The Hasler Show!

A family update.

2014-10-27T21:15:00.002+00:00

It's been a very long time since I've updated my blog.

Things have been going swimmingly and I've been kept busy doing lots of other things.

I've started pre-school, can speak long sentences, run (very fast) and I now wear awesome glasses.

That's pretty much all the news you need to know right now.

Unless you want to know about my brother?

I won't bore you with all the small tedious details. I'll just stick a picture of him here. His name is Arthur and he is almost one.

He is pretty cool actually, so I may share a few more pictures..

Actually - Arthur is amazing. So here is a movie I made about him.

Good bye everyone and see you soon!

I'm One!

2012-06-06T22:32:00.001+01:00

I'm officially, as of today - 373 days old! One year and six days. I should only really be 302 days old but don't remind my Mummy and Daddy or they may take my birthday presents back. Talking of birthdays, I had a little party. It was super fun and I got to eat lots of chocolate cake!

Things couldn't of got any better, until my nana decided I'd had enough.

I soon forgave her though.

Over the last few months I've made a list of things I can do. I can now crawl.

Sit up

Eat solid food

Laugh and clap

Babble, wave and say 'bye', amongst many other things...I used to give kisses on demand but I'm fed up with that now, there's only so much kissing I'm prepared to do.

In the last year I've been very busy. I had my Muslim ceremony.

Was put into the Pillary for throwing away my Broccoli.

and I learnt how to fly.

Sometimes, I sit on my Dad's knee and watch videos of when I was born. I looked very funny in my little incubator and I can't believe how small I was - tomorrow, I'm going back to Liverpool Women's Hospital to see all the wonderful nurses and doctors who helped me grow.

Thank you to everyone for supporting me whilst I was so small!

Felix x

See ya later Oxygen!

2011-11-05T16:50:00.001+00:00

I've been away for a while, I was released from my Oxygen leash and have been running wild ever since. It's literaly impossible for me to sit at my computer and type, there is too much to do, too many people to see and too many things to suck. Now my nasal chain has been removed there's no stopping me.

In the three weeks since I've been dining exclusivly on British air I've done a lot. Life has turned even more fabulous when I don't have to be connected to a tank all the time, why - now I get taken anywhere when my parents feel like it. The other day I was span around, thrown into the air, bench pressed and even went swimming! I've also seen my Great Nana, Great Granpa, Great Auntie, Great-great Auntie, and more...I've visit parks, leisure centres, sensory rooms and have had a baby-massage.

I best get onto posting some photos before I get distracted. Here are some well due photos for you all.

Run Daddy Run!

2011-10-10T21:25:00.002+01:00

On Sunday the strangest thing happened. Dad, as normal was awake at 6:30am, I heard him have a shower and waited for him to kiss me goodbye before he goes to work but, he didn't. Instead Mummy woke up as well. I'll say that again just in case you thought you read it incorrectly. Mum woke up at 6:30am! We were ALL awake!
The next thing I knew I was being packed into the car and driven off. I guessed we were going to the Hospital (perhaps I was too noisy at night?) but we weren't. Instead we drove all the way to a place called Sheffield to witness a mass gathering of people wearing very silly shorts, in terribly cold English weather. Dad was one of them.

After much noise, twelve thousand inadequately dressed people ran away. They ran down a hill and out of sight. Dad, not wanting to be the black sheep followed them. I didn't see him again for 49 minutes. When he returned he was very hot and smelt rather peculiar. He picked me up and I could feel his warm body against mine. He gave me his medal and said I felt much heavier than normal.

Dad had run 10 Kilometers after not training for six months, he finished in 1006 place out of 12000 and more importantly managed to raise another £60 for our friend's at the Kitty Charity.

A huge THANK YOU! To all those that have sponsored us. If you would like to help us raise more, you can do so by visiting here.

We will also be doing lots more things to raise money over the years so any help at anytime is most appreciated!

"Look how much he's grown"

2011-10-06T22:08:00.001+01:00

It's fair to say that us humans are fascinated with size. A few months ago I got all the attention for beings such a "A super tiny baby" and now I'm getting the love for being a "big fat bum". I feel sorry for all those average sized babies, they must just get ignored! Sadly though, as I'm getting fatter the doctors and nurses aren't as interested in me as they used to be. I remember a few months ago I was visiting them all the time. Sometimes, I'd even get rushed in at 5:00am to see them. Not anymore though, I'm lucky if I get one visit from them a week. When they do come they prod me a bit, say I look "very big" and leave. I must remember this etiquette for when I can walk and talk.
Mum has been doing a wonderful job of looking after me, she plays with me, cleans me, rubs some weird stinking stuff on my belly (which Dad HATES) and takes me to various places so she can drink coffee.

Dad on the other hand, is never at home anymore. He's always playing with his friends "Gym, Work & College" and comes home sharing stories of other children he sees. I do feel a bit neglected, but when he comes home he does entertain me for a moment before falling asleep on the sofa.

I thought I'd share a few of my recent memories.

In preparation for my Thailand visit in December I had my first passport photos taken.

This is my first time on a bus.

This is Leo, he's my friend and he gets much more "He's so big" attention than me.
I'm catching up though Leo, just watch this space!

Here I am chilling with Skye.

It's fair to say I'm pretty smooth.

Skye loves me!

"This is what I think of you Felix!"

Women.....

and now for some family fun!

I love being kissed by Dad. Really.

I wasn't being sarcastic Dad! I reeaaally love your kisses! Aaaah

The "Who is the Laziest Competition" always has two strong contenders.
Mum beats me every time though.

RODEO!

My horse is tired now.

Bye bye Summer, hello Autumn!

Fin

Photo Diary

2011-09-19T18:54:00.001+01:00

Sorry it's been so long. If truth be told I haven't really done too much, I'm focusing on growing and making cool sounds. I'm now 12lbs and have just had my Oxygen reduced a notch. I thought I'd show you some photos from my album whilst I have a bit of time on the computer.

This is me and my Dad in Tatton Park, Knutsford.

Notice my Dad's pleasant smile, un-scarred by the events that will soon develop.

During this visit I made an explosion in my nappy. Mummy generously allowed Daddy to change my nappy and passed him the small bag containing changing paraphernalia. Daddy took me into the changing room, placed me on the changing table, undressed me and said "wooooo" when he saw the damage. He then panicked as he (Mummy) forgot to give him the wipeable changing mat. He didn't have his mobile phone. He couldn't get me dressed again without a big fuss. So, he picked me up by my legs and realised that my mess had spread all down my back and up to my neck. He tried to wipe most of it off, but had to put me back down to get the nappy ready. I smeared the table. Daddy looked stressed. He then put the nice clean nappy by my hips, so I put my feet in my old nappy and wriggled all over the new one matching the colour from old to new. Daddy threw the nappy away. He then proceeded to wipe me clean with the utmost of care as he was down to his last wipe, sadly it wasn't enough. Luckily for him I'd made a mess of my new black top so he used that to clean the rest of me, and the table, before throwing it in the bin. (Later removing it after being a little hasty!)After ten minutes Dad had nearly got me ready when Mummy appeared and asked if he needed a hand. Dad ran away and left me with my caring, skilled mother.

---------

I had a go on a bouncy castle at my friend's birthday party the other week. All the other kids LOVED playing on it. I wasn't too sure.

Dad has started to play Squash again at the local leisure centre. To make sure he doesn't get shouted at by Mummy he suggested that I should be taken to the play room. Mummy was very happy with this idea and I absolutely loved it.

Here I am going cross-eyed with excitement.

Here I am practicing my silly face.

Here I am practicing another silly face.

Here is Dad looking like he's thought of something very exciting.

Here I am being subjected to Dad's very exciting idea.

Back at home it was time to chat to my Grandma - 'Khun Yai'. Together we came up with a plan of world domination.

Mwwwaaa haaa ha haaaaaaaa.

Only joking. I wouldn't harm a fly. Honest.

Thanks for stopping by.

Felix and Co.

x
xx

A little schedule

2011-09-03T14:28:00.000+01:00

Home is my third location and it's also unquestionable my favourite. At home there are five rooms but I spend most of my time in the bedroom or the lounge, with occasional visits to the bathroom. I also have my own room, but it's super small with no windows, making it more like an oversized cupboard than a bedroom. As my parents love me they feel guilty even thinking about putting me in there and are scared that if they do, social services will come round and take me away. So, instead, I'm sleeping very happily in the garden shed.

That was a joke.

Don't take me away.

As well as my own little room, I've got my own little schedule too. It's fairly complicated and often changes depending on my mother's social agenda and my father's willingness, but it is a schedule, of sorts. I'll quickly attempt to run through key appointments in my day.

6:00am - I've usually had enough of sleeping by now. I do spend most of the night asleep but just to ensure my parents are still alive I subject them to various reaction tests. These test vary in severity from a few sniffles here and there, to full blown milk-out-of-the-nose choking. On each occasion my parents have confirmed they are still alive, very alive in some cases. 6:00am arrives and I'm ready for a feed from Mum or a cuddle from Dad.

6:30am - On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays Dad disappears to go to the Gym, blaming me and the sugar required to get over baby-in-hosptial adrenaline dumps for the weight he has gained. Ignoring him, I snooze with my sleeping mum until he returns.

8:00am - Daddy comes and saves me from the bed. To do this he climbs over the bed, turns off my oxygen, unplugs me from the 02 tank, wraps the tubes around his arms and carries me downstairs where he reconnects me to another tank. He then removes a bottle of milk from the freezer, plays with me, sings to me then plonks me in my chair whilst he prepares my medicine. Mum sleeps. If it wasn't for Dad I don't think I'd move from the bed.

9:00am - Daddy disappears to work. Mummy reappears.

10:00am - Time for medicine, nappy change and a feed. At the moment I'm on 10 different types of medication and take them in varying quantities, three times a day. They don't taste very nice and they stain my clothes. My Dad took an arty-farty photo of them the other day to make them look more palatable. It didn't work.

11:00am - Around this time I am baby sat by my Grandma. Grandma lives in a computer and speaks Thai just like my Mummy. She talks to me and calms me down whilst Mummy has a shower and tidies the house. Mum says she tidies the house, but I always see her at another computer or playing on her phone. When Daddy gets home from work he is told to tidy up.

12:00pm - Mum usually takes me outside most days, she disconnects me from my big Oxygen tank and connects me to the smaller portable one. She then pops me in my pram and pushes me down some very bumpy roads until we arrive at our destination. Our destination, invariably, is Mothercare. No, that's not true - I do go to the park lots and I have lots of friends whom I meet.

3:00pm - Back at home, disconnected and reconnected, time for more medicine and a feed. I should state that my feed times aren't really this regular. I'm a 100% on-demand baby. Sometimes I'll wait four hours, sometimes two. If I shriek loud enough, I'm fed.

5:30pm - Daddy comes home. Mum and Dad put me on the floor and make me lift my head up. It's really easy and I'm not to sure what all the excitement is about but, it makes them happy which is fine by me.

8:00pm - Eight PM is bath time, this is really Daddy's duty but sometimes he's a bit lazy so toys with some excuses 'Felix is fast asleep' or 'He's had a busy day' yadaa yadaaa. If I'm lucky enough to make it into the bath I am disconnected from my big tank and reconnected to my portable tank. I don't like being undressed. I don't like being carried to the bath naked but, I love baths The other day I had a bath in the kitchen sink after I made a mess in my nappy.

9:00pm - Feed, Medicine and story time. Mummy and Daddy take it in turns reading me a bedtime story, Dad reads me stories in English whilst Mum reads me stories in Thai. I'll usually fall asleep straight away after my story and I know my Mum and Dad aren't far behind me.

Health visitor vs Felix

2011-08-26T17:58:00.001+01:00

Today my health visitor came to see me. She comes once a week and always wants my parents to take my clothes off so I'm all naked. For this reason, I always make sure my nappy is full and requires changing.Once they've done this, they pick me up, place me on the hardest bed ever, take a step back and then start talking about numbers. Today the number they talked about was "4.12". Mum sounded very happy and I saw Dad twiddle with his phone, he pushed a few buttons and then said a new number "9.08". Everyone looked pleased, which was a relief, as I was picked up again, dressed, and placed on my dad's lap. On days like this, not only do I get naked, I also have my head measured for hats that never appear. Today my head number was 37.5. This didn't produce the same excited response my naked number did, but I wasn't naked anymore so I didn't care. This 37.5 number was talked about for a while and the health visitor started to draw pictures in my red book. I was told I shouldn't make my head grow that fast. I didn't think it was.

Normally I really, really like my health visitor but, today I overheard something that has made me a little cross. Since I've returned home I'm helping myself to as much milk as I please. Some days, I feed for hours on end even when I'm not really hungry. I also use my mummy to relax, not really drinking but just sucking or playing. This is all about to change. Mummy was advised to not let me just 'play' with her pillows, as it takes a lot of her time and stops me from feeding properly. Apparently, I will also find it difficult to settle down by myself. Grrrrr!! I don't settle because I want to play!

Dad said if he catches me misbehaving like this, he'll pick me up and place me on the naughty step. Fine. Bring it on.

I had a thought, "If I can't play with my mum's pillows I'll find something else to suck" and today I did. It was attached to one of my hands.

Sucking on my hands is good fun and I think it's making my mum jealous. If I keep it up, she'll eventually crack and will beg me to come back to play with her.

In the afternoon, I had another visit from my friend on the 'Nurse at Home' team. She brought me lots more medicine as mine keeps on expiring. I now have 10 different types of medication and it all tastes horrible. The problem is, it's usually mixed with my milk and I like milk. So I drink it without complaining. This lady also brought a machine to test my Oxygen Levels. This happens once a week and every time we have a quick test I always show off. 100%.

Last week I had the all important 'download'. This is when good results really matter. All of us were hopeful I'd continue to show-off and as a result I could have my Oxygen reduced. To please the judges I had to show them my Oxygen levels won't drop below 90% and average above 95%.

I was strapped up to the machine from 7:00pm until 8:00am the following day. After returning the machine (ibaby!) we waited by the phone for the results. The phone didn't ring. We waited, waited and then just picked up the phone and rang them instead.

Not good news. Sadly, the computer said "no" and the judges concurred. I had too many 'blips' below 90% and needed to stay on the same level for another 2 weeks. This upset my parents a little bit and I think my mum cried. She doesn't want my face to have these things on anymore.

She wants them off so I can look like this.

CHUBBY CHEEKS!

Daddy's Comments:

Felix has been putting on weight FAST. He is now 4.12kg, or 9.08lbs. He is averaging around a pound a week which is amazing. We can now really see his arms and face getting chubbier each day. His head measurements are important to see whether the fluid in his brain is flushing correctly. A sudden increase in circumference could indicate fluid build up, which in turn, could be a sign of hydrocephalus. No one is overly concerned yet, as he shows no sign of discomfort and his 'soft spot' is still soft.
We are having another download next Thursday and hope to be able to drop his Oxygen levels.
Apart from that and his choking episodes Felix is a normal health chubby baby!

Weekend catch up - Part 2

2011-08-22T15:32:00.001+01:00

Sunday was the nicest day we've had in England since I've come home, to celebrate we went to see the biggest house I'd ever seen (not too hard - I've only seen a few). Either way, this one was pretty spectacular. Whilst we were walking around the grounds, many people came up and talked to us. Dad said that since he's had a baby his faith in humanity has been restored. People are just so friendly. Some people may find it rude to stare, but it's very hard not to stare when there is someone as small as me clinging to someone as small as my Mum. People notice us and stare, then sometimes people come up to us and talk to us often saying I'm "Tiny" and "Cute". They often ask what are those pipes on my nose, why do I need them and how long will I have them for? Mum and Dad then tell them all about how I came into the world. They leave, others come and talk. We got to speak to so many lovely people this weekend, I felt very, very special!

This is Lyme Park. This is where Darcy meets Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice and where Felix hugs Saranya in The Hasler Show

Where's Felix?

Here I am in my very comfortable baby sling. Mummy is even carrying my Oxygen!

Here are some flowers. Wasps live near flowers.

Dad and me toyed with the idea of using my Oxygen tank to go scuba diving. Mum suggested that she would be very angry if we did this. We're both a little scared of her.

Here is Dad. Dad said I look like a right fatty. I think I look plump.

I haven't a clue what this is.

I know who this is.

I've done a few blog updates recently! I feel very proud of myself.

Hope you like my pictures, if you want to come to Lyme Park we can tell you all about it!

Choking and Screaming!

2011-08-22T07:59:00.000+01:00

When I first arrived home I started to get milk coming out of my nose, this would make me panic and every time I would try to inhale, I'd just get more milk blocking my wind pipes. I really don't like this and I cry and scream lots and lots, my face turns really puffy and goes a darker red/purple colour. Usually, with varying methods, my parents can get me to settle down after about 10 minutes, but when this first happened they took me straight to hospital. The doctors checked me over, said I seemed fine, said it shouldn't happen, then sent me home. Two weeks later, my parents and me, to some extend, have gotten used to this daily ritual. My Dad puts me in the choking position and gives me a few hard back slaps to push things along. These do hurt, but they do help and it only really happens once a day. Over the last few days however, it's started to get worse. Probably every two hours from midnight I would block up and scream. My Dad would give me the old back slaps, Mum would lie me in the recovery position and they'd both try and fish out some of the gunk in my mouth. At 4:00am on Sunday I started again, making it the third time in a night, so my parents got me dressed and sent me back to hospital. Not surprisingly, by the time we arrived on Sunday morning, I was pretty much better. The doctors gave me a quick check over and sent me on my way again.

It happened twice again on Monday night. Milk out of the nose, scream and tears. It could be because I am taking nine different types of medication, some of which are very thick or sticky. Perhaps it's because I am on Oxygen and my airways are always dry because of it? Perhaps I drink too much? Or perhaps there isn't really a reason and that's just life?

Either way it's not fair.

Felix

x

Silent Sunday 2

2011-08-21T20:04:00.001+01:00

Weekend catch up - Part 1

2011-08-21T17:35:00.002+01:00

Sorry I've been a bit rubbish on the old blog updates. Mum says that now I'm back at home I should spend more time with my Dad and not play on the computer as much. This is fine, but I do have to remind her not to play on Facebook, which isn't too fair.

This week I've been out and about most days. Being stuck in one place isn't my idea of fun and seeing as I've spent two months without even moving beds, I'm determined to move around as much as possible.

So, on Saturday I went to my first party. It was for my friend Evie who was two. We went to a sensory centre with lots of brilliant lights, sounds and soft play areas. There was even a water bed to lie on (I didn't really like that, it was a bit like a hard bath without the warmness or fun). At this party there was also lots of other babies born around the same time as me. I was the only baby on Oxygen so felt a bit special!

So, lets have a look at some photos.

Here I am getting ready to go out. As you can see I'm wearing some very cool clothes. I'll wake up when I get to the party.

Here I am at the party. I was very impressed that I got to take-up half a big person's chair. You can see my Oxygen tank next to me. Soon we'll go and explore the play areas. I'll wake up then.

Right, here we are in the middle of the sensory area. As you can see there is lots to do. Sleep is one of them.

Actually, to be fair, I did wake up for a second whilst this photo was being taken. Remember my Oxygen tank I was telling you about? Well the long pipe that connects the tank to my nose is brilliant for tripping up other children. Me and Dad worked on this technique you see; he would stand a few meters back to take a photo, stretching the tube out in the process for a child to run into. The best thing about this? People actually apologise for their child running into our clothes line! Sure it does hurt a little having the pipe pulled off my face, but I soon forget about that.

Here are some of the younger ones from the party; Leo, Skye, Sophie and Me. Plus an awful lot of milk.

Here is the Birthday girl blowing out her candles. Go Evie!

After the party I went to another BBQ! This one was amazing. If you ever want a top quality BBQ, look no further than Ruth and Nev's BBQs. Although I'm a fussy eater, I could see everybody else enjoying the bountiful amount of food laid out before them. I got to meet so many wonderful people and finally got a cuddle from this big teddy bear. How cute is he!?

After such a fun day of sleeping, I needed a proper sleep. My parents made me a special bed. It was really comfortable and allowed me to get some super sleep.

So, that's it for Saturday.

I'll post an update of what happened on Sunday when I've paid my Dad some more attention.

Thanks for reading.

Felix

x

Give blood and help others like me!

2011-08-17T14:05:00.003+01:00

When I was in hospital I had numerous blood transfusions to help my little body and to try and fight all the bad things in my blood. My Dad had always wanted to give blood, but never got round to doing it. He always thought you could donate blood at hospitals but never saw it advertised. So, after I used lots of donor blood my Dad asked the nurses, checked the Internet and found out where he could donate.

He visited http://www.blood.co.uk/ and was surprised to find that the donor bank was in Macclesfield that very same day. He tried to arrange an appointment but was told by the very helpful staff to pop down and see if there were any slots available. When he arrived, he was seen to straight away and successfully donated blood.

If you're interested in donating, my Dad says it doesn't really hurt, you get biscuits at the end and most importantly you'll help save lives. Click on the web page below to find your local venue.

Ode to mum and lots of fun.

2011-08-16T08:56:00.001+01:00

It was my mummy's birthday the other day and she is 28 years old!

To celebrate I made her a card and gave her a big cuddle. She loved the birthday card but then said "Where is my mother's day card?" Daddy forgot to tell me that in Thailand mothers day is on the 12th of August too.

I thought that my mummy's mummy must have had a very special mother's day the day my mummy was born.

For my mummy's birthday my mummy, daddy, nana and granddad went to her favouritist place in the world. The Peak View Tearooms.

The Peak View Tearoom is the highest tearoom in England and it is only 15 minutes away from my house. I wasn't feeling particually hungry to I took this opportunity to have a little rest.

In other news, I've been kept entertained by so many people. The other day my friends Jean, Lee and Olivia came to visit me - they brought mummy and daddy dinner (yum yum) and Olivia kept on saying I was very cute and that I was tiny. I even got a special cuddle from her as well.

I have also seen my friends Justine, Si and Layla too. Layla is a cheeky little monkey like me and always runs around my house pulling my daddy's fridge magnets off and tries to sneak upstairs.

When I was in hospital most of my friends had only seen pictures of me. Layla liked the hat I wore when I was on my ventilator, so whenever she saw a picture of me she would say "Felix hat". Now she can see me in real life she's not too sure what to make of me. I'll ask for my hat back, that might help.

I was also 'baby sat' the other day whilst my parents ran away to a birthday party (the cheek!) I've never been "baby sat" before so I wasn't too sure what to expect. I have since learnt that babysitting requires four people to take it in turns looking at me, prodding me and singing songs. It was fun.

Here are my babysitters. Uncle Matt, Grandad, Nana and Auntie Karen.

My Auntie and Uncle also came. They even drove 4 hours from London to see me!

Finally, I've noticed that Daddy and Mummy say different words when they talk to me. Daddy would say "Your so cute!" whilst mum would say "Narak tee sud!", I know they mean the same thing, but it only seems to be my mum and her family who uses these words. Until I met this lovely lady.

This is Nan, or Somtawin and she comes from Thailand, just like my Mummy and (50% of me). She talked to me in that special voice that my mummy uses and loved giving me cuddles.

This man is Nans husband and my daddy's very good friend. He gives very good cuddles and I would recommend them to anyone.

As you can see I've been to many different places and have met many different people. I've seen lots of new things and smelt lots of new smells. I've already made plans to see all these people again soon and I'm waiting to come and visit you too.

Felix

x

Happy Due Date!

2011-08-09T16:55:00.001+01:00

Today is the 9th of August which means I am officially zero today! It all gets a bit confusing from here on in. I have two ages. My age from birth (10weeks and one day) and my corrected age, zero. If you're wondering which birthday of mine to celebrate always play it safe and choose both.

30th of May and the 9th August. :)

So, what did my parents get me for my birthday today? A trip back to the hospital. Thanks a lot!

Here's why. I've been practicing a new party trick for special occasions and over the last few days I've been lying awake in my cot making all kinds of sniffling and straining noises. Today was my due-date-birthday, so what better time to show the world what I can do. I thought I'd show my parents first as they're my biggest fans.

Well, can you imagine my surprise when they didn't like me shrieking, turning purple with milk coming out of my nose? I'd spent all this time practicing only to scare them and end up back in hospital. Humph. Luckily the doctors appreciated my trick, told my parents to get a sense of humour and sent us home.

Yesterday I met another baby. Baby Skye was only born last week and we're almost the same size.

She was very excited to meet me, she couldn't sit still for a second. I just fell asleep.

After five minutes of obligatory photographs we'd both decided that enough was enough.

I also competed in my first competion yesterday. It was a team sport. One Dad. One Baby. The game was simple. The first team who produced a burp from a baby would be victorius. Any burping methods were allowed, no time limit.

I believe team Ben & Skye took 1st place this time. No one told me farting didn't count.

Just been for a walk in the park with my friend Layla and now I am very, very tired.

Night night....

Silent Sunday

2011-08-07T12:50:00.000+01:00

Around my house

2011-08-05T22:12:00.003+01:00

Today has been a truly awesome day. Now I've got my mum nearby I have learnt that all I need to do is cry and I will be fed. Last night I did this every hour. This morning I was so tired. So, I had my regular four hour break, and am now just starting to pick up the pace again. I've had a health visitor and a hospital-at-home nurse come to see me today, they weighed me and measured how my Oxygen levels are doing. I'm pleased to say that I've gained weight and my O2 levels were 100%.

The best of today was getting to know my house and the area where I live.

Here I am with Dad and some flowers. These flowers were planted just before I appeared in the world. Look at us bloom.

The very pretty lady on my right is my Mum. She appears in lots of photos because of that fact.

Here I am posing with my Dad. This is my garden. My garden!

OK, it's your garden too Dad.

Here is that beautiful mum of mine again. We are both in the kitchen. I've never smelt big people's food before and my mum cooked something called 'Masaman Curry', my Dad had to open the doors and windows as he thought I would choke on the chillies being fried.

This isn't my garden. It's the park right next to my house. My parents LOVE walking so they couldn't wait to put me into my new pram (thanks Grandparents and Great Grandparents)

Yes Dad, I'm still breathing.

Did you not believe Dad?

Peekaboo!

After all that fresh air it was definitley time to take a well deserved nap.

Night night x

Daddy's comments

Although Felix didn't mention this, we think he's scared of the unfamiliar environment, especially at night. In the hospital there is always light in the rooms and low-level noise. In our bedroom it's pitch black and quiet. We noticed Felix was unsettled when we roomed in with him at the hospital because it is also dark in their family room. Last night he was awake every hour and would try to feed at any given opportunity. The same happened after lunch time, he'd wake, cry and start sucking his hand. When presented with a breast he'd fill himself up so much that he'd deposit some in his mouth or explode in his nappy before falling asleep. He eats as much as his mum and eats as fast as his dad.

What a trooper.

Love being back at home,

Rob x

How to get home

2011-08-04T14:58:00.005+01:00

I wouldn't class myself as an expert on how to get home, it took me 9 weeks, 3 days and 10 hours. I know many babies manage to get home in less than 1 day but if you get caught in the hospital's web, this may help.

First things first, only go home when you're ready. As you can see in this picture, I'm clearly not ready to go home.

It takes time, but don't rush. If you came early like me, then you need to give your parents time to get things ready. Perhaps they need to buy you a cot, a pram, bottles or nappies. They may also want to set up a little nursery for you, clean the house and buy you some clothes. This is why I waited such a long to go home, my parents hadn't done anything before I was born and when I was they just stayed next to me instead of sorting anything out.

When you feel that your ready for the next step, there are a few things you have to do to get past the doctors' defenses. Firstly, you need to put on weight - this can be difficult, believe me. It takes lots of time and sometimes you'll find yourself losing weight which is not what you want and it also confuses people. Don't get disheartened. You'll more likely get weighed twice a week or more so it's easy to get back to where you were. If however, you feel like you're not getting anywhere, I suggest making yourself constipated. It really is surprising how much difference a single poo can make. Last week I lost weight, but after using this method this week I put on 320g! (11ounces). Everybody cheered. Hooray for Felix! He's put on lots of weight! That was easy, the hard part if getting rid of it again.

Doctors also want you to breathe by yourself, but if you can't do that very well they will let you go home with some Oxygen. My parents tried hard for me to breathe by myself and they kept on pushing to turn off my Oxygen supply. This was fine for a few days, but I did get very tired. I also changed colour and made my parents panic, but I don't remember that. If you try to breath air before you're ready you'll probably stay in hospital a little longer than necessary. I advise you to let the doctors and nurses keep you on a set-level and behave. Nobody likes a show-off, especially one whom changes colour.

If, like me, you are going home on Oxygen you'll need the assistance of your parents and nurses. The nurses will phone the Oxygen people whilst your parents will phone the fire station, home insurance, car insurance and utility providers. They will let them know you'll be coming home with stuff that helps you and stuff that makes things burn.

All done? Great. You're nearly ready to go home. All that is left to do now is to take your milk from the hospital's freezer and put it in yours at home. My Mum made a lot. If yours did, you'll have to get your parents to buy a new freezer to fit it all in. Warm, old milk smells like my feet.

Finally, you need to make sure you have all the ingredients for your cocktails. I have nine different medicines to take daily. Make sure your parents don't drink it with their tea. It's very important!

Quick check list

Have you.........

Given your parents enough time to sort themselves out?
Put on weight?
Arranged oxygen if needed?
Taken your milk home?
Brought your medicines with you?

If you have answered 'Yes' to all the above you're nearly ready to go home. All you need next is;

A little something to say thank you to all the nurses and doctors.

A very proud Mum or Dad with a flying chair.

A suitable going home outfit.

and sleep (very important)

When you wake up.....

Congratulations!

You have made it home.

It's now time to broadcast yourself to the world.

Hello Thailand!

Hello home.

Thank you all so much for your kind support whilst I have been in hospital.It has helped more than you can imagine.

I love you all.

Felix

A trip to the duck pond

2011-07-30T21:46:00.004+01:00

Today I am officially 2 months old. Do you know what I got for my 1/6th birthday? My first journey outside! Outside outside. Not just outside the cot, not just outside the ward. Outside the hospital. Proper unadulterated, open air, outside.

My favourite book is called 'Quacky quack-quack' and I have had it read to me over 20 times. I nearly know all the words and I've also learnt a lot from it. I learned all about ducks, marching bands and zoos, dogs, cats and geese. So when I heard my parents ask if they could take me to the "Duck Pond" for once I knew what they were talking about. I was going to feed the ducks!

Before I could leave the hospital I needed to have my security tag removed, my SATS monitor placed in the cot, my oxygen canister and finally little me. I was tucked in very warm and could once again see the excitement on my parent's faces as they said "Goodbye!" to the nurses. They promised to bring me back in an hour before my pram turned into a pumpkin.

The first part of my journey was the same as when I go for my head massage. We got into the lift where the doors close behind us and my parents have to take their phones out and look into the mirror.

When we exited the lift we turned a different direction and I noticed that I was travelling a little bit faster than usual. Lights above made me wince as they flew past my head and down past my toes before eventually slowing down and stopping above me. I saw mum disappear into something called a "shop" to buy some water. My Dad talked to me and asked if I was ready to go outside, I said "Does my nappy smell?" but he didn't reply. He never listens to me.

Mum returned, placed her water in my pram, grabbed control and we were off! I heard Dad speaking behind me and I could see the corridor gradually getting lighter.

Walking through the door

I travelled the length of the hospital and exited in style. Look at me go! Navigating a 'car park' already! Look at the size of those things! Prams for big people. I seriously never knew they existed, absolutely amazing.

It was a beautiful day, there was only one light above me, it was very far away and it was VERY bright. I looked at it for a split second before my Dad covered my face with my blanket. What a spoil sport! It also made my legs feel very warm, a bit like when I do a pee in my nappy. I liked this, I liked it a lot. We arrived at the duck pond in a few minutes after climbing down a steep hill and past a few people. It suddenly dawned on me that I could hear lots of new things. They were all so nice and relaxing. I could hear the ducks quacking, birds tweeting and the sound of wind in the trees. I couldn't hear beeps, machines or lots of people. It was bliss. The air was also so much nicer, so nice in fact I thought I would take a nap.

I was woken up by the sound of another child. This was a big child, much bigger than anything I had seen before and it could walk just like the big people. He had bruises all over his face because he had fallen over. He came over to my pram and started stroking my head and touching my robot.

"What's your baby's name?" he asked my parents.
"Felix" My Dad replied.
"What's your name?"

"Felix..." he replied.
"Felix?!"

"Ooh you have the same name!" His Mum said.

My parents were amazed. They had never met another Felix in England and Daddy works in a Primary school with 400 children. Imagine the first child I ever meet having the same name as me? Dad talked about this for ages, he also told me about the time in Liverpool when they saw some strange children's drawings on a random pavement. Guess what was written next to them? Felix.

I just thought "cool name"

Next we went to visit a garden whilst my parents had a cup of coffee.

Before finally returning back to my cot.

In the afternoon, to make sure I didn't explode with happiness, the Doctors came and injected me twice in my butt. Ouch!

I now feel a little sleepy, night night.

Felix

Dad's comments.

Well, where does one start? Today was one of the most amazing days we've had, we finally got to take Felix out of the hospital and had some real 'us' time. We also started worrying about real-world things like wasps, cars, people smoking near us, children touching our baby (is he going to get a cold!) and sun in his eyes.

A week ago we had Felix by ourselves in the family room when he stopped breathing and turned blue, I had to run and get help, then we watched as he was resuscitated. He was fine seconds later, but it really knocked our confidence. Today fixed all that. He was very well behaved and didn't set off his alarms once. There was not a single moment where we thought "should we take him back?" because of his health.

In the afternoon because Felix is two months old he gets his standard immunisations. These, we have been warned, can be traumatic for them and could set them back a few days. Felix wasn't phased by the injections at all. He must have built up needle resilience over the last 60 days or was completely shattered after his journey.

Here's to a lifetime of days like this.

Dad

Discharge meeting and frogs.

2011-07-29T16:59:00.002+01:00

Today was a very special day for all of us and Mummy and Daddy have been super excited about it. Today was the day of the discharge meeting. I've already been discharged from Liverpool Women's Hospital and was moved to Macclesfield. So I was excited about being discharged again to see where my next location would be. I couldn't bare not being a part of this meeting so I made sure I timed my feeds to perfection and sneaked into the meeting room attached to my mother's breast.

In this room was a lady from my doctor's surgery, two nurses who will visit me at home, a doctor and one of my special nurses. The conversation went a little like this.

"I don't think Felix is ready to come home yet"
"Oh.....why?"
"We need to wait for him to stop having bradycardias (low heart rates) and desats (low oxygen levels) for a longer period"
"Oh OK"
"Because of Felix's Chronic Lung Disease he is finding it hard to breathe"
"Chronic Lung Disease? Wait.....what's that?" (Mum and Dad looked at each other)
"It's when a baby requires Oxygen for a prolonged period"
"Ah OK"
"We'll keep him on a set-level of Oxygen for a few days and monitor his progress and will review every few days"
"So, when do you think he'll be able to come home?"
"How long is a piece of string?"
"I don't know."
"Maybe a few more weeks, maybe next week?"
"OK, we'll look forward to that."

The rest of the conversation talked about me coming home with oxygen, my brain, how I should stay clear of anyone with any illness (especially colds) and how cute I am. Meeting completed it was time to give my parents some better news.

Thursday is weigh-in day. On Sunday I almost, nearly, but not quite reached the six pound mark. I was five pounds and fourteen ounces. I knew that there was a lot riding on today's weigh-in. A static score like last week would make Doctors scratch their head and I'd be pumped full of vitamins, fortifiers and it would be another bit of not-so-good news for my parents. So today I made myself as big as possible and weighed in at ........ wait for it.....

Six pounds and four ounces!

I had pleased everybody, especially Mum and Dad. They had planned a little surprise for me for when my Nana returned from Portugal but they couldn't wait (serves them right for leaving me!) so dressed me in one of the special outfits they had been saving for this occasion.

This was from my Irish friend Karen and wouldn't you say she has impeccable taste.

We then had music and disco lighting provided by my American friend Jack from www.lifewithjack.com and his beautiful family.

I even had a little dance.

Once the celebrations were over I had another eye test. The strange man reappeared and tested my eyes again. I was super brave and only cried a little bit and it was over before it had started. The Doctor said that my eyes were "Great" and that I no longer needed my eyes testing.

I'm pleased about that.

Felix x

It's the same. Day in, day out.

2011-07-27T08:57:00.001+01:00

Life if getting pretty easy in hospital now, but it is also getting pretty boring. I'm now 8 weeks old and I know there is a huge world out there but I just can't get to it. I do know that on Thursday my Mum and Dad have a meeting to discuss whether I will be going home with Oxygen or not and at the moment I believe I will be because it's just too difficult to keep my numbers above 93%, but who knows? To be honest I'll just be glad to move on somewhere else, somewhere where Mummy and Daddy can be with me all the time and I can keep them awake all night. Just like last night.

I've been collecting some of my favourite photos as there hasn't been much different happening lately.

Babies have passed through my ward showing off with their long hair, fat bottoms and good numbers, other long term residents are still here maintaining some consistency and Mum and Dad are always here within minutes of me waking. It's all beep beep beep, suck suck suck, sleep sleep sleep. Day in, day out.

Come to think of it, last week I went for another head massage (brain scan) but this time my parents got to push me all the way downstairs. This was fun and Dad loved it.

So, here are some of my favourite photos to keep me (and you) entertained until something exciting happens.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this photo I'm wrestling with my Mummy. I think I'm winning.

I have 100% on my bib! I'm not sure what the bottom word says, but I'm guessing it's to do with how well I've been doing with my Oxygen lately.

Now this little Robot has been up to mischief lately. Every time I fall asleep I notice that he's taken something of mine. Sometimes a hat, sometimes my mittens and other times my oxygen!

I had stern words with all my toys and told them to stay where they put.

But they just don't listen.

Watch out for your toys.

Felix

xx

The Birth Story

2011-07-24T11:45:00.004+01:00

29th May 2011 & 30th May 2011

For Felix, the little warrior!

As soon as Britain’s Got Talent finished at 9:00pm on a Sunday afternoon, your Mummy started to feel some little pains in her stomach. Your Daddy, being the knowledgable midwife that he is, thought that they may go away so didn’t really worry too much about it. Karen, your Auntie, went home and said “look after the baby” not knowing what was about to happen. Around 30 minutes later Mummy’s pains started to get a bit worse so we phoned Macclesfield Hospital. Dad explained to the midwives about her pain and then realised that she hadn’t been to the toilet for a while so she may, you know, just need the toilet. Daddy Midwife to the rescue once again. The midwife also considered this and suggested that she took a few pain killers and waited a couple of hours. Well the whole constipation idea was taken on board pretty successfully, your mummy started rushing to the toilet more often and complained a lot. Your Daddy started to get a bit annoyed at Mummy “Surely you must know if you need a poo!” he tried “I DON’T!” snapped Mum. So, over stimulated, Daddy tried to fall asleep.

Sleep didn’t come easily – Mum was always asking him questions or making loud groaning sounds and banging around. This repeated itself for around an hour (poor Dad) and Mum eventually decided that the best thing for both of them was to go to the hospital.

The A&E in Macclesfield didn’t keep us waiting and directed us straight to the maternity ward. Dad pushed Mum in a wheel chair and we were met by a nice lady called Heidi. She put your mummy onto the bed and prodded around her belly, she felt you (your were upside down with your bottom sticking up) and then put a machine on Mum to feel for contractions. We discussed where the nearest toilet was and Mum was ready to go ‘try’ again. The midwife suggested that perhaps that wasn’t a wise idea, but Dad had already convinced Mum that she just needed the toilet so she was pretty upset she couldn’t go. Mum now started feeling lots of pain and started shouting because of it. Dad held her hand and reassured her she’ll be fine. More screaming. Grip getting tighter. More reassurance.

Looking back it was clear that your Mum was experiencing contractions, at the time however, because you weren’t meant to appear for another 11 weeks, the whole toilet idea seemed much more plausible.

Mum started looking and sounding a little scary. She started panting and shouting and doing weird hand movements. Dad was starting to get a little freaked out. Finally a doctor arrived, which was great news for both of them, but left shortly afterwards saying he needed to consult another doctor. This wasn’t good news for Mummy. This wasn’t good news for Daddy. Her pain was getting worse so the nurse gave her some Gas & Air to calm her down. This worked a treat. It worked so well that the only two things your mummy did from that point was say “I need a poo” and sleep.

When the consultant finally arrived the little graph machine that was plugged onto your mummy’s belly showed that she was having very fast contractions. The doctor had a quick check down below to see if you were starting to come out. You were. PANIC! Alarms went off, nurses and doctors appeared from everywhere and Dad put mummy onto a wheelchair. Everyone ran into a room, Dad placed Mum onto a bed and the midwife started to tell everyone what to do.

The next ten minutes were filled with instructions “PUSH!”, screams “Aaaaaaaaaaargh” and panic before your tiny little head appeared and you started to cry. Within seconds and before Mum and Dad got to look at you properly, you were wrapped in a plastic sheet and lifted onto an open incubator. Doctors surrounded you and started sticking things down your throat. Dad was very hyper and couldn’t watch this so went back to your Mum to congratulate her and to get a breather (it was very manic)

Three minutes later your parents realised that they didn’t know if you were a boy or a girl. The doctor said “er, well he looks like a boy.” So, until further investigation, your were. You were a boy named ‘Felix’

Shortly after, a doctor came to explain that because you were early they may be some complications, Dad can’t remember exactly what was said - but does remember feeling very sick all of a sudden. Not sick because of the news, it seemed obvious that you would need medical help, but it was the first time that it started to sink in what had actually happened. Saranya Hasler was a Mummy. Robert Hasler was a Daddy. You were their Son. The first time we got to see what you really looked like was when a Nurse brought a picture in of you an hour or so after you were born. She said you were very cute.

It took another hour before we could see you in person. You were so tiny but still held onto your parent's finger.

Because you were born very prematurely Macclesfield Hospital couldn’t care for you as well as a larger Hospital, so after an hour a doctor and a nurse came from Liverpool Women’s Hospital. The doctor originally assessed you and was very hopeful that you were to have no complications. He was very pleased that your delivery was safe and that you started using the ventilator with no problems. They were told that in around 30 minutes you would be on your way to Liverpool. You had other plans. When the doctor tried to move you to their portable incubator you became very unsettled and started showing the first signs of trouble. This, as you can imagine, was very stressful for everyone and it took you around 3-4 hours to finally settle down. At 6:00am with Mum and Dad still in a daze, they watched you being wheeled away by an ambulance crew, out of the door and into a lift.

Whilst you were in the ambulance on your way to Liverpool your Mum and Dad ran back home to collect some things to take to the hospital. They phoned a few people to tell them the great news and set off before they fell asleep. When they arrived, they found you settled in your incubator in intensive care. You had many tubes connecting to various parts of your body, the ventilator was pumping your lungs, you had various lines into your umbilical cord, bright red LED and three coloured pads monitoring on your chest. Around your incubator there were lots of monitors beeping and flashing away, monitoring your every movement.

It was an overwhelming day for all of us, but we knew the second we saw you that you were going not going to give up.

That Felix, was the first day of your life.

PS. Talk about tempting fate, this is what your Dad posted onto Facebook 3 days before you were born.

Listening to the iClick

2011-07-22T20:37:00.001+01:00

As I have been a star pupil I got to listen to an iClick.

The iClick plays sounds for me to hear, 'click click click' over and over again. It was the first time I had heard music and I loved it. The headphones weren't too great though, but after 10 minutes I got some new ones.

These ones played the 'click click click' tune very clearly and had great sound cancellation features.

I closed my eyes and really got into the track. 'click click click'

'click click click'

'Click click click'

Drip Drip Drip

If you want some milk shout

Click Click Click

Click click click

If your a preemie baby shout

Click Click Click!

If your a term baby shout

Click Click Click

All my preemie girls

Put your mittens up

All my preemie boys

Push your SATS up

Click click click

Life in NICU!

Highs and Lows - What's with the sad faces?

2011-07-21T22:03:00.001+01:00

Dad's comments.

Mum and I have been talking lately about how Felix has a good skill of doing things at ideal moments. Sometimes he does things which cheer us up, wake us up or to just let us know he's not happy with something. The most magical moments we've shared with Felix are usually after we've received shocking news and the scariest moments we've had are when we've been over confident and forget that he's still shouldn't be born.

Part 1

"What's with the sad faces?"

In the first week of Felix's life, in front of Mum and Nana, Felix suffered a Pulmonary Hemorrhage (bleeding in the lungs). Mum and Nana were asked to leave the room and I received a phone call from Nana asking me to come to the ward. When I arrived all I could see through the windows were the dreaded white screens and far too may people surrounding his incubator. When he was stable, he had to have blood transfusions and various ultra sound scans. I believe all premature babies have a brain scan at some point, but Felix definitely needed one after this episode.

After having his scan, we were asked to enter a private room decorated like a living room and to take a seat on a comfortable sofa. This wasn't normal. Felix had suffered a bleed in the brain. The outcomes were explained to us and we were informed that a further scan needed to be done the following week to determine the severity; Grade 1 being minimal, Grade 4 being worst case. We were upset but knew that he was alive so we stayed positive. The next scan the following week highlighted the extent of the problem, Felix had a Grade 4 bleed on the right side of his brain and a grade 2/3 on his left side. I can't really express how we felt, but the first thing we did was to go and see Felix. Holding hands we both walked down the bright corridors to his ward, we lifted his incubator cover and saw something that we had never seen before. Felix had his eyes open for the first time and he was smiling at us, looking at us as if saying "What's with the sad faces?"

In an instant we had completely forgot what was just said. Felix looked amazing. We were overwhelmed with happiness and all negative thoughts vanished in an instant. Felix is here, he's breathing, smiling and looking straight at us.

Crossing things off

2011-07-19T12:00:00.005+01:00

I've been busy lately ticking off things on my to do list. Last time I blogged I wrote about how I had successfully removed my annoying feeding tube (Farewell Feeding Tube) and how I had planned to conquer various other niggling matters. Well, after a few days, I think I've been very successful. This is what my to do list now looks like.

Two items down, two to go.

As you can see the first job I have completed was 'milk on demand'.
People often say that you need to find your voice, well I've been practicing. I asked politely for more milk but nobody paid the darnest bit of attention to me. Other babies don't speak. So why would people listen? Instead I used the most cliched form of requests, something which I condoned only a few weeks ago. I cried. Here I am crying to get milk, look at what I've succumbed to.

Call me a hypocrite but it works. All the time. I've also ticked something off my list and never have to go hungry or over-full again.

The next item crossed out was NOT something I expected to do so quickly in my life. I've heard other great people have dedicated their lifetime to accomplish similar objectives but haven't succeeded. You could call it beginners luck or a fluke, but what ever you call it, for a brief moment in time I had orchestrated complete "Ward Peace".

Now, I can't divulge too much information on how this plan was executed but I can share some key points leading up to the main event. Firstly, the previous day, I overheard a conversation between one of the nurses and my parents, they were talking about 'rooming in'. The following day, there was more talk about 'rooming in' and I could feel the excitement radiating from my parents. My parents then disappeared for a few hours. When they returned my Dad started moving things around my cot, he picked up my beep beep machine and placed it next to me, untangled some leads, clicked something above my wheels and before I could say "I need a pee"......... I peed myself. Anyway. After the click, I started to move, but instead of being pushed by men in green jackets or women in blue uniforms I was being pushed by Mum and Dad. They drove with such precision I could hardly feel the bumps. Five seconds into my journey I felt a instinctual, primal urge to ask "Are we nearly there yet?" but I know people don't hear me and as it happened, after ten seconds, we had reached our destination.

Macclesfield it appears is three rooms. Inside this room there was the biggest cot I had ever seen.

It was humongous, I shivered at the thought of seeing the size of the baby living in it and felt a little intimidated. Why would my parents show me this? The room was also very blue. The only time I'd seen blue before was on my blanket or some clothes, but this was mega blue. There was blue on things I didn't even know exist. However the most important thing, the thing which I've saved til last, is that there was no nurses, no doctors, no consultants, no babies or their parents. Just my Mum, my Dad and Me. Me, Mum, Dad. Dad, Mum, Me.

The big baby never appeared so my parents slept in his cot. There were no doors banging, no talking and no babies crying. Complete and utter Ward Peace.

Hooray!

Felix x