Let the weaning begin

Things went well at the neurologist today. Nothing too surprising came out of his appointment, which is good. He has gained another pound and another inch in the week since he was at the doctor and is now 10 lb, 11 oz and 22 inches. All good and healthy numbers.
The main thing the neurologist did was to measure the circumference of Finley's head. He measured it three times to be sure he had it right and was very pleased with the measurement (38.5 cms for those scoring at home). One thing that would have indicated trouble is if Fin's head was not keeping up in growth with the rest of him. But his noggin seems to be staying with the pack just fine. The doc also put Finley through some paces to check responses and was generally pleased with what Fin was showing.
The overall result is that he will be weaned off the phenobarb over the next 4 weeks. They did not bother testing his blood to see what his level was (the doctor said the level would not have changed his recommendation, so why bother?). The neurologist said that he does not expect Fin to have more seizures during the weaning, so that eases our anxiety somewhat.
To celebrate the good news, we went out and bought him a bunch of toys that we had found on craigslist. He seems to especially like his fancy new swing. He is sleeping in it as I type.
The news is all good. We are so happy.
Love,
Swingin' Fin and the gang

Big day tomorrow

We go back to the neurologist tomorrow. We are feeling pretty good about it, but there is definitely some anxiety that there may be problems that we have just not been seeing. We will report tomorrow on what the doctor has to say. I thought it would be a good idea to get some more pictures of the little man up here tonight. Speaking of pictures, I have discovered that those whiz kids at Google have been creating an album of all the pictures that I have posted to the blog. You can access that album here.
Bamma and Papa Markle are back for another visit... their first time seeing him outside the hospital... and are getting lots of good cuddle time with their grandson.
We shall have a report tomorrow. Until then...
Love,
Finley and his peeps

Such a big boy

We were at the doctor today. Finley tipped the scales at 9 lbs, 13 oz and 21 inches long. He is a full three pounds over his birth weight at the one month mark and he put on 1 lb, 10 oz in the two weeks since were last at the doctor. This is great news from a health point of view and also means that his drug level has likely dropped a fair bit because the dose has stayed constant as he has grown. We go back to the neurologist on May 30. It is likely that the real weaning will start then.
He continues to do well. His bath tonight was the first one he has not wailed through. He still has some fussy periods that we think are gas or reflux related, but they are not terrible. We are loving every minute with him.
Love,
Finley, Mommy, Daddy, and Tazzy



Take note of the lower right corner of this picture. Aunt Nathalie is holding him, but someone else is stealing a kiss.

Bonding with my Uncle Stephen...

This is awesome

Finley's Aunt Nathalie made this awesome movie for him. Enjoy.

Almost 4 weeks old

Finley continues to do well. He is having a few more unsettled times, but based on the evidence, we think they are mostly gas/intestine pain related. We have not seen anything that has worried us as possible seizure activity.
Grandpa Hannah, Uncle Stephen, and Aunt Nathalie are on the road as I type and will be here for the weekend, so there should be lots of pictures to share.
Love,
Finley and Tasman and the parents




This is David Spickard, a great friend who lives in Raleigh. He stopped in after his interview on NPR. He is the CEO of Jobs For Life.


Hangin' out watching the hockey game...
Robyn and her Mom made an awesome basket of goodies to take in to the NICU folks to say thank you for the incredible care they gave Finley during his two weeks there.
Finley's reunion with Debbie.