighs 9lbs 11oz. He is still such a little guy! He came through his hernia surgery without any problems. I had problems with the rude nurses at Johnson City Medical Center Pediatrics. The doctor thought Elijah was getting an infection, and anyone who has a preemie knows how scary that can be, just to hear those words, well she ordered an antibiotic and 6 hours later he still hadn't got it. Of course I kept questioning the medical staff, so after I asked for the 3rd time the charge nurse literally told me off, she was extremely rude and had me in tears. From then on it was a nightmare, they never did any blood work before or after surgery, I mean come on, this is a preemie with a history of severe anemia and multiple blood transfusions! My mother had to call a patient advocate just to ensure that the nurses would come in and do Elijah's vital signs. Not to mention the same nurse was rude to me the next night, I'm thinking about filing a complaint against the hospital. I'm just thankful Elijah did as well as he did. I cringe to think of what would of happened if something had went wrong.
Talk about poor nursing care. Now I know why God didn't answer my prayers for a transfer to this hospital!! Sorry for the vent....
On a happier note Elijah has been off oxygen for about three weeks now and he is doing great. I'll post some pictures of him without the oxygen as soon as I locate my battery charger for my camera! We are getting him set up with early intervention and physical therapy. He has a definate side preference and his head is getting really mishapen! I put him on the other side and try to prop him but he finds his way back to where he wants to be.

My homecoming blog....

HI Everyone, this is the blog I posted on my myspace when I got back home. Alot of new things have happened since then as well, so I'll update on that soon, just so busy......

Hello everyone, sorry it has been so long. We are finally back home, we have been home for a few weeks. Things have been pretty wild. It is really hard getting used to having two small children in the home. It is alot of work, especially having one who is on Oxygen and a apnea moniter, which never alarms unless it is 4 a.m. Elijah is doing well, he weighs 8lbs 1oz (Alex's birthweight). He is not like a four month old, but more like a newborn, which developmentally is right where he should be. Considering he lost 4 months in the womb! I am concerned about his continued need for oxygen but he has a great pulmonologist in Roanoke. Alex is a great big brother, though he wants to be a little to helpful at times. He has a few little jealous moments as well. I missed Alex so much the past few months and am so happy to be home with him, he is absolutely delightful, and so smart! He acts like a 3-4 year old as opposed to someone who has just turned 2! I'm so proud of him, I just hope I can keep up with his needs, since he can't go to preschool because he may carry something in to Elijah. That is something else that is hard to get used to, Elijah can't really be around a lot of people until after the winter. Then maybe he'll be able to visit and go to church. A cold could put him back into the hospital and we don't want that! I know alot of people want to visit, but we are trying to keep Elijah's exposure to people low right now. Of course the frequent doctor visits drive me crazy, I think that is where he will end up catching something. Strangers want to touch him, but we just have to stand our ground! Dillan is doing great too, he is a 8th grader this year, I can't believe it. Where does the time go! Well I know I am rambling but I wanted to give you a update! I'll post pictures soon!