Home Sweet Home

It has been a few weeks since we got home. It has been great, although sleep is a distant memory. Manuel goes back to work on Monday, I am going to miss him while he is gone. It's nice to have someone else around to help with diapers and cleaning spit up.

His pediatrician appointment went good and he finally got put on some medicine to help with is reflux, thank goodness it is finally kicking in. He saw his eye doctor and his ROP is getting better. The doctor said he did not see anything that should keep his eyes from developing normally, and he should not have any long term problems. He will probably end up wearing glasses like mommy and all his grandparents, almost everyone on my side of the family wear them. We have a follow up appointment with his surgeon to look at his tummy and make sure it is on the up and up.

We are still working on getting him to sleep in his crib. I am afraid he is gonna choke up on his spit up and so I wake up with every sound. We have had a problem getting him to take bottles, he is very picky and what worked last week does not work this week. After trying five different brands and who knows how much money, wouldn't you know he's a simple guy. He likes the bottles and nipples he used at the hospital, I wish I had gotten more nipples...

We have had a few visitors and Gabriel seems to love the attention. When Grandpa came he kept smiling as he talked to him. Auntie Colleen came over to visit and wouldn't you know my little munchkin was so well behaved, but the minute she left he started acting up. He also had visits from his Aunt Veronica and Mellie. It is so nice to be able to introduce him to his family. Veronica and Grandma are learning how to feed him and I couldn't be happier, can you say you say babysitter.

Finally Home!!!

Well we finally made it home yesterday. Yeah! It feels like this has been the longest day ever. We are still trying to figure out a routine with little man and sleep. Manuel and I have been sleeping and feeding in shifts. It was nice to be home and cook dinner. Gabriel had a little bit of a hard time transitioning home, he was not eating as much as should. We worked through it and found the right combo of bottles and nipples, we should buy stock in Madela and Dr. Brown's. We had done a trial at the hospital with a certain bottle, but of course being my son he would change his mind.

We are giving him a five days to get used to his new surroundings and for us to get a routine down. We are all having to adjust. We have to be very cautious about who comes over. If you are a smoker, you work in a day care or highly public place, are still in school it is best that you wait to meet him until April. Also, if you have symptoms of allergies, flu, or cold please do not come over until it is gone, and wait 72 hours after it has cleared. I know everyone is eager to meet him, but I do not want him to get sick or worse end up back in the hospital.

Gabriel did get to have his tummy time and enjoy the swing his Tia Sarah gave to him. I think we may have given Gabriel the armitis, he has been in our arms all day. We are trying to put him down more, but the damage may have been done. It is hard not to want to hold him all the time especially since we have not been able to. We have our first Pediatrician appoint this morning and I am looking forward to see if he has gained any weight.

Bath Time

On Saturday when Manuel and I were giving Gabriel his bath I got a treat, he managed to poop, pee, and spit up. It was crazy things were coming out of every hole. After we had all joked that all he needed to do was sneeze on me, he did. I have definitely been inducted to mommy hood, Today he spit his milk right in my face, my glasses caught most of it thank goodness.






He is already showing his personality and he is totally my child. He has to be held a certain way, wants his back patted, he usually always has his tongue sticking out, and likes to nuzzle into my throat which makes it hard to swallow. One nice thing is when he is in a good mood he has no problem lifting his legs for a diaper change. He is also starting to hold his head up for about a minute at a time. I worked with the Occupational therapist this past week and they told me he was their star student, he is so great to work with, how much they liked his clothes (Thank you Mom, Derek, and Shanon), and how great he is progressing. I was eating it up and so proud of my little man, I just wanted them to keep telling me more and more good stuff.


He is now moving a long at a very slow pace, we are on his time now. We have to just wait until he is ready and matured enough to take the steps in getting out the hospital. He is a little egg waiting to be hatched. It is a little frustrating watching all the babies around us go home. I am hoping for only two more weeks, and I am not sure if I can even do that. This is definitely teaching me some patience, and I emphasize some, I have also been able to  learn a lot about how to take care of a child from the best source. I am so glad to have the nurses that we do to make the experience more enjoyable and easy. Thanks Guys

Today was the day

Well today would have been my due date had things been normal. My little man is doing good, he is now in the intermediate care room and out of the main intensive care unit. It is not the best place in the world. We were in a nice area with plenty of room for us and his things, now there is barely enough room for the chair for us to sit in. I would compare this transition to moving from Malibu to East L.A.








He has passed his hearing test and I could not be more thrilled and his eyes are healthy now. He had started off with some problems, but they have since been resolved. We are off the oxygen, no feeding tube, and he had his central line removed. He is flying solo and is doing well. We would prefer to be home, but hopefully in a few weeks. We thought we might be home this week, but he still needs time. So we will let you know how it goes...

Almost There

Well I just spoke to Gabriel's doctor and we are looking at a two to three week time frame to get out of here. It actually makes me sad to think that we won't be here, I have really grown to love the staff. We will miss them when we are gone, but we will be back for visits. He has had his central line, oxygen, and feeding tube removed. He only has to work on weight gain, temperature control, eating all of his food, breathing correctly, and keeping his heart rate under control. It seems like a lot but considering what all he has accomplished it should not take too long.


I know Manuel is excited because football season has started and needs someone to watch the game with. He has already started looking for a buccaneers jersey and an A&M one. I am in so much trouble. I am gonna have to teach Gabriel to like my shows just to even things out. He will learn to love Project Runway and his first words will be "make it work".

We will let everyone know when he is home and when visits can start.We will also give a list of the rules and restrictions for visitors. We would love to introduce him to everyone, but we don't want him to end up in the hospital again. In April RSV season will
end and then people can come over and we can leave the house.

Full Circle

So Gabriel had surgery Monday and he had his appendix removed, his circumcision, and his bowel repair. It was a rough time for him, he had some problems the first night, but Jo and Colleen were there to take care of him and get him stable. Manuel and I were at home when everything happened and I am actually glad we were not there to see it. We have the best nurses that take care of him and keep us updated about his progress. He has had quite a bit of swelling, several transfusions, and he has to go a minimum of seven days with out food. This has been harder for us than it has been for him. He is doing very well and I decided to wait to post any updates on him until I knew he was fine. I had made a post on facebook the night after surgery and everything went crazy. I didn't want to jinx it again.

The night before he had surgery we had an emergency baptism performed by the Hospital Priest Father Pius. It was important for us, and him, that he have this done before he had another surgery. His godparents are Sarah and Ray, and we could not be more proud. We will have an actual ceremony once he gets out of the hospital and RSV season is over, which will be after April. Gabriel's grandma Angel and Gloria were wonderful enough to make his christening gown, since we could not find one his size, it was very beautiful and they used Velcro on it so we could get it on him easier.

At this moment Gabriel weighs 4 pounds 5.4 ounces, we are still waiting to see how much of that is actual weight and not swelling. He also measured on Sunday and is now 16 1/4 inches, we could not be more excited. We were able to put clothes on him for the first time Monday afternoon and of course he had to

be changed by eight o'clock. He is weaning off his oxygen, and has started breast/bottle feeding. Yesterday was the first day he was able to eat and I think Manuel and I were more relieved than he was.



It has been a crazy journey so far and we are not even done. Everyday is different and we just pray for
a good one. Last night my little man choked on his medicine and turned blue. I was so scared and worried I had to leave the room while they were taking care of him. I am so tired of the roller coaster ride that NICU life is, but it has been worth it because I have the most amazing little boy. He better have a house big enough for me and his daddy because it will be his turn to take care of us when we are old.

Moving Forward

There have been some very exciting things going on with our little man. He now weighs 1550 grams/ 3 lbs 6.6 ounces, he has officially made the 1500 gram requirement for his surgery. He is scheduled for his bowel repair on Monday at 01:00 pm. We are preparing for it by having  an emergency baptism. We are able to have his godparents, grandparents, and us there to witness this event. His Godparents are Sarah Reynolds, she is his Tia, his Godfather is Ray Villarreal, our nephew. We are so excited that he is gonna be baptized.


Last weekend we started bottle feeding and breastfeeding. He did really great taking the bottle, but we are focusing on the breastfeeding. He will have no option but breastfeeding when he comes home, so that is the most important thing to work on. It has been a lot of work trying to keep up with pumping, and now both breast feeding and pumping, I feel so exhausted. He is starting to hit some milestones, but he will be taking a few steps back when he has his surgery. He will have to be vented (put back on the machine that breathes for him), when he gets off of that he will be on the cpap
machine, and then back to the cannula. This is what we need to do to get closer to coming home.

Gabriel's Tia Sarah finished his room for him, she hung up all his decorations and fixed my work. She and Grandma "Buela", Marissa's mom, Sebastian and Noah came into town for a visit. Buela cooked food for us, it is nice to eat something other than cereal and sandwiches, Sarah painted the guest bedroom and started our room. Sebastian and Noah brought the love and entertainment. We are so lucky to have such great family.