8/19/99 John is doing really good. He is breathing on his own. And letting the nurses know when he wants something. He looks good And is very alert.

8/20/99 John continues to make great progress. He is doing fine without the ventilator and seems to be getting stronger everyday. He took his first bottle today. The nurses said he really loved it. He did develop another infection in one of his IVs so he is back on antibiotics. The nurses said it was time to start treating him like a newborn and not a preemie.

8/23/99 Mary got to feed John on Saturday. And I feed him on Sunday. He is up to 22 cc of food every three hours. He is up to 3 lbs. 14 oz. The nurses say that he is smiling a lot.

8/24/99 John did it. He weighs 4lbs. He is up to 34cc every 3 hours. They are going to try and move him in to a open crib tonight.

8/25/99 John did not like the open air crib. His temperature dropped so they put him back in his isolate.

8/26/99 I hope you are sitting down ( probably are) John is out of NICU and is in the PEDS ward. And he will be coming home in a week to 10 days. We are in shock. He is doing that well.

9/4/99 John's progress has been slow but steady. He is working hard to eat and maintain his body temp. So far, he is doing better with his bottle feedings and we were able to put him in an open crib. If he continues to do well, he will be able to come home next saturday :). We were able to dress him in his own clothes (preemie), but even those are too big for him! Thanks again to all of you for your continued support, prayers, and well wishes.

9/5/99 John made it threw the night in a open crib. That is the first time.

9/5/99 John got put back into the isolate. His temp dropped so they had to. He did make it 24 hours.

9/8/99 Well they are going to try again and put John in an open crib. He is still struggling with keeping up his temp. He needs to be able to keep his temp up AND gain weight before they will let him come home. He is showing a healthy appetite and is starting to cry more often for his meals (this is a good thing). John will let us know when he is ready to come home.

9/11/99 Well, John's homecoming is still delayed. We were told that he would be coming home this weekend, but he is still having the same trouble with his body temp. They are also running some tests on his liver and gallbladder to check how they are functioning. The reason being that he is still jaundiced and they want to know why. Because they are taking so much blood for these tests, he also needed another transfusion. While they are performing these tests, he had to go back to the NICU. He should be there for only a few days and should be back to the PEDS unit after that. The Pediatric nurses were sad to see him go. They really love him (what's not to love!!)

9/20/99 Sorry that we haven't updated the website in awhile. John has been doing well. He just has had difficulty maintaining his body temp. They have put him in an open crib yet again and we will see if he will be able to make it this time. If he can keep his body temp up for at least 3 days in a row, he will be ready to come home. He still has jaundice and is on medicine for it. He will have jaundice for awhile and will come home with meds. We have been working to get everything ready for his arrival. His weight is 4 lbs 9 oz and he seems to be eating well. He is fed 45-60 cc (about 2 oz) every 3 hours. We will keep you informed about his progress.

9/22/99 John is coming home this sat. Mary's B-day.He as lasted 2 days in a open crib.

9/25/99 It looks like John will be released on monday.. We got the doctors to narrow it down to days instead of weeks or months.

9/28/99 John Dean is home on his original due date. He is doing great. Thanks again for everybodys thoughts and prayers.

10/11/99 John has been home for almost two weeks now. He is growing everyday and is up to 5 lbs 6 oz and is over 18 inches long! He seems to enjoy being at home with mom, dad and big sis (who enjoys spoiling him). His jaundice is getting better and he continues to take medicine for it. Mom is getting good at changing his colostomy bag and gets help from the visiting nurse. He has proven that his lungs function just fine and has demonstrated that fighting spirit when he wants his way. We are all happy to have him home.