1 Milestone Down

Well we have had such an exciting week! Henry J has passed 1 of 3 major milestones. He has been keeping his temp in an open crib! Granted he is wrapped up in 2 blankets, and wears a hat but he has been doing wonderfully and it makes me miss my "baby" when I see him in a big boy bed. I know that sounds crazy, but to see your little baby progress as fast as he is it makes me cherish these days even more.

Such a sweet little boy. The nurses have commented on what a mellow baby Henry is. The only time he really fusses is when it's time for his "cares". That happens every 3 hours and we change his diaper, take his temp, measure his belly and listen to his heart and belly. Even then he only sports his best stink face and whines. I am hoping that he inherited Alan's temperment!

Unfortunately Henry has to deal with me as his mother, and once he got out of the incubator, the fashion show started. A lot of stuff is still too big on him, but it's fun to dress him up.

Look at that double chin!

This picture was taken before he moved to an open crib, but I couldn't pass it up. Big yawn!

4 Pounds!

While visiting Henry tonight, Alan took off his glasses and set them on his face. I got the giggles so bad, and I could barely hold still to take the picture. It's so stinkin cute of him, and it's another object to show how little our man is. Although now that he's at a whopping 4 pounds he is looking more and more like a "regular" baby. He is catching on to breast feeding like a champ, and he's now down to 1 liter of oxygen. We couldn't be more proud of all the milestones he is reaching. Way to go Henry J!

Alan has big plans for his son and tells him everyday. Some of the activities include: camping, watching sports, and putting pieces of meat on the bbq. All of them being very manly activities. I know that I have an amazing relationship with Henry, but it is a whole different one between the two boys.

One Month Old!

As I sit here and type and look at this sweet face, I'm still amazed at what a precious gift Alan and I have been given. It's now been a month since Henry J was born and every day he has proven himself to be a fighter. He is now weighing in at 3 lbs and 9 oz, so for those of you that don't remember that is well over a pound since he was born. Alan was noticing the other day that even his little fingers are getting a little meat on them. It truely is amazing to see the differences in him every day.


As far as updates go Henry has now been moved down to 1 liter of the high flow oxygen and has been doing just fine with it. The next step for him, as far as breathing goes, is to get down to a regular nasal canula. Since I took this picture, they have taken the feeding tube out of his mouth and put it back down his nose. The feeding tube was so big and I know that it bothered Henry so we are both very happy with this change. I have started to try and breastfeed him and that has been quite the experience. It's going to be a learning process for the both of us, but so far he is showing interest and actually latching on. The occupational therapist is very impressed with Henry and feels as though he'll catch on fairly quick. The first time Henry and I tried, I got the giggles so bad and I think the nurse thought I was crazy. It's definitely something to get used to, but I love the bond between us. The nurse told me that him trying to latch on and suck is like doing aerobics. He gets very tired after a couple tries and then we have a serious snuggle session. It is the best part of my day, hands down.

I want to wish all the mothers a happy mothers day. I am so grateful to be a mom, and it is the most gratifying job I have ever had. Mommy loves you Henry J.

Requirements to come home!

I've had a lot of questions as to when Henry can come home, so I thought I'd make a post out of it. I also realized it's probably time for an update so this will be more of an informative post then a fun picture one. Henry has been doing really well lately! He is down to 2 liters of oxygen, and once he gets down to 1 liter he will get off the high flow oxygen and go to a regular nasal canula. Then his feeding tube will go back down his nose and make his face more visible. He is now weighing 3 pounds 3 ounces and right on track as far as weight gain goes. Once he is 4 pounds they will put him in an open crib and I will be able to dress him! I'm SO excited to put him in some of the adorable clothes we've gotten. Also, in 2 weeks or so I will start trying to breast feed him. They told me that it's a hard process and it takes a lot of practice, but anything to get me away from that pump is good news. So the requirements for Henry coming home are:

1. Being able to breath on his own for 1 week

2. Maintaining temp in an open crib

3. Being able to eat for 48 hours by breast or bottle

Every day we are getting closer to hitting all of our goals and I am beyond excited just thinking about having my baby home with me next month. Right now we are in the process of remodeling a house and call us crazy for taking on such a big project right now, but it keeps Alan and me occupied and we are excited to have a nice house for Henry J. Thanks for keeping posted, and I will work on getting some pictures this week!

Meeting Grammie

Henry J got to officially meet his Grandma and I think it was love at first sight. He is quite the flirt and kept smiling at her. It was neat to watch my mom hold her first grandbaby for the first time. Thank you so much for everything you do mom. We love you.

Mom was a little bit nervous holding such an itty bitty baby and possibly over stimulating him, but I think that she looks like a natural.

Love you Grammie!

3 Weeks Old

Well our baby is 3 weeks old today and oddly enough, it seems like just yesterday that I was in the hospital. I went back to work last week and although I got a lot of questions and weird looks, I'm glad to have gone back. Work keeps my mind occupied and when Henry comes home I'll have 10 weeks with him. It will be a beautiful day when my baby is at home. I have gotten a lot of requests to take pictures of him with average sized things next to him. So I hope this satisfies everyones curiosity!

Look at all the hair he has! It's so soft and I love to play with it.

"One time I caught a fish that was this big!" Alan wanted me to put that as the caption. .



Every so often Henry makes this face and it cracks me up. He looks like he just ate something sour and he bunches his eyes up. I have yet been able to take a picture of it, but this is pretty close. We call it his stink face, and unfortunately his nick name is now "Stink".

Henry has been doing so well! I keep expecting him to have a bad day and to take a couple steps back, but our little fighter just keeps progressing. He is now up to 2 lbs 13 oz and down to 3 liters of oxygen. His PDA (the problem with his heart) hasn't gotten better, or worse. The doctors said that because he is doing so well clinically, they aren't going to do anything about it. They told us that he might even go home with a murmur and if doesn't get better, they'll address it then. But for now they just want to let him keep growing and getting stronger. Alan and I are falling more in love with our little man every day.

Blessed

Alan and I are blessed to have Henry J in our lives. We love you.

Our little guy is doing so well! He is still on oxygen, but they took him from 4 liters down to 3 liters today and he seems to be handling it just fine. When Alan was in to visit today they took all the tubes off his face to clean them, so he snapped a picture real quick to show off his beautiful face. Henry now weighs 2 lbs 11 oz, which means he is eating and digesting beautifully. They were able to take the pick line out, so that means that he is no longer needing fluids other then my milk. Thank you again for all the prayers. As you can see, they are working.