Cam is Home!!!! - Sept 24th

Cameron was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon. He is home in his bed now. Whippy!

The adventures begin.....more info to follow.

Poster Boy - Sept 20th & 21st

On Thursday, Chris kinda...maybe....sort of.....overslept a little bit. He actually didn't make it up there in time for Cameron's breakfast. That's okay though because one of Cam's favorite nurses was caring for him today.

Grandma Mary Ellen arrived for a visit. She and Jane went to see Cameron. He drank almost all of his bottles for his mom today...even though it took a long time. Jane was asked to complete their discharge survey today in anticipation of going home soon. She was pretty excited to finally have an opportunity to give accolades to all their favorite nurses and staff. Then we had a big surprise...a woman who handles neonatal relations asked if Jane would consent to have Cameron's picture taken for a new brochure that they are creating (Cam's first modeling contract???). Obviously his parents agreed to this. Now Grandma has something more to brag about.

Friday morning, Chris actually set his alarm so he was up there on time to see Cameron. Everything went good with his morning feeding and the nurse said that he has bottled everything since 2:00 yesterday afternoon....keep it up buddy.

When mom got there for the 11:00 feeding, Cam kept up his strength and finished without a hitch. The nurse told Jane that she would remove his feeding tube (gavage) before his 2:00 pm feeding....no pressure. Cameron was so excited not to have this tube in his nose that he happily drank every last drop from his bottle at 2:00, 5:00 and 8:00 pm.

As a special treat, Cam had his second tub bath before his 8:00 pm feeding tonight. As you can see he really enjoyed it. Many thanks to our nurse Lora for these awesome pics!

Drink It Up - Sept 18th & 19th

Tuesday morning Chris arrived bright and early to get Cameron's day started off strong. He was a little tired when his dad first arrived but he downed his whole bottle. When mom arrived she decided to try to breast feed Cam. He really liked this but could only last about 10 minutes. After that mom gave him his bottle and he finished the whole thing.....awesome!! That must have tired him out quite a bit because he struggled during his next feeding and was unable to finish it all. That's okay though, Cam needs his rest to grow big and strong.

Later Tuesday night, Chris and Jane came up to feed Cameron hid dinner. He chowed this bottle down with no problems at all. Drinking all of his bottles (8 bottles @ 1.5 oz each in 24 hours) is his last major milestone before being discharged. There is a catch though...the little man has to down the bottle in 20 minutes or less. This shows he is strong enough and continuously growing so that when he goes home he will continue to eat like a champ.

On Wednesday, Chris came up early again. Cameron had some trouble finishing all of his bottles through the night but not when dad got there. Cam downed his bottle for his pops really fast. Chris was very proud of him (as always).

When Jane got there she didn't have as much luck with Cameron. He is just not ready to go home quite yet.....once again on his own time table.....and could not finish his next two bottles. However, the nurses keep reminding us that he is a great drinker and paces himself well (doesn't stop breathing while sucking and swallowing).

Wednesday early evening Jane and Chris went out to dinner with Unc Greg and Aunty Jill who were visiting from Florida. After an incredible fondue dinner, we all went up to see Cam. They were so excited to meet him.....as was Cameron to meet the two of them. They said he was pretty darn adorable and were instructed by Greg's mom to take lots of pics (Cam can't wait to meet Vicky and Jeff). Since Cam is so popular, his special 'aunt' and 'uncle' Joanne and Chris came to see the man yet again (pictured here). Joanne brought Cameron a special CD that he can fall asleep with (you're gonna spoil him). Of course Cam showed off for all of his guests and finished his bottle in only 10 minutes.

5 POUNDS!!! - Sept 17th

Cameron's Monday morning started out great. He drank his 2:00 & 5:00 am bottles like a champ and waited for his dad at 8:00. He was so excited to see Chris first thing in the morning that he forgot how to drink from the bottle. He finally remembered...after much coaxing from his dad...at 30 minutes and decided to finish his bottle. Once again proving that he is on his own schedule.

Cam's Grandma Mary Ellen and Jane came to visit but they didn't have as much luck at 11:00. Cameron would not wake up but preferred to snooze instead. But then like a champ he finished all of his 2, 5 and 8 pm bottles!

Our biggest news today though is that Cameron weighed in over the five pound mark!!! His parents were extremely excited to see this. He is so close to coming home now and they can't wait.

Bottling Pro (sort of) - Sept 15th & 16th

The nurses told us that Cameron may be a little out-of-it this weekend due to his circumcision (don't blame you there buddy). On Saturday, Cam devoured almost all of his feedings with a bottle. Just before 2:00 pm, they removed his gavage tube since he was trying to pull it out. It stayed out until 5:00 am the next day. This means that Cameron is close to not needing his feeding tube at all! His mom and dad were so proud of him.

On Sunday, Cam's parents came by in the morning to feed him. The little man drank all of his bottle this morning. However, his 2:00 bottle he just didn't have enough energy to get through the whole bottle. He took it easy on this one and just drank half....saving his strength for the next feedings.

Chris and Jane went to see their good friends Greg and Jill who were visiting from Florida. They are excited to meet Cam later this week.

Cam's parents were back for his nightly feeding. He was still whipped out from the long day (and the circumcision). On top of all this, Cameron got two new cribmates in his room as well. Lots of activity and not a lot of quiet time. Tomorrow is a new day!

Four Weeks Old (snip-snip) - Sept 13th & 14th

Cameron has continued to progress with his feedings. On Thursday, his Grandma Mary and Henry visited him again and took lots of pictures. Later that evening, they laughed while watching Chris and Jane struggle putting together the new travel system...stroller and car seat. Funny how college degrees don't cover this type of assembly.

Friday was a big day for Cameron....he turns four weeks old today! Both of his parents came to visit him in the morning. A physical therapist stopped by talk to Cam's parents and to check up on his progress and said he looked great.

After the doctor checked Cam he indicated he was big and strong enough to have his circumcision. Mom was nervous but one of her favorite nurses was going to be with him. Just before 5:00 pm he went under the knife. Less than ten minutes later, he was back in bed...wide eyed and alert. The nurse told Jane he didn't cry at all. Way to go Cam!

That night Joanne and Laurie came up to see Cameron. They both said that his pictures on the website do not depict how adorable and handsome he is. Cam said thanks again for the visit.

Grandparents Galore - Sept 12th

This morning Chris came by to feed Cameron and he drank 24 ml out of his bottle of his 40 ml that he was given for breakfast. He seems to be doing much better with bottling now and will get the hang of it in no time at all.

Jane stopped over in the early afternoon with her mother (Grandma Mary Ellen) to hang out with Cameron. The three of them played some scrabble. Cam won every time.....he is good.

Jane and her mom went back to the Weatherford house. Shortly after they got home, a couple of special guests arrived. Chris' Grandma Mary and Henry drove from Arizona by way of Colorado to see Cameron. How lucky is he? Two grandmas on the same day!!

After they all had a nice dinner, they drove up to meet Lil 'C'. Cameron now weighs 4lbs 11.3oz (that's huge!!!!). And to top off a great day, Cam drank.......his whole bottle!!! 40 mls for Dad! Of course it was very hard for him to doze off while eating since Grandma Mary was flashing pictures of him every two minutes.

Marching Orders - Sept 10th & 11th

After Chris came to visit Cameron in the morning on Monday, Cam's mom stopped up to be with him during the day. Much to Jane and Cam's surprise, Aunt Joyce stopped up for an unexpected (but much appreciated) visit. Of course they had to look at the now famous photo album again (Cam definitely knows all of his cousins by picture/caption by now).

When Chris and Jane stopped back up in the evening they were surprised to see Cameron had received his 'green card'....or his 'marching orders'. This is a check sheet of some of the required items that need to be done before he can leave the hospital. As you can see from his check list, he has met most of the requirements already. The biggest one yet to be accomplished is to bottle all of his feedings.

On Tuesday, Cameron bottled a portion of his feedings for his Dad but was too tired to drink the whole thing. Dad took the day off to spend more time with Cam and Jane.

After spending the day at the hospital, Chris and Jane decided that the needed to invest in a deep freezer to store the 100,000 bottles (more like 150+ bottles) of milk that have taken over their freezer (and the freezers of our neighbors too).

Then in the evening, Jane went back up to see Cam and Joanne met her there. It was an exciting night as Cameron breast feed for 10 minutes and then drank 30 ml from a bottle (nice job buddy!). Many thanks to Joanne for hanging out with Jane and Cam!!!

Cameron's Big Weekend - Sept 8th & 9th

Saturday Chris and Jane slept in a little. They didn't get up to the hospital until mid-morning, just in time to check on Cameron for a few minutes before the infant massage class. Cameron wasn't too excited about this class at the time but we think the next session will be better. Next on the agenda, Chris and Jane took an infant CPR course.

After all of these classes, it was time for some fun! Jane decided it was time to give Cam his first real bath in a little tub so dad got the water ready...it was perfect. We didn't think Cameron would be too happy (he hates being undressed), but to our surprise he seemed to love it. He really liked getting his hair washed (it was recommended we do this first just in case he had a little 'accident' in the tub). He also loved his soft Winnie the Pooh bath towels....much better than the generic hospital towels.

This wore Cameron out so Chris and Jane decided to let him rest for a while. They went home to work on Cam's room and cry over the U of M game. After that depressing display it was great to go see Cam again for the evening.

On Sunday, Cameron showed great strides. He drank 24 ml from his bottle this morning for his dad (big high five). Then this evening, Cam's grandma stopped by to see him. His parents weighed Cameron before he ate tonight and he was up to 4 lbs 8 oz!!! After this he had another bottle and drank a whole 23 ml for his mother (another big high five).

All in all it was a great weekend!

Cameron Turns Three (weeks) - Sept 9th

Today was an eventful day. Starting off right when Chris came by in the morning to feed Cameron his bottle. Cameron drank almost the entire bottle.....easily doubled anything he has taken before. However, when he was about finished Chris tried to burp him and he spit up what looked to be his entire breakfast. After cleaning Cam up he was zonked out for a while.

Jane stopped in to check on the little man before his mid-morning/lunch feeding. Cam's Grandparents, Bill and Mary Ellen, came over as well.

In the late afternoon Jane went back to her house and Chris came home to get her so they could drive up there together. Dave Meade said that he wanted to go see Cam on his way home tonight. But Chris and Jane tricked Dave into coming over to their house first to help move a dresser into Cameron's room (thanks again Dave). After this the three of them drove up to the hospital to see Cam. He was very excited to see Dave tonight.

After Cam's evening dinner, Chris and Jane tucked him in for the night.

Taste The Real Thing!!! - Sept 7th

The daily routine kicks in when Chris went to visit Cameron this morning. Chris tried to give him the bottle but Cam could only stay awake long enough to drink about 5 ml. It was still a valiant effort and we are excited for every bit we can get. Most babies don't learn to 'suck/swallow/breathe' until they are around 35 weeks and Cameron is just 33 weeks tomorrow. So he is obviously way ahead of the curve.

Cousin Annie came for a visit to see the big boy. She had not seen him since Cam was in NICU. Annie was so happy to see how far he had come. Jane and Annie stayed with Cameron all afternoon and tried to bottle him again at his 2pm feeding. He still only sucked down about 5 ml for his mom as well. Of course he does get the rest of the feeding via his gavage tube.

Chris and Jane came back together before his 8pm feeding. The nurse suggested that it would be alright if Jane attempted to breast feed Cameron. Bearing in mind this was Cam's first attempt at this, the nurse warned that this may not be successful the first time. But just as Cam continues to surprise everyone, tonight was no exception. Little C drank in a whole 9 ml via direct breast feeding. His parents were very proud of him and the nurse was very surprised! (sorry no picture of this)

Cam drinks 24 ml for Dad - Sept 6th

The day started off quiet enough, Chris got up early to go see Cameron for his breakfast. Cam's nurse thought he looked pretty awake and active so she suggested Chris try to bottle feed the little boy. Chris was willing to try but in the past he hadn't been very successful with Cam. This morning was different though. Cam drank a whole 24ml (of 35)...almost a whole ounce which is twice as much as he has ever bottled before! Awesome job buddy!!!

Jane showed up there for little C's lunch feedings. He was too tuckered out to attempt another bottle feeding so Jane just had to feed him through the gavage tube. He was just sleeping and growing strong.

One of Cam's roommates got her 'get out of jail free card' and went home yesterday. Then his other roommate got to go home today. So Jane asked the nurses if Cameron could be moved into the room with his friends Lindzi and Loghan (Chris, Jane and Cameron befriended these twins and their parents when they were still in the NICU). However, instead of moving Cam out of his room (with the great view of the diggers outside his window) they moved the twins into his room. They were all very excited with the move!

Chris and Jane met up with Chris and Joanne for dinner this evening. After a quick bite to eat they all ran upstairs to see the little boy. Chris and Joanne stayed a long time while Cameron ate his dinner. Cam's dad tried to bottle feed him again but this time he wasn't into it as much as he was this morning. He only drank about 9 ml tonight. But still, it's the effort that counts!

Cameron's job now is to slowly take all of his feedings every three hours by bottle. This requires a lot of energy, so it may be quite a few days before he builds the stamina necessary to drink the whole bottle every time. Once he masters this, he will begin breastfeeding. This is great news since Chris and Jane are renting out freezer space from their neighbors to store all of the breast milk that has been pumped:)

Big high five to Cameron for all his continued progress and adorable smiles!

What's up Doc? - Sept 5th

Cameron was on his own for breakfast this morning as Chris and Jane could not get out there to see him. They both had a couple of appointments but Jane was out there before lunch. Cam's Grandma, Mary Ellen, and his Aunt Gay drove in from Montague to see the little champ.

Right after his early lunch (he gets eight meals a day!!!) the nurses stopped by with a new bed for Cameron! He has grown big enough, maintained his body temperature and has not produced any major respiratory alarms so he was moved out of his isolette and into an open crib. Now Chris and Jane are watching him just to make sure he can sustain his body temperature on his own. Self regulating his body temperature is one of the last major goals he has to accomplish before he can go home. The other major goals include eating all of his bottles, his gestational age needs to be over 34 weeks (he is currently 32.5 weeks) and no major alarms. At this rate his parents are hopeful that he could be home in a couple weeks.

Late this afternoon, Chris and Jane met with the doctor that admitted Cameron (there are nine neonatologist doctors that oversee all of the babies in the Neonatal Center) to the hospital. He was pleased with Cameron's progress over the past two and a half weeks. If he masters "suck-swallow-breathe" and continues to gain weight the doc says he may be out in two or three weeks. So now Chris and Jane are working to get everything ready for their son's homecoming!

After Cameron ate his dinner (and Chris fell asleep in the chair with his son for a while) Jane, Chris, Big Sis Lauren and good friend Paige went out to dinner to celebrate Cam's big progress.

4 Pound Mark - Sept 3rd

Happy Labor Day everyone! This morning Chris came out bright and early to see Cam for his breakfast feeding. Chris decided to try the bottle again this morning with Cameron. He has to be very awake and alert for it to be successful. He did a great job knocking back 8ml's before zonking out again. When this happens, the rest of the bottle is fed to him through his gavage tube.

Chris and Jane went out to brunch with 'Big Sis' Lauren. While they were eating, our good buddy, Dave Meade stopped in for a surprise visit to see Cameron. Unfortunately, he was not able to see Cam without one of his parents there. However, we still count this as a visitor. Hence, every weekday since Cameron was born he has had at least one visitor.

After brunch, Jane and Chris went back up to the hospital to spend the afternoon and evening with Cameron. His mother held him for both his 2:00 and 5:00 dinners.

Tonight Chris and Jane received the exciting news that Cameron now weighs
FOUR POUNDS!!!! This may not seem like much but this it is very difficult for premature infants to gain weight and Cameron is doing awesome. His doctor recommended that he be weaned off the isolette. So by the end of the week he will hopefully be graduated to an open crib. A very exciting day indeed for the three of us.

Cameron Packs on the Ounces - Sept 3rd

Cameron had a wonderful weekend. He is leading the pack in the 'feeder grower club'.....as typical for the Weatherford family. Chris and Jane were happy to be with their son all weekend. This was the first time that they had not been with Jane's family on Labor Day weekend for many years (wow, the weather was perfect this year....hmmmm). But it was comforting to spend our first Labor Day weekend as a new family.

Cameron of course decided to show off for the other two girls in the nursery room with him. He gained a whole 3.5 ounces over the weekend and drank from the bottle both days. It is so cute to see him smile and we can't wait to hear what his laughter will sound like.

Chris had to break the terrible news to Cameron about his future U of M football team and the major upset....who is Appalachian State anyway? (Mr. Alford, our deepest sympathies) Cameron told his mom that he can't wait to watch all the football games with his dad when he gets home.

I drank from a BOTTLE!!!! - Sept 2nd

Oh yea, oh yea, oh yea.....today was an exciting day for Chris, Jane and Cameron. Cameron turned two weeks old today! Happy two-week bday little buddy!!!

The day started off as usual when Cameron was visited bright and early by his father. Chris helped to change and feed the little man his breakfast. While all of the nurses said that he spit up a little for them during his feedings, Chris had the magic touch (thanks Cam). Soon after eating Cameron was fast a sleep and Chris left for work.

Mom arrived a little later with Cam's Grandma to hang with Lil C some more. The three of them just hung out for the afternoon. Jane read the family photo album to her mom and Cameron (again!!!).

Then when Chris and Jane came back after dinner, Nurse Ann suggested that they could try giving Cameron his first bottle. This is what they call 'nippling' (no comment). Ann warned us not to have high expectations as this was his first attempt at 'nippling'. Amazingly enough, Cameron was a champ and sucked away 5ml of milk. Ann was extremely impressed. Cam's parents were overjoyed with their boy's progress. Big high five for Cam!