1 month!

Sam has been home for almost 3 weeks. He is doing very well & we are adjusting, although I will say it seems like he has been home much longer than that!!  I took him to the pediatrician on Sept 18 and he weighed 5lbs 12 oz. He had gained a little more than an ounce a day since he left the NICU. We had our one month appointment today and he weighed 7lbs 3 oz!!  He just blazed right on through the 6 lb range. That means he gained 23 ounces in 14 days!!  I couldn't believe it. I have been wondering when I could consider him a newborn as opposed to a preemie and today was the day. He is the size of an average newborn and is very healthy!!  Here are a few pictures...  (The last pic is horrible of the big boys, but at least you can see Sam's little face!)

He's home!!

Sam came home on Thursday!!  I can't believe it's been 5 days now. He is doing wonderful!  He has learned well to sleep between feedings and is growing. We have our first check up with our pediatrician tomorrow. The boys have loved Sam being with us. It's unbelievable that we are finally all 5 under the same roof!  We are so thankful!!  I can't thank you enough for being a part of this journey with us. I really can't tell you how helpful the support of our community, friends & family have been. We are forever grateful for you & are so thankful how God has chosen to bring the desire of another child into our family to life!!

Very soon

So our little Sam has turned a corner with the bottle! He has taken one each feeding for more than 24 hours. They began preparing us today that he will likely be home soon!  He had to gain weight for 3 consecutive days and not have any difficulty breathing or maintaining his body temp for 7 days. He has done those, so now he just needs to continue on the bottle (no feeing tube) for another couple days. Hoping he'll be home on thursday. I tried to nurse him today & the lactation consultant said he did well for trial #1... We'll keep working on it. Obviously, the main goal is for him to eat plenty, so until then, I'll keep pumping (oh joy... But well worth it)!

bottle

Sam is taking a bottle occassionally, but still not consistent. I guess I originally thought once he took a bottle one time, that he would "get it" and be good to go. So I thought he would be home with us this weekend. Apparently, that isn't how it works. It still just takes so much energy for him to take a bottle. I have been going to see him at least once a day and sometimes I'm able to give him a bottle. I typically change his diaper, take his temperature and hold him now each time I go. He pooped on me today when I changed his diaper... a first for me in all the diapers I've changed over the years!  I have enjoyed being with him over this past week, but now my heart is aching for him to be with us!  Last night, he was the most alert I'd ever seen him. Here is a picture of him in my lap... Please pray he will come home soon! 

 

Sam has graduated to a crib in the NICU. That means that he can breathe well on his own and also regulate his body temperature well.  He still has his feeding tube. The nurse told me that sometimes their ability to suck, swallow & breathe simultaneously can happen overnight. He has taken a bottle a little bit and has shown signs of wanting to suck, but at the moment it takes more effort than it should and therefore is too much energy for him to expend on eating right now. It sounds like they will give me a couple days notice when they think he will be ready to come home. Once he starts taking a bottle, they will keep him a day or two to make sure he is good to go. I am trying to fit in all that I can... errands, haircut, a few last minute shopping trips, etc before he comes home. We joke that we are in the calm before the storm. I am feeling much better physically and am able to do a little bit, but I know my time will be more limited once he arrives home. But, oh, we can't wait!!  From the first times we really began praying for another child until now has been about 3 years, so we are ready to finally be a family of 5!! Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.

progress

Yesterday we grabbed donuts at Krispy Kreme so conveniently located next to Baptist and headed on over to hang with Sam for a little while. I wanted to just sit with him and I'm so glad I did!  The neonatalogist stopped in to check on him. She ordered his oxygen tube to come out and the jaundice lights to be removed!!  He also needed a diaper change, so I was able to do it for the first time!  After the boys finished their donuts in the waiting room, they came in for a visit too. They don't like us holding and talking to him too much because rest is still vital for his development, but while he was being checked we were able to talk to him. For the first time we saw him open his eyes... He opened them when he heard our voices. It captured my heart and I was on cloud 9 all day! 
Another big milestone was that he took a little bit of milk from a bottle... not a full feeding, but he is progressing. Our little guy is fighting to get stronger. The doctor said he wouldn't come home before 34 weeks (Saturday, Sept 8), so that is what we are praying for. Here is a picture from today...

We can't really tell who he looks like. He doesn't seem to look like Jacob or Luke to us. I do think he has some good lips though :) As far as the surgery goes, I'm healing well. I'm getting good rest to get ready for the little man to come home!

I'm home

I was discharged on Thursday afternoon. I had been in the hospital for 7 weeks and 1 day and was so ready to be home with Michael and the big boys. I didn't anticipate how hard it would be for me to leave Sam in the NICU. He is so well cared for there and progressing as they would expect, but the reality of him not being with us is SO incredibly hard for me. I went again to visit him today and it wasn't any easier to leave. I am praying he will be home in a week.  The nurses said it is possible he could be be taken off the breathing tube on Saturday. For being premmature, he has done very well with that since his first hours of birth. As I was leaving Thursday, the nurse asked if I wanted to hold him... tubes & all and of course, I couldn't contain the tears. I wasn't expecting it and it was so special. I haven't seen him yet with his eyes open. He has been so sleepy which is what they want because it is so important in his development. After all, he is supposed to be sleeping in my tummy!  He did develop jaundice so he is under lights. When he was first born, he was eating 5cc of milk. He has a feeding tube in his mouth that goes directly to his tummy for him to digest. As of today, he was taking 25cc of milk. I'd say that is some serious progress!!  Here are some recent pictures...