He is doing pretty well at home. I am a little frustrated that the doctor sent him home this soon, however. I think he really could have benefitted from a couple more weeks in the NICU. The biggest reason I feel he should still be in the NICU is his eating. He isn't eating and gaining weight as much as he should be. He just gets so tired. In order to get in the recommended 150ml/kg/day, we were having to feed him for 45 minutes to an hour, which is useless because he was just using up all of the calories he was taking in. I decided to take a new approach and feed him for 20-30 minutes and see how much he can get in and see if it will help him gain more weight. He is, surprisingly, eating a little more because he has more energy.
My cousin Haley Basil from Aspen Home Health came on Monday. They will come twice a week for several weeks to weigh Maks. We also had a couple of appointments with the pediatrician this week. Dr. Anderson is also concerned about Maksim's weight gain, and depending on how much he weighs tomorrow at his appointment, they may decide to put a feeding tube back in. As difficult as that may be for a while, if it will help Maks grow and get stronger sooner, we will make it work at home.
As far as his oxygen goes, he is currently on 1/8 to 1/16 of a liter regularly. He had a good day yesterday, though, and he was down to 1/32 for a couple of hours.
Maks has another eye exam tomorrow. That should be an ordeal for me trying to get him there by myself. These were definitely more easily done in the NICU! We are praying it goes well.
Life with two kids is definitely different, and because of Maksim's extra needs, life can be very challenging and discouraging sometimes. However, my father recently reminded me that up until the past couple of months, my life has been pretty uneventful with no major trials or struggles. Maks' birth has been a learning experience and eye-opener for me. I have much to be grateful for, and I am trying to remind myself of that. I am so grateful for a living, beautiful, miniature three-month old, and vibrant two year old, and as much as they sometimes stress me out, I can't imagine my life without them. Hopefully I can somehow figure out how to survive working and being a mom of two kids, so I can enjoy these little bundles, because as difficult as life is right now, the time will pass, and they will grow up.
Here are a few pictures of the last week.
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