Ringing in December

Garret is quickly approaching the one month mark. He is gaining the weight to prove it too. Little G is closing in on the 3 pound mark and will hopefully achieve it (and a bit more) by December 1! All of his blood work came back and he did not have an infection, but he is breaking up a lot more mucus and junk now then before.

Erin and Jim are finishing out the Thanksgiving weekend together with Garret. They have decorated his pod to make it feel more like the holidays are near. Jim headed back this morning for work and school, and to beat the snow. And, Erin will be settling into December with a bit more routine than the start of November.

3 weeks and counting (the grams)

Garret hit the three week old mark today, and appears to be suffering from a Thanksgiving hangover like the rest of us. The good news is that he is up to 2 lb 12 oz and growing. The food hangover part is that he is a bit sluggish, running a temp, and back on oxygen for a time. Docs have put him on antibiotics and those seem to be settling him down a bit. All that said, he's being well taken care of and Erin and Jim received more information on the type of fistula Garret has. It's a type C tracheoes0phageal fistula (that is about all I can say about that - see the link for more details).

Erin had a little help from the nurses to prop up Garret's prized toy - the homemade teddy bear from me (Auntie Amber)! Now, the colorful bear can watch over little G when Erin and Jim are not around. Sparky has noticed where his bear friend is and can't wait to make the road trip to Milwaukee next weekend to pay a visit.

Reflections of Thankfulness

This Thanksgiving is quite different from any of those experienced by the Dallmans in past. For starters, we're all grateful that Garret is here and is doing as well as can be expected for a nearly 3-week old who was 10 weeks early! Garret has been participating in typical preemie behavior the last couple of days, having the occasional slowing heart rate and breathing - to peeing before Momma Erin can get the new diaper on him.

Garret's early arrival has shown that our family can be flexible and adapt to new scenarios (as much as we all enjoy being in control). Gail gave up being the matriarch to participate in (perhaps a more) relaxing dinner with Darrin's family and Amanda. Missy latched on to Paul's family and found herself a delightful meal there after dark. Erin and Jim made their way back to Waupaca to enjoy the company of Jim's family and a bit of time away from the hospital. Amber and Marc stayed in Saint Paul and learned more about the capacity of their half-sized oven and enjoyed a quiet meal at home (proudly made from scratch).

And, of course, there are some things that have yet to change - Chuck has not bagged the big one this year and spent the entire day out in his deer stand, enjoying the peace and tranquilty of the "back 40." One thing is for certain though, this Thanksgiving we all had a greater understanding of how grateful we are for each other, even when we are not able to enjoy the traditional meal together.

PaPa has a big birthday

PaPa Chuck's always has his birthday during the 10 days of gun hunting in Wisconsin, and this year is no different. However, this is the first year G.G. has been gone for so long, and he has had to fend for himself. Playing bachelor means many nights of frozen pizza, potato chips, and candy bars. He received a pleasant birthday surprise when G.G. and Erin showed up to wish him well and into the next decade.

The usual suspects were on hand (Gramps, Ruth Ann, Missy, Paul, Darrin and Amanda) to enjoy a Chuck-y meal of BBQ and chips. Amanda made the red velvet cake (with a little added love and health). All in all it was a great day for the Dallmans.

Oh! And, the little G-man had a quiet day of rest. Erin came back in the afternoon and was able to hold him for a while. Then, she was off to grab some dinner and then back to the NICU for part of the evening. This will be the first night Erin's spends at the Ronald McDonald alone! Erin is as ready as she'll ever be to take on the leading role of mom, and I know she'll be great at it!

Lift and separate?

No, I am not talking about Erin changing Garret's diaper. One of the highlights down near the NICU today was the trip Erin and G.G. took to the bra shop. Erin was able to get sized and found a couple of good fitting nursing bras to take care of "her girls." This was stated to be one of two highlights for the day.

The second being that G.G. held the little G today! Yes, that's right...she was the first person other than Mom & Dad to hold the little guy. I am sure G.G. was ecstatic to hold her grandson for the first time. Surely, Garret continued to steal her heart and now he probably has her on a very short leash. G.G. will likely be bragging about this one for quite some time. However, that is what the grandma is suppose to do.

The crazy women have left...for now

Things should be a little calmer for Garret this evening. Aunties Amanda and Amber came to say their "see you laters" this afternoon and show some love for the G-man. Garret will enjoy the next few days with Erin and G.G. before the turkey day holiday. It is quite apparent this weekend that everyone in the Dallman clan (including extended friends and family) are certainly smitten with Garret. His little, quirky smiles and squinting eyes have stolen our hearts.

Now everyone seems to better understand the brady episodes and how to get through them. We will continue to hope for Garret to grow, grow, grow to get him big enough for surgery to stop all those mucus build-ups from driving us crazy!

(Oh, I admit we look completely crazy standing around Garret's isolette watching him grow...I don't think he liked us all watching him, because he bradied right after this photo! :-( But, he followed it up with a smile and some winking to wish Amanda and Amber farwell.)

Garret and Daddy bonding time

Today Garret got some quality alone time with Dad while G.G. and Aunties Amanda and Amber whisked Erin away to a wedding shower. Garret was well-behaved while Jim was able to get some homework out of the way. Garret also gained back some of the weight he lost the last couple of days. And, hopefully he will have a better night than Friday - where he had some breathing difficulties and needed some assistance a couple of times.

Erin headed back to Children's in the late afternoon, and will look forward to spending a quiet evening with Jim and Garret. G.G., Aunties Amanda and Amber will be nearby at the Schwartzmiller's abode enjoying a homemade meal (sans the mushrooms for Amanda) and Janel's de-lish, homemade cookies!