Fierce Pierce

Today ended a 6-day mandatory exile of Daddy. Nik came down with a cold last Wednesday and at the first sign of sickness, was sent packing and headed for the door. Fortunately, Nik's parents live down the road so he was able to spend time with them. Unfortunately, Mommy was left with solo baby duty and NO adult interaction. Really, the solo baby duty was easy. It was the lack of adult interaction that weighed on me. How is a person supposed to go for days without seeing a human face?! Whew, I'm glad that is behind us. As of now it doesn't seem that Pierce picked up any unwanted germs. Will you please pray for his continued health?

He was able to get his first Synagsis shot, which helps to prevent severe cases of RSV. We were so fortunate that we were able to get Pierce's pediatrician on board to let us have it administered at home by a home health nurse. It is SO nice to not have to drag him into the germ-infested pediatrician office! He will be getting a shot every month for the next several months (through April).

In other news, Pierce has been making GREAT progress. We've done several trial runs with him off oxygen in preparation for his pulmonologist appointment (this Wednesday). I was SO chicken to take him off. In the past, he's immediately dropped his oxygen saturations. So you can imagine my surprise when one day last week, he went a whopping hour satting at 100 without his cannula in! The past 4 days, I've taken him off for most of his awake time (including feedings) and he's continued to do so well and hold his sats at 98-100. Go Pierce! I again marvel at the strength of our little guy.

Another update- Pierce went last Wednesday for another routine ROP eye exam. I was THRILLED to learn that Pierce's eye's are recovering well. He does have a slight astigmatism as well as a tiny bit of farsightedness. But as of now, no other eye issues. His ophthalmologist did a full eye exam and was able to determine that he has good eye function. A very good thing considering his ROP was so severe! The ROP is completely gone and she's predicting that, while he made need glasses in the future, he should have pretty decent vision! Praise God. But the big news was that we were finally able to say goodbye to the dreaded speculum. For those of you who are preemie parents, you know exactly what I'm talking about and why this is such good news. For those of you who don't, just know that it's this awful looking metal contraption that they use to get a good look at the back of the eye. It is SO gross and looks so uncomfortable. I am SO HAPPY that we never have to see that thing again!

Ok, picture time!
Here are a few of the latest:

Someone's cordless! (at least for a little bit) And it is SO wonderful.

People often ask me if Pierce is content. This is the way he is 95% of the time. The remaining 5% is typically between the hours of 6-8pm. Is ANY kid happy during that time?!


Ok, the story behind this video. We have this book, one of those picture/sound animal books. It has a puppy, which Pierce loves. A kitten, Pierce also smiles at that sound. And a guinea pig, which is another favorite. And then, on the last page there is the parrot. Oh, the dreaded parrot. We get to that page and this happens. I don't know what it is. Perhaps it's the big scary feathers and the creepy big eyes?


How you can pray:
-Pierce has his first CT scan this week. It will be the first look we will get at the damage the brain bleed caused. While we know that this does NOT indicate how well Pierce will do in the future, it may give us a better idea of areas in which he may struggle or need a bit more therapy. The main reason he's having this done though, is to check the placement of the VP shunt and to see how well the ventricles are draining. Please be praying that this will yield good results and that the shunt is functioning properly.

-Our story will air on WCNC News Channel 36 on Friday, November 18th. We will keep you posted on the exact time as we know more. But please be praying that this interview will be used by God to demonstrate His glory and to bring hope and encouragement to others who are walking through similar situations.

-Pierce will have his first physical therapy assessment in a couple of weeks. This will be used as a baseline as we continue to closely monitor him for any signs of delay. As of now, the early interventionist and pediatrician see no signs of any delay in his development, but nevertheless, it will be something we have to watch for the next few years given his brain injury and extreme prematurity.

-Pray for Nik as he prepares to end his second to last semester of Seminary! We are SO ready for May (graduation) to come.


Thank you for sharing in our journey.

Love,
The Franks Family