Happy 1 Week Birthday!

Has it really only been one week? I had a vague memory yesterday of standing in the registration desk of the hospital last week, pregnant, and how foreign that thought seems now... It is amazing how quickly your life can change.

Some more awesome victories over the past 24 hours, he was able to successfully breastfeed yesterday for a decent amount of time- which was still supplemented with the feeding tube since we didn't do a weight measurement this time around. But he shows interest and an increasing ability to coordinate the breathing/sucking/swallowing skills that we all take for granted. Then late last night our Angel nurse Ann went ahead and gave us the option to see how he'd do on the bottle- which a side note, I wasn't a big fan of introducing the bottle so soon, but it is a good way to show the doctors his ability to feed and flourish, which is a prerequisite for him to go home... So Dave had the honors, and sure enough, he did amazing- finished the whole amount in the "allotted" time frame, and even showed interest in more following. These are simple things that are second nature in a full-term newborn, but for him and other preemies are huge developmental skills he needs to display.

Sooooo... looks like we may be able to remove the feeding tube altogether sometime soon- we're going to be doing another bottle feeding this morning- followed by breastfeeding later- if he keeps it up he can stop pulling the tube out on his own (which, yes, he continues to do- twice this morning alone and it's only 11:00am). He is also getting close to being back to his birth weight- he weighed in at 3lbs 15oz last night, so a couple ounces away from his birth weight of 4lbs 2 oz... seeing our friends Jay & Sarah's baby girl Landry, weighing in at 8 lbs, the other day was so bizarre- how big a "normal" sized baby appears now. Also, he continues to "request" for his incubator temperature to be lowered as he is maintaining his body temperature. Once he can maintain at an air temperature of 78degrees, they will let him go to an open crib. He started off last week at around 85 degrees, and is now lowered down to 79 degrees- almost there!!! Also just discovered his lost umbilical cord in his diaper- now he has a cute little belly button!

For those who wonder what it takes for him to go home- this is what was stated in the Parent Education and Discharge Planning sheet given to us yesterday. It says
"Your baby will be ready for discharge when he:
-Is able to maintain his body temperature in an open crib
-Is actively gaining weight on breast or bottle feedings
-Weighs around 4 lbs or more
-Actively participates in all nipple/breast feedings
-Stable in room air for at least 24 hours
-Is not having any apnea and bradycardia spells

While he is so close to accomplishing all these, I have to realize he may still be kept here longer- some say it may be a month before he can come home- but he surprises us each day- so one can hope and pray!

I'm sooooo proud and amazed by this little boy!!!