Our sweet little Superman

  October 11^th, 16 days old. Collin is doing good. He pooped again for the second time. Yea! The doctor was telling us that Collin has a small tear in his right lung, which is common in preemies. What they are doing to prevent it from getting bigger is they turned the ventilator down and the oxygen up so it kind of collapses his lung to help the tear close up. It hasn't gotten any bigger since this morning so that is a good sign. If it gets bigger or gives any problems they will have to put a chest tube in to help him, but so far it is just small. Other than that Collin is doing great. It’s been 1 week since his PDA surgery and he's doing great. He is still off the lights for jaundice; it’s been about 4 to 5 days now. He looks really good; skin is looking good, pink color to him now. He is a big tease which is cute, it shows his little personality. I just love sitting next to the bed Collin is in and watch him. If his hat is off you can watch his facial expressions which is very cute. Good news for Collin. That small tear is gone, but they are keeping the ventilator down for now. Collin has been doing well today, he has been anywhere from 40% to 90% for oxygen. Robert and I are more than great from all the support, all the blessings, and all the prayers from family friends, and neighbors. We love you Collin and very proud of you. Keep up the good work.
October 12th 17 days old :-)
When we saw Collin last night, the tear in his lung has closed and repaired itself which is good. They kept him down on the ventilator and up on oxygen to make sure the tear is repaired for sure. Collin has been doing great with his oxygen he's been swinging between 40% and about 90% so that's good. He's doing good, no changes. They took out his art line (blood pressure line) because it wasn't reading right because it’s been there for over a week, no problem with that though, so they are going to leave it out for a little while, he has good blood pressure for now. Other than that he is doing great. Dr. Cheatham says they are going to give Collin a "holiday" tomorrow, meaning they are not going to draw any labs, yeah! We love this little boy! So, proud of you Collin keep up the good work son. Can't wait till we get to bring him home. He is growing & getting smarter by the day. Too sweet!
October 13th 18 days old. Last night Collin weighed 780 gram which is 1lb about 11 1/2oz, he is getting bigger. Collin's eyes are still fused shut. Last night as I was helping change Collin's diaper he was trying so hard to open them. It was way cute. His left eye is just about to open. There is a baby girl by Collin who likes to cry and a couple times he got a look on his face like he wants to cry, it’s cute.
They switch sedation meds, which makes him twitchy, but he is ok still. I need to pump, I've got my hand on him and every time I go to move he starts twitching again, it’s cute.
They took an x-ray and it looks better and Carmon, his nurse turned him a little on his left side now he's not so twitchy. Collin's doing a lot better now. He is down just below 60% oxygen. He's not twitchy just a little wiggle here and there. He is our good little angel boy. :-) He loves his mommy and daddy and knows whenever we are with him. He also knows that mommy, and daddy loves him very much and knows everyone else loves him too.
October 14th 19 days old. He is really close to opening his eyes.
Collin is doing much better since about 10 last night. It was a little scary but everything is ok. They are monitoring him to see if he was having seizures, so far so good. We will find out more later when they check it. I know everything is ok. He is our Superman, our little trooper. Collin's nurse told us last night that they found a little plastic thing that holds on the probe right above his bum, no wonder our little guy was so uncomfortable :'-( poor little guy.) We hope that is all that it was, just being uncomfortable. Made mommy sad.
No seizure activity so it must have been that little plastic thing I told you about, he is much better today. Relaxing & calm, down as low as 30% oxygen.
Dr. Cheatham even said he came in every so often yesterday to just look & watch him and he said he didn't think it looked like seizure activity. So, he thinks it had something to do with that plastic thing and just being uncomfortable.

October 15th 20 days old. Collin is doing great. He opened his eyes today, so freaking cute. His doctor, Wende says he is doing great, a lot better than two days ago. They are feeding him now, 1/2mL every 3 hours. His doctor is going to put him on a feeding schedule. Meaning up the amount according to his weight.

October 16th 3 weeks old. 25 weeks & 6 days Collin has been stable all day, he's been as low as 30% oxygen, & they up his feeding to 1mL every 3 hours. It got crazy in the NICU because they had twins born and they weren't expecting them, so Collin is no longer the smallest.

October 17th, 22 days olds. 26 weeks gestation. Collin weighs 830 grams 1lb 13 1/2oz. Collin has changed so much since he was first born, he is getting so big. Collin has been doing well with his oxygen, he has been around 40% and as low as 30%. His eyes are opened; he is on 1mL of feedings every 3 hours.
Collin is still doing good. Robert and I are going to be pros by the time Collin comes home. Collin got two tummy times today, which he loves. From what we hear, he does better with oxygen so he gets a least one tummy time a day.
There is a nurse that takes pictures for the NICU and does little posters for the 1 month 2 months and so forth. So, she was here last night taking pictures she got good ones, and is going to give us a DVD of the pictures she takes.

October 18th 23 days old. Collin is doing well today. He is being a good boy like always. He has been stable all day. He has been doing well on oxygen, between 30% and 40%. He is on his tummy. I love helping with his cares, his cares consists of changing his diaper, feeding, and oral care wiping out his mouth with water (making sure it’s not dry.) I am very proud of Collin he is doing so well. I got to give Collin a "bath" again. I gave him a bath last week. Collin is weighing at 850 grams 1lb 14oz almost 2 lbs, length, 13 1\4 in long.

October 19th 24 days. When I took Robert in last night to see Collin his, repertory therapist and nurse let us kiss Collin on the forehead. It was so sweet, he seemed to like it :-) we got to "hold" him in our hands.
Just got to the hospital to see Collin he is doing good. Doctor hasn't gotten in to do his exam yet, but he will be soon. His nurse Ashlee said he pooped this morning, that's 3 times now Yeah!
Collin has been a little stinker on oxygen but nothing to worry some. It is normal for them to be swinging on oxygen, so I'm not too worried. Other than that he is being good.
He's doing good. He needed another transfusion because he's hema globins are a little low, but we've been told that is normal.
It's been about 10 days since his last one and that's the longest they've ever gone between transfusions, the doctor said that was good.

CJ

Collin J VanBibber

            Robert and Stacey are proud parents of a cute, sweet 1 lb 4 oz, 12 in long baby boy.  Collin J VanBibber was born September 25^th, 2011 at 9:59pm.  He was born very unexpectedly after mom, Stacey, followed her feelings and went to the hospital because ‘things just didn’t seem right’.  Even the doctor wanted to know what made her come.  The spirit speaks in many different ways.  We attribute the healthiness of our young son to that spirit and to our Heavenly Father for bringing us to the hospital where there were many doctors and nurses that could help Collin in his earliest minutes, and days.

            Mom got to change Collin’s diaper on the 26^th of September.  Can you believe it, so tiny; his diaper is the size of a cell phone.  Mom and Dad have great hope and faith for their little prince. Collin is doing very well for where he is at.  Collin has a PDA in his heart.  That is the artery that bypasses the lungs while babies are in the womb but closes at birth.  Collin is so small that his didn’t close.  They are going to try medicine to see if this helps.  We hope.

            On September 27^th, Collin was having a little problem with his blood pressure but with the doctors and nurses help he is doing well, and they are keeping it under control.  This is what they are concentrating on today. They made a name tag for Collin today.  He is no longer Baby boy VanBibber.  He is Collin.  What a proud moment, kidding.  But it really is exciting.  An ultrasound was done today on Collin’s brain to check for fluids.  He has a small grade 1 brain bleed.  Doctors not too concerned.  Robert gave Collin a name and a blessing tonight before we left the hospital.  It was wonderful. It calmed me even more because of what Robert said in the blessing. He started the blessing with ‘If it be Thy will, please bless…’.  I think it also calmed the two of us for his surgery even though we didn't know that Collin was going to have surgery at the time. I love both my husband and my little guy Collin, and I am very proud of both of them.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011, Collin is three days old now. Seems like forever….not really but…really.  Dad got to hold Collin up for a minute while they weighed him and changed his diaper and then he grabbed mom’s finger.   Awesome! The hospital said that he is stable and doing well, they are weaning him off the blood pressure medicine to see what happens.  The doctor is very pleased with how he is doing.  Thank you everyone for all your support and prayers.  Keep them up please.  We love you.

            Collin is still stable and doing good today, September 29^th.  Today we find out about his heart, to see if the medicine help close the PDA.  The medication didn’t work.  The PDA is still open. What a letdown….but he is still a fighter and doing very well. 

            September 30^th, Collin is our big fighter and will continue to fight and we know he will come home with us.  We love him very much and are so proud of his progress.  They found a small grade 4 brain bleed today.  They doctor says it might cause brain damage, or it may not. There is no sign of anything like that.  Collin is very responsive.  I got a calm feeling as the doctor was explaining things to us. The doctors are keeping a close eye on it, but they are very pleased with how he is doing.  It is hard on mom because even though I know everything will be alright.  I just can’t hold him or even touch him right now because I might have a cold or something.  I am being very cautious. 

            October 1^st, Collin is doing great.  He is looking a lot better.  They have lowered his oxygen and he is not on any antibiotics and there is no sign of infections.  He has been on and off blood pressure medicine, but he is doing a lot better than before, which is good.  Thank you everyone…..Thanks, thanks, thanks.  Another first, they started to feed him today.  Just a little, but go Collin.

            October 2^nd, Collin is still doing good today.  He is very stable.  We had a scare tonight.  At about 11pm Collin’s blood pressure started dropping into the teens.  It’s supposed to be between 25 and 30.  They turned up his blood pressure medicine and gave him another one and were finally able to stabilize him.  Wow, real scary, awful.  We and some of our family fasted today for Collin, that his heart might repair itself, that his brain bleeds will decrease.  Thank you Heavenly Father for all we have received already.  We have a very long road ahead of us, but we will make it through with the Lords help.  Collin, mommy and daddy love you so very much. 

            October 3^rd, Collin has been stable since last night, this is good.  They did another ultra sound on his brain today.  The doctor thinks maybe the bleeds are shrinking.  Wouldn’t that be a miracle.  Of course this whole week, everything, has been one continual miracle.  The Lord really is in control.  Collin has a 2.5 brain bleed, but the grade 4 is gone.  They don’t think it was ever there.  Right…but his PDA is still there.  Collin is scheduled for surgery tomorrow midmorning.   It’s amazing how Collin seems more calm and stable whenever I and/or Robert are with him.  He really knows we are here.

            October 4^th, Collin’s heart operation didn’t happen until around 2 o’clock.  He did very well.  The clamp that they used was so very tiny.  They gave me one to put in his baby book.  They had him off one of his blood pressure medicines before we were even allowed back to see him and the 2^nd one they took off when we went in.  His heart is working…..yea.  He will be sleeping mostly for the next 24 to 48 hours but he is doing awesome.

October 6^th, they put Collin on his tummy today. He is doing very well.  He is stable and down on his oxygen.  They only have one light on him, and his incision looks good.  Can you believe the blessings… They put him on his tummy and he seems to love it. The doctor says there is no change, Collin seems to be doing really well.

            October 7, Collin is doing good, just got a call from the doctor, Collin is doing well off the lights, they may have to him back on but he is off them for now, he is down a little on the ventilator also.  His oxygen is down.  They may start feeding him today,  and Collin is very active. Collin looks so good today. He is less swollen and his skin looks so good. He looks tinier. Collin's nurse said that his swelling went down a little today. With the fluids Collin gets, he kind of ballooned up but he is only a swollen around his neck and it went down a lot!  I think Collin is looking more and more like a baby and not so fragile. Every time I see him I think he looks great, his skin looks good, he is looking more like a baby. He has always looked like a baby, but not real somehow.  More like a doll or something.  Collin is getting so smart.  When Robert and I got to the hospital last night Collin didn’t have his hat on.  We asked the nurse and she promised that it was just on him.  She rushed over and fixed it.  While Robert and I were sitting there watching him and talking, Collin lifted up his hand and pushed his hat off again, it was really cute. We are so proud of you Collin…. keep up the great work. We love you so much!  Wow, we received Collins social security card in the mail today…talk about fast work.

            October 9^th, Collin is 2 weeks old today.  I just called Vicki, Collins nurse.  She said Collin is doing well, and looks really good, not so puffy anymore from all the fluids. We are so proud of Collin, in just 2 weeks our little boy has come so far. He is starting to look like a little baby and not so fragile. He is so cute and tiny. He is still off the lights that were for jaundice.  He has been off them for 3 days now.

    October 9^th, I am more grateful than ever for my little family and the gospel. I know the church is true, and that President Monson is a true prophet. I am very close to our Heavenly Father and look forward to getting closer. I know how powerful priesthood blessings are and I know that blessings really work. The day Collin was born, Robert gave me a blessing telling me I would give birth to a healthy baby boy, and I believed what he said.  It was true and is coming true. Robert also got a blessing. Our blessing helped us out so much.  They calmed us both. When Collin was 3 days old Robert was able to give him a name and a blessing and it was so powerful that it also calmed me down and after both mine and Collin's blessings I knew everything was/is going to be fine. I love my husband very much and am very grateful for him. I am so grateful that we have our little son Collin and am grateful that he is a part of our lives; I wouldn't have it any other way. I am grateful for Collin and how far he has come in just 2 weeks. I love him very much. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  Stacey Dawn VanBibber

      October 10^th, Collin is getting so smart, and you can see his little personality coming. He is smart because he pushes his hat off all the time, he loves pushing he's hat off.  He has pulled one of his probes off his tummy. Collin's personality is so cute, he was on his tummy and I was changing his diaper and (he had his first poop) anyway while I was changing him, he kept going onto his knees, then stretching them out. He is getting cuter and cuter. He is getting smarter and smarter. We are still very proud of him and love Collin very much.
We talked with Dr. Cheatham and he showed me the head ultrasound and it is looking a lot better than last weeks, the brain bleed looks like it’s a smaller, it’s still there, but it kind of looks like it may be getting smaller. It looks way good. Keep up the good work sweetie. Love you!

September 25th, 2011

Sunday September 25th, 2011 9:59pm

    Robert J & Stacey Dawn VanBibber are very proud parents of a cute, sweet, loveable little preemie 1lb 4oz 12in long boy! Collin J VanBibber!

   Sunday afternoon we headed to American Fork hospital to get checked for some cramping and light spotting. When we arrived there they admitted me and monitored me and was about to send me home to just really take it easy. The nurse had a feeling to check me and as she did she got this weird look on her face and decided to call my doctor, my membero sack was hourglassing. My dad showed up and help my sweet husband with a blessing. The doctor arrived and did an ultrasound and saw that I was dilated to a 2 and a very thin cervics. What I have is a incompetent cervics, which runs in my family. My doctor decided to transport me to Utah Valley Hospital for the best NICU. We arrived at the hospital and they admitted me there and put me in a labor and deliver room, tilted me so that my head was lower then my feet to see if gravity would help push back up my membero sack and they could sew me to help me keep in Collin.  
   I started to go into labor and was in so much pain that made Robert really scared so I thought he should get a blessing, so his dad and my dad gave him a blessing before I had Collin. Since Robert and I got our blessings we feel calm and know everything will turn out just right. When we got into the room where they delivered me Robert turned to me and said are we going to name him Collin J right, I said yes.
We are very proud to say we have a 1 week old son named Collin J VanBibber. We WOULD NEVER change a thing. Because as we go through this hard time we have a stronger and healthier little boy, everyday he gets stronger and healthier. We would like to Thank everyone for the Blessings and Prayers. We know they are helping our little family out. So, keep them coming.