10/31/2001 – Ethan's been keeping us up at night, waking up coughing. We think he's just teething, and making lots of extra saliva. We dressed him up as a lady bug (his favorite bug) for Halloween. Very cute! Check out the pictures!

10/24/2001 – Ethan was fitted with his brand new headband. We ordered it with a print of cars/airplanes/helicopters. It doesn't seem to bother him at all. We'll have him wear it for 23 hours a day for the next 4-6 months, to correct his flat spot. Check out how cute he looks in it.

10/18/2001 – We visited the Very Large Array (VLA) outside Magdalena, NM. If you saw the movie, Contact, with Jodie Foster – that's where they filmed many of the scenes with all those satellite dishes.

10/17/2001 – Meets his great-grandma, Wanda Ramzel, for the first time. Shows off his rolling over and almost-crawling skills!

10/16/2001 – Says "Da Da" on a regular basis now, much to Mom's chagrin?

10/15/2001 – We walked around the famous Plaza in Santa Fe and did some shopping. We carried Ethan the whole time, and after a while, it felt like we were carrying a sack of bricks!

10/14/2001 – We drove to Santa Fe, NM. Spent some time driving around town and ate at a recommended Italian restaurant.

10/13/2001 – We tried to go up on the Sandia Peak Tramway, but the line was way too long and Ethan was crabby. Later that night, Ethan met his great grandma, Jean Culp, for the first time!

10/12/2001 – Flew to New Mexico! We spent the day travelling, but also went to the Balloon Festival to see them glow at night! Pretty neat, but Ethan wasn't sure he liked it. He didn't nap all day and was completely frazzled by bedtime. Ethan met his great aunt Marcia Haney, great uncle Tom, and cousin Meredith.

10/11/2001 – We took Ethan to the Craniofacial Center at Univ of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center. We're having them correct the flat side of his head (plagiocephaly) thru the use of a headband/helmet. They did the plaster casting of his head so his headband can be ordered.

10/10/2001 – Ethan's sitting up really well now!

10/6/2001 – Ethan woke up with a stuffed up nose, and so did Mom.

10/5/2001 – Started eating carrots with cereal for dinner

10/3/2001 – Ethan has started pushing backwards while on his tummy. He's trying really hard to start crawling, and gets mad when he goes backward instead of forward.

10/2/2001 – Started eating peaches with cereal for breakfast.

9/27/2001 – Started eating sweet potatoes with cereal for dinner. He loved it! Finished in record time.

9/23/2001 – Started eating peas with cereal for dinner.

9/20/2001 – Started eating apples with cereal for dinner.

9/19/2001 – Ethan went to the neurologist to be examined for the flat spot on his head. Dr. Daw said that we'll need to have him fitted for the corrective helmet, which Ethan will have to wear 23 hours a day for 4-6 months. We're waiting to hear back from the insurance company, to see if they'll cough up the $2,000 for it!

9/15/2001 – Ethan has discovered how to roll over from back to front with ease. We found him in his crib this morning on his stomach!

9/14/2001 – We had our first Gymboree Play & Music group today. There's about 20 other Moms with their babies, and we sing songs and play with the babies. It was a lot of fun and Ethan really loved seeing the other babies!

9/4/2001 – Ethan's moved up to Size 3 Pampers!

8/26/2001 – We went to the Renaissance Fair in Bristol, WI. Ethan had a blast looking at all the people. Grandma Sherry, Aunt Melissa and Grandpa Al went with us.

7/21/2001 – Ethan said the word "hungry" five times for Daddy! It sounded more like "un-ry" but it was very distinctive! And he was hungry at the time! He had said it for Mommy a few times, but Daddy didn't believe it...

6/9/2001 – Ethan had his official "debut" at our Summer BBQ. Check out the pictures!

5/10/2001 – Ethan had his cardiology follow-up. He still has a slight heart murmur - but Dr. Q fully expects it will close up in time. He now weighs 11 pounds, 4 ounces and was measured at 23 inches.

4/28/2001 – He rolled over by himself for Mom & Dad!

4/26/2001 – He rolled over by himself for Dr. Nietert (his pediatrician). He received 4 of his vaccinations today. Results came in completely normal for his head ultrasound. He now weighs 9 pounds, 11 ounces and is 21 inches.

4/18/2001 – We drove downtown to the Univ. of Chicago Children's Hospital for Ethan's urology appt. We thought he might have a hernia, but it was just simple hydrocele, which should take care of itself soon. He weighs 8 pounds, 12 ounces.

4/15/2001 – We went to Grandpa Ray and Grandma Judy's for Easter dinner.

4/14/2001 – We went to Grandma Joan's for pre-Easter dinner and Ethan got to meet Aunt Julie's parents, Al & Charlotte.

4/11/2001 – Ethan & Mom had lunch with Mom's tennis buddies.

3/27/2001 – He did really well sleeping in his own room, and Mom & Dad got a little more sleep!

Mom's tennis friend, Kim, came over to discuss window treatments for Ethan's room. We're planning to do something cute with a denim fabric - check out the pictures!

3/26/2001 – Grandma Sherri and Aunt Melissa came to visit during Melissa's spring break, and we did lunch and went shopping. He was slept during lunch but went ballistic at Target.

Grandma helped Mom reorganize Ethan's room so he could spend his first night in his own room!

Another first was his first dinner out with Mom and Dad! We went to Baker's Square, and he slept until we got the check, then went ballistic.

3/25/2001 – today was his due date!

3/23/2001 – he's 6 weeks old today and he had his second pediatrician visit. He now weighs 6 lbs, 1 oz, which is almost double his birth weight. He's also grown in length - 18.5 inches vs. his birth length of 17 inches. He got his first shot today - the Hepatitis B vaccine, which normally babies are given at birth.

3/15/2001 – painters came today to paint Ethan's room. We decided on doing white walls, so that we would have flexibility with the decorating.

3/13/2001 – we took Ethan for his follow-up head ultrasound today - the fuzzy area is still there but the diagnosis is still inconclusive. We'll do another follow-up in a month.

3/8/2001 – he just had his first pediatrician visit this morning. All looks good - and now he weighs 4 lbs, 14 oz!! That means he's put on almost 2 oz each day he's been home! Our pediatrician, Dr. Nietert, was really nice - even when Ethan decided to pee on all of us! (Alex took the worst of it...)

3/7/2001 – he had his 2nd bath tonight. We're definitely getting the hang of it, but he still doesn't like to be naked. He does like getting his hair washed, though.

3/6/2001 – Grandma Judy came over to visit. She watched Ethan while Mom ran out to the bank and post office (Mom worried the whole time...)

We got a call from one of the nurses from our pediatrician's office today. She was calling to see how things were going with all of us. She recommended feeding Ethan on demand now, but not letting him go more than 4 hours without eating. Hurrah! One more hour of sleep for Mommy and Daddy!

3/5/2001 – Grandma Sherri came to visit this afternoon. We took some pictures with Ethan, and put on his sandals from Uncle Charlie. Ethan did NOT like them on his feet!

3/4/2001 – Erich and Julie came over this afternoon to visit, and they watched in amusement as we gave him his first bath at home. He was not happy at all and let us know it!

3/3/2001 – Mom and Grandma Joan went to a baby shower at Blanca Amancio's house. Ethan received lots of cute outfits and other great stuff. Dad stayed home to watch Ethan.

3/2/2001 – we're adjusting fairly well... still panicky about every little grunting noise he makes. We're still following the 3 hour schedule that the hospital had him on... so we're taking shifts for his feedings. We're using a cook timer to wake us up. We both wore our bathrobes all day.

3/1/2001 – he's home! We went to the hospital after dinner, gave him a bottle, then packed him up. Grandpa Ray and Grandma Judy drove the car home, while we rode in back with Ethan. Alex got out the pen flashlight to shine on his face during the ride home! Boys and girls, can you say "neurotic"?

We were so paranoid that night, we took turns watching his every facial expression until about 3 am. That's when we decided that if we didn't get any sleep, we would both be zombies. Check out our homecoming pictures.

2/28/2001 – he's coming home tomorrow!!! He has passed his car seat test, after many readjustments of his padding. He's so little, he slides around too much! So, they've adjusted the headrest and put a diaper at his back to give him a little more support. His weight is now 1850 grams (4 lbs, 1.3 oz), so he's put on 1 pound since his birth three weeks ago!

A small heart murmur was detected recently, and the pediatric cardiologist performed an ultrasound today. There is a pinhead size hole which is causing blood to leak through the valves. Dr. Q assured us that 95% of the time these heal by themselves and present no problems. We don't have to do anything special right now, but we'll do a follow-up visit to the cardiologist in 3 months.

2/27/2001 – his weight is now 1810 grams (4 lbs, 0 oz). No major news today... although he continues to take his feedings well, which makes him one step closer to coming home!

2/26/2001 – his weight is now 1780 grams (3 lbs, 14.8 oz). His umbilical cord fell off at 2:00am this morning! Now he can take baths like a big boy! He also passed his hearing test today. If he continues to take his bottle as well as he does now, Dr. Covert said he would probably be coming home either Wednesday (2/28) or Thursday (2/29)! Alex and I have gone into panic mode...

2/25/2001 – his weight is now 1740 grams (3 lbs, 13.4 oz). He's taking bottle feedings round the clock now - and doing great! We gave him a sponge bath today for the first time, and Ethan didn't complain too much...

2/24/2001 – his weight is now 1680 grams (3 lbs, 11.3 oz). Grandpa Ray, Grandma Judy, Grandpa Charlie & Grandma Bonnie all came to see him today and we took lots of pictures (we'll have them available shortly!) He was wide awake for his 2:00 bottle feeding and completely charmed everyone!

2/23/2001 – his weight is now 1650 grams (3 lbs, 10.2 oz). Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Bonnie from Texas came to visit.

2/22/2001 – his weight is now 1630 grams (3 lbs, 9.5 oz). Grandma Joan and Grandma Sherri came to visit. At 4:00pm, he was moved into an open air crib - no more isolette! He's regulating his temperature very well. Also, he's getting bottle fed every other feeding!

2/21/2001 – his weight is now 1600 grams (3 lbs, 8.4 oz).

2/20/2001 – his weight is now 1570 grams (3 lbs, 7.4 oz).

2/19/2001 – we started bottle feeding him this morning! Actually, his 2:00am feeding over the night was his first bottle feeding, but this was our first one. He did really well, and he was really cute when we burped him. The doctor prefers him to learn how to bottle feed first (over breastfeeding), as it's an absolute requirement before he can go home with us. It will take time to get him used to breastfeeding. His weight is now 1560 grams (3 lbs, 7 oz).

2/19/2001 – he's taking 28 cc's of milk, which is the most they're going to give him. The IV is probably going to be taken out tomorrow! Once that's out, we can start dressing him up in all those cute clothes we got at our shower! Another high point for the night was we attempted to get him to start breastfeeding. Not too much success, but they want us to start getting him used to the idea. We'll be trying every 8 hours or so for the next few days. Dad read him another Dr. Seuss book, "Green Eggs and Ham".

2/18/2001 – he now weighs 1510 grams (3 lbs, 5.25 oz) and he's taking 24cc's of milk. Hopefully, next week, they'll try to start bottle feedings. The main thing for him to bottle feed is to know how to suck, swallow and breathe at the same time. Most infants are able to do this at around 34 weeks of development, which is about where he's at right now. We brought in his new crib CD player (a shower gift) and are playing classical music for him.

2/17/2001 – he now weighs 1450 grams (3 lbs, 3.15 oz)and he's taking 20 cc's of milk. His biluribin level came back down and he's off of the "tanning booth". Mom and Dad are taking turns reading him poems from "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein.

Grandma Joan and Grandma Sherri threw a really nice baby shower today, and Ethan received a ton of really great stuff!

2/16/2001 – he now weighs 1420 grams (3 lbs, 2.1 oz) and he's taking 16 cc's of milk. His biluribin level went up a little, so they're putting one set of lights back on. Grandpa Ray and Grandma Judy came to visit.

2/15/2001 – he now weighs 3 lbs, 1.38 ounces (1400 grams), so now he's almost back to his original birth weight (almost all babies lose about 10% of their birth weight immediately following birth.) His feedings have been increased to 12cc's. Dad read him Dr. Seuss' "One Fish, Two Fish" book while Mom held him. Grandma Joan came to visit tonight and she sang "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" as she held him. Mom also read him poems from Shel Silverstein.

2/14/2001 – he gained 2 oz.! His feedings have now been increased to 8cc every 3 hours. Mom held him this morning for over an hour and he was sound asleep. He's off of the "grow lights" now, too. This evening, Dad held him while Ethan was swaddled up and he was wide awake, looking at both of us.

2/13/2001 – we went to see him this morning and Dad kangaroo'd this time. Ethan was wide awake, as his magnesium levels went way down (a good thing!) overnight. They are increasing his feedings now to every 3 hours, as long as he tolerates it, but he's doing great so far. His biluribin level went back down so they will be removing the second set of lights. We set up a tape recorder playing classical music (Brahms) to see if it relaxed him. As we were leaving this morning, he got the hiccups.

2/12/2001 – we went to see him this afternoon and Mom kangaroo'd. He was sleepy and content to lay there for the most part. His biluribin level went up (affects the jaundice) so they added a second set of lights to his isolette. Mom changed his diaper this afternoon – his legs were kicking and she had to hold them both with one hand. Later that night before Mom was released from the hospital, we spoke to Dr. Covert about his overall prognosis, which is very good. They're estimating he will be in the NICU for about 5-6 weeks. They did an ultrasound on his brain today and there was no hemorrhage but they did see a gray "transient" area. Most times this means nothing and goes away, but it could potentially be a small factor later.

2/11/2001 – he has a mild case of jaundice, which they're treating with "grow lights" to simulate the sunshine. He looks like he's in a tanning booth. He is processing breast milk and receives 2 cc every 6 hours. We were shown how to change his diaper and actually saw him poop! We started on the kangaroo care today, which is skin-to-skin contact with the baby. The RN tucks the baby down the front of your shirt and he snuggles with you. Mom got to have him in the afternoon for about 10-15 min, and Dad in the evening.

2/10/2001 – they are going to try feeding him breast milk via a food tube into his stomach, to see if he'll tolerate food in his digestive system. They gave him a pacifier to suck on as they feed the tube. Hopefully, he'll begin to associate sucking with eating.

2/9/2001 – Ethan Alexander Bratton was born at 11:32am, weighing 3 lbs, 1.5 oz and was 17 inches long. He was 7 weeks early. Even so, his Apgar scores were great: 1 minute = 6; 5 minute = 8 (out of 10 total, which we hear no baby EVER gets a 10!)