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March 31, 2006: Some more cute pictures :)
March 23, 2006: Some cute picts that Dad provided :)
March 11, 2006: So today, Seth, Tim, and Suzanne took a road trip out to Sheffield, MA to see Noni! Joined by Aunt Susan, the entire group had a wonderful visit together :)
March 1, 2006: Awww, my nephew is sooooooooooo cute!
February 8, 2006:
January 18, 2006:
January 4, 2006: Update from Mom :-) Yesterday Seth visited his cardiologist. He had an echo & EKG done on his heart for his check up. Everything looked good. He has never shown any signs of heart failure & is in no way being in any danger zones. The Dr's were so happy to see how much Seth has grown. He is now weighing 9lbs 3oz. The Dr. talked a little about his up coming surgery that can be done as early as this spring. It was originally planned for when he turned 1. But, since he is thriving, he will be strong enough to have the surgery. As we get closer we will learn more in detail about the surgery. But, for now, Seth will continue to get bigger & grow stronger. December 25, 2005: First Christmas :-)
December 24, 2005: Update from Mom: Seth had a great visit at his pediatricians today. He is now weighing 8lbs 9oz and he is 20 1/2" long. He is now eating cereal in his milk and is doing extremely well. Seth is getting so strong. He completely holds his head up on his own and loves his daily workouts on his play mat. He is looking forward to his 1st holiday season. Here is a picture of him in an adorable Christmas outfit.
December 5, 2005: Some cute pictures :)
December 4, 2005: Seth is doing great! Over 6lbs and growing!!
Leigh-Ann and Seth
Mom and Seth November 24, 2005: Happy Turkey Day! Seth is doing great and spent a wonderful Thanksgiving day with Mom, Dad, Aunt Gini, and his grandparents over at the Sanderson's for dinner. Aunt Gini said he was a cute, happy, and wonderful baby boy who got a lots of love and attention throughout the day :)
November 20, 2005: Seth is doing great! We had a nice visit from Auntie Tracy and Uncle Mike over the weekend
November 17, 2005: Seth is back home! Needless to say, Mom and Dad are happy to have him back :-)
November 16, 2005: Seth is still in the hospital as of this evening, but back to himself eating, pooping and sleeping “not to mention he’s surrounded by beautiful nurses being pampered with kisses and hugs!” We hope to have him back home by tomorrow afternoon! After the Hernia surgery yesterday morning, during the evening Seth seemed very distressed and wasn't’t eating, passing his bowels and had some difficulties breathing. As of this morning, he is now eating well and his breathing has improved back to normal. The doctors did however notice this morning that Seth’s stomach looked very distended and because of this they decided to be extra thorough and test for a disease called Hirshsprung. After a few LONG hours of waiting around for the results, we received excellent news that he did not have this disease! November 14, 2005: Tonight, Aunt Gini and Uncle Scott had dinner with Seth, Suzanne and Tim :)
GREAT NEWS!!!! Tim and Suzanne brought Seth into the hospital this morning and the doctors have determined that Seth DOES NOT have the malrotation of his intestines and will NOT need surgery! It appears that he had a build up of gas in his intestines that caused the doctor to mis-diagnose his condition on Saturday to think he had this condition. Bottom line, Tim and Suzanne were happy to get this news today :) Seth will be going back to the hospital on Tuesday 11/15 for some additional surgery on his hernia. The operation a couple of weeks ago went ok, but he needs additional operation to fix the hernia which is protruding from his belly button. He goes in for surgery early in the morning on Tuesday (just about the same time Uncle Scott flies back to CA :). November 13, 2005: Howdy all! Sorry for not putting updates up here sooner, but Uncle Scott has traveling quite a bit over the past week. During my visit out here, I've had some nice opportunities to visit with my nephew, Tim and Suzanne and have enjoyed spending time with all three of them. Seth is getting bigger and bigger each day and gets cuter and cuter each time I see him! Here are a couple of cute pictures that Dad took:
And with that said, unfortunately, Tim and Suzanne got some not so good news on Saturday. Seth had a doctors appointment and had a bunch of tests run on him. The results of the tests allow the doctors to diagnose Seth with some additional medical issues (one of which will require surgery this week): Seth has malrotation of the intestines and will go in for surgery late in the day on Monday 11/14:
Seth also has acid reflux and a thyroid condition that will require him to be on medication (pill) for the rest of his life. Additional information will be available over the next day or two. Please bear with us and we will work to keep the site updated as frequently as possible. We thank everyone for their kind thoughts, love and prayers. November 4, 2005: Seth took his first bath last night :)
November 3, 2005: Seth continues to eat and grow :) Uncle Scott is flying back to Boson this weekend (Saturday) to spend some time with his nephew he can't wait to see him!! November 1, 2005: Seth continues to do well at home. Here are some current pictures :)
October 29, 2005: It has been almost a week since Seth has come home. He is being such a good boy. He eats every 3-4 hrs and loves his naps in his crib. Mom loves that. Tyler & Zach,(the pups),have adjusted well to him being in the house. They have been very gentle with him a love to sniff Seth thru the crib. Seth had a visit to his pediatricians and all is well. As of today, he is weighing 4lbs 11oz :-) October 26, 2005: Seth is already making friends! Here is Seth and Trevor. Trevor is John & Missy’s newest edition to their family :)
October 23, 2005: HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!! Mom &
Dad brought him home at 2:00pm today. The funny thing is that today His surgery went well yesterday, but we did find out he is anemic. This is also common in preemies.
Mom & Dad had a scare last night. Due to Seth's anemia the Dr's wanted to give him a blood transfusion. They felt it should be done for precautionary measures only. Dad had a bad feeling about the blood transfusion so, opted not to do it since he was not showing any physical symptoms. There are just to many risks w/ blood transfusions. He is a bit pale, other than that he is ok. This morning the Dr's said that it was totally fine not giving him a blood transfusion since he is now making his red blood cells on his own. Seth will be given a liquid vitamin w/ iron in it daily. Other wise, he shows no physical symptoms such as fatigue, not eating... Seth loves his new crib & is very happy to be home. Also, Tyler & Zach, the pups, welcomed Seth home with lots of kisses.
October
22, 2005:
The hernia surgery went fine and now Seth is resting comfortably. He
will October
20, 2005: Today
Seth was transferred back to Tufts New England Medical Center by Ambulance
for his hernia operation which will take place tomorrow afternoon. The
recovery time will be about 48 hrs. Since he had already had a scheduled
eye exam on Monday they most likely will keep him until then. After
that, he is free to come home. October 18, 2005: Mom reports that Seth is doing wonderful. He is now 4lb 0.4oz. Yesterday was his 1st physical therapy session. It consisted of massages to stimulate his muscles which he loved. Who wouldn't? :-) October
17, 2005: Seth
is coming home!!! He was cleared by the Dr's to be discharged this coming
weekend. Before he comes home there are 2 small issues that need to
be address.
October
16, 2005: All
is well with Seth. He had a great weekend. Still continuing to gain October 14, 2005: Each day just keeps getting better and better. BIG NEWS!!!! Today the feeding tube will finally be removed. Seth has gone more than 24 hours without the use of the tube and is eating normally (not a surprise for a Penziner thinks Uncle Scott :)! Also, Seth's Thyroid levels have been tested and everything came back normal. Seth still has to be able to hold his own body temperature when he is out of the incubator. It iis already on its lowest temperature and when he is out of it he does really well.
Seth's condition is improving rapidly! He must know how much Mom & Dad want him home, becase he's making fantastic progress! October 13, 2005: Update from Mom "Seth's 1st night at Melrose/Wakefield hospitalwas just fine. The nurses there are taking great care of him & have already fallen in love with him." ... Well of course they would :-) 9:00 AM ET: Mom and Dad just got back from visiting Seth and he’ doing great! The nurse said he may even get the feeding tube out of his nose tomorrow!! Yippee!!! I’m positive Seth will be happy about that! :-) October 12, 2005: 9:00 PM ET: Seth arrived at Melrose/Wakefield Hospital this afternoon around 1:45. Upon arrive, Mom provided him with a good meal and then little Seth was off to sleep! J Now that Seth is only 3 miles from Mom & Dad, they can drop in on him any time!
1:00 PM ET: Seth got the ok to be transferred to Melrose/ Wakefield Hospital today. What a great Birthday Present. He will be traveling by ambulance and he will get to see the outside world for the 1st time. Mom & Dad are on there way to the hospital to meet him there!! :) HAPPY
1 MONTH BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!
October
11, 2005: Update
from Mom: All is well w/ Seth today. Last night he did great nursing
and this morning he took his feeds by bottle. The plan is still in place
for Seth to be transferred to Melrose/Wakefield by the end of the week.
From a "preemie" stand point he is ok to be transferred. Due
to his heart defect he will need the ok by the Cardiologist. Seth had
another echo done and there are no signs of heart failure & all
looked normal. Once the Dr's give Seth the OK, he can be transferred.
October 10, 2005: Seth had a routine eye exam today and everything came back normal. Due to him being born prematurely he was tested for ROP. Which also came back normal.
Seth has been making a lot of advances this week. With that said, he may be transferred to Melrose/Wakefield Hospital by the end of the week. October 9, 2005: He did it!!! Seth is on full feeds. And the biggest thing is that his "pick line" has been removed (this is the tube that had been in his arm since birth which passed nutrients into his system intravenously.) It was also a great day for Mom. She was there 1st thing in the morning for one of his feeds. Seth did a great job nursing and Mom felt like she was on top of the world. Mom & Dad were so proud of their son. October 8, 2005: Seth is just packing on the weight. He is now up to 3lbs 11oz. He is almost at his full feeds, which is 32cc's per day or 1oz. I know... it does not seem like a lot, but it is enough to fill up his little belly. October 7, 2005: Seth had a nice visit w/ his Mom, Dad & Nana. Mom tried for the very 1st time to nurse, which made her very happy. She has been waiting along time for Seth to be ready. Not bad for his 1st time. He did latch on, but w/more practice he will get the hang of it.
October 6, 2005: Mom spoke to Seth's primary nurse this morning. There is still very small traces of blood in his stool. The Dr's are being extra cautious, so more x-rays were taken today & his belly is showing no signs of any intestinal issues. So, that is a great sign. Other than that, he is doing just fine. October
5, 2005: Seth
is having another great day. His feeds are now up to 22cc's and Seth finally got to meet his Auntie Shannon :-)
October 4, 2005: Today they have continued with Seth's feedings and al is well with his belly. It seems he was just a little constipated, which is normal for preemies. The blood in his stool was caused by him pushing so hard that he had put a little strain on his bum. Seth is continuing to gain weight as well. He is now 3lbs 7oz. October 3, 2005: Update from Mom "Seth is just thriving. His feeds are now up to 20cc's. He is more than 1/2 way there. Full feeds are 30cc's which equals to 1oz. Considering that is a lot for him. (his belly is the size of a ping pong ball) His belly is doing so well. So pretty soon he can get rid of the feeding tube. With each passing day he is packing on the weight. You can just see it in his face. He is starting to get those pudgy cheeks, lol... Still more good news... Seth will soon be transferred to Melrose/Wakefield Hospital. Which is much closer to Mom & Dad. By him being closer to home they can be there for more of his feedings." 8:00 PM ET Update: We just received call from Paula “Seth nurse”, Seth had a little blood in his stool this afternoon. As a precautionary x-ray’s have been taken and everything seemed to come back ok. They are however going to discontinue his feeds for tonight and then continue them tomorrow if the stools look ok. October 2, 2005: Seth's health continues to get stronger day by day and he looks great! He’s defiantly eating like a Penziner and continues to show no signs of any intestinal or stomach issues. Seth’s weight is now also up to 3lbs 6oz and he has grown a whole inch in height! Today we also had a really nice visit from Uncle Chip “as you can see from the picture they bonded well!” : -)
Uncle Chip, Seth and Tim. Three handsome lads!
September 30, 2005: Mom reports "Seth is continuing to increase his feeds daily and tolerating them extremely well. Last night he actually took 4cc's by bottle. He is definitely getting the hang of the bottle now. The nurses are saying that he seems to be very active at night. This is time when he is most alert and is able to accept the bottle. :-) September 29, 2005: Mom reports "Seth is weighing 3lb 2.7oz. His feeds are now up to 7cc's every 3 hrs & he seems to be tolerating it. He was extremely active & alert during his bath time last night" Also, Seth is now back to feeding again. Seems like he just needed to take a good 'poop' to clear things out :-) We have been told today that Seth will remain in the NIC-U for at least another month or more until he can gain some good weight, take full feeds and maintain his temperature on his own.
September 28, 2005: Seth had some stomach issues today, and they had to stop feeding him his breast milk. We will know more Thursday morning on whether or not they will continue his feedings after the doctors review his x-rays. On a positive note, he now weighs 3 pounds :) September 27, 2005: Seth is doing well today, and he took his 1st feed from a bottle! Mom & dad are looking forward to be the ones to do these task, but until then the NIC-U nurses are doing a great job taking care of Seth :-) September 26, 2005: Seth is doing well today. The doctors increased his fluids “sugar water w/ vitamin supplements” to 10cc “per kilo” and his breast milk feeding from 3cc to 5cc today. The nurses also seem to think Seth is holding the breast milk well, and they plan to increase his feedings every other day :) September 25, 2005: Tim went in to see Seth today and had a really nice visit. He said that Seth's condition continues to remain stable that that he's doing well. The nurses say his feedings are continuing to go well and he's eating just about every 3 hours. Hehehe, Tim got to change Seth's diaper for the first time today. I hear it was quite the experience considering that Dad had to manipulate a squirming baby through all of the wires & tubes hooked up to the little guy. Not one to back down from a challenge, Dad was able to successfully complete his mission and baby got a fresh diaper :)
September 24, 2005: Tim and Suzanne had another nice visit with Seth today. His condition remains stable and the doctors have increased his feedings from 1.5 to 3 cc's per session :)
September 23, 2005: 10:00 PM ET: Seth had another good day of resting and eating. No major changes from yesterday. September 22, 2005: 8:00 PM ET: Seth rested quietly all day. No major changes from yesterday. September 21, 2005: 4:30 PM ET: Tim and Suzanne spent the day at the hospital with Seth. His condition remains stable and he seems to be mastering the art of sleeping (he takes after his Aunt Gini here :). He still remains on oxygen as he is still having difficulties breathing on his own The nurses have been able to continue to feed him breast milk and thanks to Suzanne's pumping effort, there is a good supply available to him! His is now being fed every 3 hours via a tube into his stomach. It's of no surprise to Uncle Scott that Seth is doing well at eating... he is a Penziner after all :-) If all continues to go well, in a few weeks he'll be feeding from a bottle. September 20, 2005: 8:00 PM ET: Tim and Suzanne spent most of the day at the hospital with Seth. Around 1:00 PM ET, the doctors decided to feed him about 1.5 cc's of breast milk. He ate it and his digestive system was able to process it (which is a good sign).
12:00 PM ET: Seth's breathing is not strong this morning and he requires a breathing tube. Because of this, the doctors are not able to start feeding Seth orally, so he will continue to receive nutrients intravenously. This morning the doctors are discussing next steps for his treatment. September 19, 2005: 8:50 AM ET: Suzanne just spoke with the NICU doctor and Seth is doing well. No major change in his condition. September 18, 2005: 7:40 PM ET: Suzanne and Tim just returned from the hospital. Seth is recovering nicely from his surgery and had a good day of rest. Here are some pictures from today:
1:40 PM ET: No new updates on Seth other than he is resting. Tim and Suzanne plan on visiting him later on this afternoon. 9:35 AM ET: Tim and Suzanne had a good nights rest, which is great. Sleep is a good thing :) Seth's condition continues to remain stable. Yesterday evening Tim and Suzanne went to visit him at the hospital. A breathing tube which had been inserted into his chest was removed and he was taken off of the ventilator (which had been helping him breathe). The plan for today is to allow Seth to continue to rest. Up until now, Seth has been receiving nutrients into his system intravenously. Tomorrow, the doctors plan to actually begin feeding him breast milk. This is an important next stage as this will help determine if he has any issues with his intestines. The doctors are concerned that Seth is at risk of having NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis). From WebMD:
Again, it's important to note that at this time, Seth has not been diagnosed with NEC. Additional updates on his condition will be forthcoming over the next couple of weeks. September 17, 2005: 11:50 AM ET: Just a quick update to let everyone know that Seth continues to recover well from his surgery yesterday. The doctors in the Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) report that he's doing well and resting comfortably. Thank you to everyone who has been sending emails to me to forward along to Tim and Suzanne. You are more than welcome to send them directly to Tim and Suzanne. They would love to hear from you all :) September 16, 2005: 11:15 PM ET: This evening Tim, Suzanne and their good friend Johnny went to see Seth. Since he is recovering from surgery, Seth is hooked up to quite a few monitors as well as a ventilator to help him breathe as he recovers. He should be off of these systems in a couple of days or so.
5:00 PM ET: We just spoke to the doctors and Seth's procedure was successful. The Patent Ductus Arteriousus was successfully closed off and Seth is doing well. 3:30 PM ET: The operation has begun. Now awaiting results. 2:00 PM ET: At the direction of Tim and Suzanne, I have created a web page (noted above) which will provide details on Seth's current medical condition. Please use this as your main/initial source of getting updates from them on Seth's condition. As of this time, the surgical procedure described below has not taken place. 10:25 AM ET: This afternoon, Seth will undergo bedside cardio thorasic surgery. This procedure will be to clamp off his Patent Ductus Arteriousus (PDA), as it hasn't closed off yet. From WebMD, here is an explanation of a PDA:
The actual procedure is called a PDA Ligation and it will take place bedside (i.e. not in an operation room). The surgeon will go in via the side of the chest wall, between the ribs. From there he will be able to clamp off the PDA, thereby preventing blood and fluid from going back into his lungs. A breathing tube will be inserted into his chest to help ensure he gets enough oxygen. This will remain in place for a few days before being removed. Yesterday afternoon, Seth was diagnosed with having Down syndrome. This difficult news was delivered to me, Tim and Suzanne by a team of 4 doctors. We had been given notice the day before that Seth was showing some symptoms and that additional tests were being run to confirm it so we did have a little time to prepare for this news. Suffice to say, it was still difficult to hear... Suzanne and Tim got an OK nights sleep last night at home (certainly better to sleep in you own bed that a hospital bed). Additional updates to follow. Uncle Penz September 15, 2005: 10:30 PM ET: Without getting into too much detail right now, Seth was diagnosed with a serious health condition today. Tim and Suzanne are taking some time to digest the news. Suzanne was released from the hospital today and she and Tim are at home tonight. Hopefully, they are able to get a good nights sleep and begin to catch up on some of their sleep. As you can imagine, they are going to need it. This is an extremely stressful time for to Tim and Suzanne. They wholeheartedly appreciate the love and support they are receiving from their friends and family. They ask that to please hold off on trying to contact them via phone over the next few days as they currently do not have the energy to field questions/detailed conversations. At Tim and Suzanne's direction, I will provide status updates on this site as frequently as possible. 4:00 PM ET: There have been some serious developments with Seth's health. He has a serious heart defect called Partial Atrioventricular Canal Defect:
This heart defect can be addressed by open heart surgery when Seth is about 1 year old. He's just too small right now for it to happen. He also has some intestinal disorders of which the doctors are closely monitoring. Additional information will be provided as test results are known. There is another very serious issue that is being diagnosed as well. Test results are expected to be available to Tim and Suzanne later on this afternoon on this issue. Until that information is available, they have asked not to post additional information on the issue. This is an extremely stressful time for to Tim and Suzanne. They wholeheartedly appreciate the love and support they are receiving from their friends and family. They ask that to please hold off on trying to contact them via phone over the next few days as they currently do not have the energy to field questions/detailed conversations. At Tim and Suzanne's direction, I will provide status updates on this site as frequently as possible. Please feel free to email me for assistance. Uncle Penz September 13, 2005:
Well is a picture can say a thousand words, I'm not sure how many words these can convey. Simply amazing!! Mother and son are both doing well and recovering from their very full day yesterday. Seth was brought into the world via an emergency c-section. This was done because he was not getting enough nutrients from the placenta and was not gaining weight at a fast enough rate (a first for a Penziner boy!). Well, the c-section was a perfect success. Seth is doing very well. His heart, lungs, brain and all major organs are well developed. In the pictures above, you can see he's hooked up to a lot of monitors and an IV for feeding (he'll be on breast milk as soon as he can). Though he's not out of the woods yet, he's off to an excellent start and he's at one of the best medical facilities in the world! Mother, son, and father are all hanging out together at the Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston, MA. Suzanne will remain in the hospital for a few days (probably until about Saturday). Seth will remain there for about 2 weeks or so before being transferred to a local hospital for another period of time before finally coming home. I will remain here in the Boston area until Monday the 19th before I return back to CA. Thank you to everyone who has sent their heart felt wishes via phone and email. They are all much appreciated!! All the best, ~Uncle Penz (boy that just has such a great ring to it! :-) September 12, 2005: UPDATE 7:00 PM PT: About 20 minutes ago around 9:30 PM ET on 9/12/05 Seth Rodney Penziner was born via an emergency c-section at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA. Yep, he's about two months early, but initial reports from Tim and Suzanne (Dad and Mom) are: "He came out crying. He's got all of his fingers and toes, and he opened up his eyes! He looks adorable and he looks really really small!" They only got to spend a few minutes with him before the doctors and nurses took him away. I'm on a red-eye flight from SFO to BOS tonight. I'll try and keep you posted throughout the week! :-) ~Uncle Penz 5:00 PM PT: I just got off of the phone with my brother Tim. Apparently there are some complications with his wife's pregnancy and she has been admitted to Tufts Medical Center (critical care prenatel unit). I have just booked myself on a red-eye flight out of SFO tonight getting into BOS tomorrow morning so that I can be there with them. Penz |
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