July 24, 2012- IMC Common Bonds Fundraiser

Being in the NICU was one of the hardest experiences of my life.  Brandon and I didn't know what to do and how to be NICU parents.  We were so fortunate to have the experience and the guidance of the NICU nurses and the other NICU parents.  There is a group at IMC called Common Bonds, and this group is made up of former NICU parents that volunteer in the NICU and help the current NICU families cope with being in the hospital.  I remember one of the first days in the NICU and looking over on the nurse's cart and seeing a bag of goodies that were left for me and Brandon.  The bag had a little baby washcloth with a poem that brought me to tears (and it still does) and candies that had sayings taped to the back giving advice to the NICU parents.  

We also received scrapbook pages with pictures of Will taped to them, a CD with pictures of Will throughout his stay, crotcheted items, and a tile with a Dr. Seuss saying on it.  These are just a few examples of the items we were given throughout our stay.  This group also organizes a scrapbooking night on Tuesdays where all the paper and supplies are supplied free of charge and on Wednesday nights there is an event that is organized for the parents by this group.  The support that current NICU families receive from this group is absolutely amazing!  It makes it bearable to go through the NICU experience with the support of former NICU families. 

This group does not have an endless supply of money to help support their generous deeds.  While we were in the NICU, Brandon and I were trying to figure out how to give back, and we decided to organize a charity auction and fundraiser to support IMC Common Bonds.  We have organized this for September 15 at Union Park in Midvale at 4pm.  We are currently accepting donations for the auction and have already collected many items from around the Salt Lake Valley.  We will also have the International Dutch Oven Society making food and offering samples for a small donation.  Brandon and I are so excited for this fundraiser and we hope to give back to Common Bonds. 

Please join us on September 15 and help us give back to a wonderful group that help NICU families cope with their baby being in the hospital. 

July 24, 2012- Being Home

I know that I've said it before, but it is so surreal being home.  There are times that I look at Will and I can't believe that he is really mine.  I really like to look back at all the pictures of Will from his stay in the NICU.  I have pictures from everyday that we spent at IMC starting from birth until the day we put him in the car.  We have come a long way and we are very very fortunate to have a healthy baby.  

We are all getting used to being home.  Brandon and I have gotten into a rhythm with feeding and changing Will.  Will has settled in with an every 3-4 hour eating schedule and he loves his naps.  We are trying to be good about letting Will nap in his pack and play and sometimes on our laps.  We don't want him to get used to always being held, but it's hard because he is so snuggly!  Will is doing great with his feedings.  He is taking about 45-55ml when he takes a bottle and he is learning to nurse on both sides instead of just one side.  He is getting to be so big.  We go in for a weight check on Thursday and I think Will might hit the 6lb mark.  He is looking so much bigger to us.  I know that everyone says that he is so small and a peanut, but Brandon and I know just how big he has gotten since he was born!

Will has also transitioned off his oxygen!  He has been on room air since Friday with only a 3 hour stint back on oxygen on Friday night.  We are still monitoring his oxygen saturations every night and when we are in the car, but Will is a champ and hasn't needed his nasal cannula.  It has been so nice to walk around the house without all his cords attached to us.  I feel like we can get more done without the oxygen and the monitor.  Brandon and I are so proud of our little man!  He has come a long way from the 3lb 1oz baby on CPAP to an almost 6lb baby on room air!

July 17, 2012- Learning to be at home

Well, we've been home since Friday afternoon, and we are still getting used to being home.  I told Brandon the other day, that I still feel like someone will call us and tell us that we need to bring Will back and that he isn't supposed to be home yet.  It is very surreal to have him home.  

Will has adjusted well to being at home.  He is eating well and gaining weight.  When we went to the doctor yesterday, Will had gained 5 ounces since Friday.  Will is also sleeping in 3-4 hour time blocks.  This, I have to thank the NICU for training Will to eat that often.  We are very lucky to have him on that kind of schedule.  Also, Will doesn't cry that often.  He definitely will express his displeasure with his diaper changes and that he is hungry.  After we acknowledge his issue, he is a happy and content baby.

 Will also tolerates the dogs.  The dogs are very funny with him.  They always walk over to his pack and play to see if he is in there and what he is doing.  Every morning, they come with me into the nursery to see if Will is awake and they love to sniff his head as a way of saying 'Good morning'.  Our boy beagle, Bonez, gets very upset when Will cries and he wants to make sure that he is okay and that we aren't torturing him.  Our girl beagle, Harley, likes to come over and lay by me when I am holding Will and she likes to check on him in his bed.  She is like a little mama.  

As each day passes, I am truly reminded how lucky I am to have such a wonderful healthy baby and that we could have had a rougher and longer stay in the NICU.  I can't wait to see what each day brings for this little man!

July 13, 2012- Home Sweet Home

Friday the 13th isn't so spooky this time around.  It is still a little bit scary, but not in a horror movie kind of way.  Today is the day that Will graduated from the NICU!  We are finally home and learning how to be a family outside the hospital.  Brandon and I can't express how grateful we are for the extraordinary staff at the IMC NICU, especially the nurses and Will's primary nurses.  Last night two of Will's main primary nurses were working and we were able to say goodbye to them and thank them for taking care of our son.  Today, Will's other main primary nurse worked and discharge us.  Having primary nurses really allowed us to leave the NICU and know that Will was in the best hands.  We will never be able to thank these individuals enough.  They are truly angels and we will never forget them.  

Putting Will in his car seat today and driving away from the NICU was truly a surreal experience.  Brandon and I have been waiting for this day for 6 weeks and it was finally here.  There were times on the way home that I kept thinking "do they know that we took him from the hospital?".  Indeed, they knew and now Will was our baby to take home.  When we finally got home, the dogs met Will.  Bonez was interested, but Harley was definitely more intrigued and a little scared when he would cry or squeak.  So far, Will has been eating a lot and sleeping.  He seems to like his pack and play and has been napping in there for a while.  Will is doing really well on his home oxygen.  He is down to 1/16 Liter and I could wean him to 1/32, but I don't want to tonight since he is in a new place and might be a little freaked out by his new surroundings and new schedule.  

Thank you all for your interest in our NICU experience and your kind thoughts and prayers.  Brandon, Will and I could not have made it through this experience without you all.  A special thank you to the IMC NICU, the staff and all the volunteers.  It was so nice to visit Will and see really nice scrapbook pages with his pictures, little gifts and really nice poems for us to take home.  Being a NICU parent is not an easy thing to be and to have other people who have been through the same experience come and talk to you, leave notes for you, and post inspiring words on the IMC NICU page is truly helpful when you are knee deep in a life changing experience.  Brandon and I hope we can give back and help other NICU parents just as we were helped.   

 

Here's to a wonderful life with my amazing husband and my wonderful little miracle, Will. 

July 12, 2012- Rooming In

This post will be short because I am writing it from my phone and I won't have pictures tonight for the same reason.
Will had a great but tiring day. He passed his eye exam which means that there's no sign of ROP. ROP is a preemie condition that affects babies' eyes. Since the exam was negative, Will is able to be on his home oxygen need. Again, establishing the need is one step closer to going home. In order to go home on oxygen, I am rooming in with Will. We are in our own room right outside the NICU, and I am taking full care of Will. It's like a practice run for home. Wish me luck! I love being able to feel like a real mom!
Check back tomorrow for pictures and a new update!

July 11, 2012- Light at the End of the Tunnel

Finally, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!  I made it to the NICU in time for rounds this morning, and the doctor used the word 'discharge'!  I knew it was coming, but to hear the doctor say it, means that it really really is coming true!  I was so excited that tears of joy came to my eyes as I went back to Will's room and held him. 

Before we can go home, Will still has a few tests to pass.  He has to continue to feed everything by mouth and not the tube.  Check.  He has to gain weight. Check. Last, he has to pass his eye exam. TBD.  Will's eye exam will be tomorrow sometime, I hope in the morning, but we have no control when the doctor will come in.  

Today, Will did great nursing and did okay with his bottle.  Unfortunately, Brandon was not able to come to the hospital today so it was my job to give Will his bottle.  I have to say, Brandon is way better at giving Will the bottle than I am, but Will finished the bottle.  Will also did great with his oxygen today.  His flow was decreased to 0.5 Liters and his percentage of oxygen ranged from 21%-23%.  He really is getting better!  He is learning to coordinate his breathing with his eating, and he is so good at stopping when he's eating to take a breath.  He's my little big man!

Finally, Will gained weight.  He gained another 15 grams.  He is still hanging out right above the 5 pound mark.  I don't even think I can give him credit for an ounce, but hey, I will take 15 grams.  At least he gained weight. 
I can't even begin to explain how excited Brandon and I are at the thought of taking Will home in the next few days.  We have been running around getting Will's room ready, washing his clothes and making sure his car seat is ready to go.  I hope in the next few days, I will be able to put into words how excited and scared I really am at the thought of finally taking my son home and becoming a real family in our home. 

July 10, 2012- Stage Four

Last night Will passed Stage 3 of feeding!  Brandon and I were so excited this morning when we found out.  This means that Will can eat on demand and he can be breastfed and bottle fed when he wants as long as he eats about every three and a half hours.  This morning, Will was a little sleepy for his 8am feeding and only took 26ml.  When I got to the NICU, he nursed twice and took one bottle for Brandon.  When he took his bottle, he ate 40mls.  Will met his total fluid intake for the day and he didn't need any of his feeds in his tube.  If Will can take all his feeds in the bottle tonight, he might be able to get his feeding tube out tomorrow!  I can't wait to see his cute face without the feeding tube!

Will's respiratory status was also really stable today.  At one point, he was even on room air with just some air flowing through his nose.  Will really only needed oxygen when he was being bottle fed.  He is such a rockstar!  He will most likely come home on oxygen, but I am okay with that as long as he comes home soon!

Brandon just called the NICU and the nurse was busy but she passed on that Will gained weight and is 5 pounds!  I don't think saying that I'm excited actually describes how I feel.  It is so awesome to watch Will grow from a 3 pound 1 ounce baby to this 5 pound 36 week baby. 

July 9, 2012- A Long Day in the NICU

Today's story in the NICU started a little earlier than usual.  I knew that Will would be receiving his only tube feed for the day shift at 8am, and I wanted to be there for the feed.  Will has definitely shown that he no longer likes being fed through his feeding tube.  Instead, Will wants to taste his food and take it orally.  He's such a smart boy.  However, Will had to have one tube feeding this morning and one tonight.  When Will has his tube feed, he tends to need more oxygen and he refluxes which is very very painful.  It is so hard to watch your child be in pain and not be able to do anything.  I know that reflux is not the worst thing in the world, but it is still hard to watch him be uncomfortable.  During the morning tube feed, I held Will, rubbed his back and listened to Van Morrison radio on Pandora.  Will seemed to stay somewhat calm, especially when I turned on the radio.  I stayed for the entire day and for Will's tube feed at 8pm.  Again, I held Will close, rubbed his back and listened to Van Morrison.  Apparently, Will is a big fan of Van Morrison.  During both feeds, Will didn't really need an increase in his oxygen and he didn't seem to be too uncomfortable.  Van Morrison can cure all!

Since Will only had one tube feed during the day, he nursed twice and bottle fed once.  He did great with all his feedings and really didn't need a bump up in his oxygen.  He's really starting to catch on to eating and breathing at the same time!  Before his 8pm feed, Will was weighed and he gained a whopping 20 grams for a total of 2260 which is 4 pounds 15.7 ounces!  He is just shy of 5 pounds.  Hopefully we can reach this milestone tomorrow.  With this weight gain, his successful feedings during the day, and if he can oral feed tonight, he will pass stage 3!  This means that he will move on to stage 4 which is food on demand with no tube feedings if he takes all his milk by mouth!  Fingers crossed!

Will didn't have his eye exam today which is very frustrating for me, and I hope to talk to the nurse practitioner tomorrow about my frustrations.  He is supposed to have the exam on Thursday.  I wish it could be sooner!

July 8, 2012- Happy Anniversary

Today is my first wedding anniversary.  When I thought about this day, I never imagined spending it in the NICU, but days in the NICU have become my life.  My days consist of waking up at 8am, pumping, showering and drive to the NICU.  I sit and hold Will all day and we wait for Brandon to come keep us company.  So even though today was a special day for Brandon and I, it ended up like every other day except we had a nice dinner at P.F. Chang's.  I hate leaving the NICU early, ,but it was nice to go spend time with my wonderful husband. 

Will gave us a couple of nice anniversary gifts today; he weaned his oxygen and gained weight.  First, when I arrived, I asked the nurse and the nurse practitioner about weaning Will's oxygen.  He had been on 1 Liter since last Tuesday and he was doing great.  As I have said before, I keep hearing that it is good to wean Will's oxygen percentage is less than 30% and I have also heard that he needs to be at 21%.  I really just wanted an answer and the chance to wean his oxygen.  The nurse and nurse practitioner agreed to wean him to 0.75 Liters of oxygen and he did great!  His oxygen percentage was between 21%-27%!  He really only needed more oxygen when he received his feedings through his feeding tube.  My little guy is getting so good at oral feedings that he doesn't like getting his feedings in his tube anymore!  Now he needs to pass stage 3 so he can have more feedings orally and only one feeding per shift in his tube!  He is getting to be such a big boy!

So far Will is almost ready to pass stage 2!  He took two complete feedings from me, one from the nurse tonight and he gained weight!  Will gained 40 grams for a total of 2240 grams which is 4 pounds 15 ounces!  If Will can take one more bottle tonight, he will move onto stage 3.  This will allow him to take 6 out of his 8 feedings a day, orally.  He will only need 2 feedings in his feeding tube.  This stage lasts for 24 hours and if he passes stage 3, he can move on to stage 4 which is all oral feedings on demand.  I can't wait for this stage!  Fingers crossed that he can finish stage 2 tonight!

July 7, 2012- The Roller Coaster Continues

The NICU roller coaster continues.  This morning Brandon called the NICU to see how Will did overnight.  Will did great!  He took his full bottle feedings and gained weight!  This meant that we were moving on to Stage 2 Day2.  Will did great with his feedings.  He nursed well and took a bottle from Brandon.  His oxygen was stable as well.  He is still on 1 Liter with the percentage of oxygen ranging from 22%-25%.  Brandon and I keep asking when we can wean the oxygen from 1 Liter, but no one gives us a consistent answer.  We have heard that we can wean when the doctor orders it, when Will's oxygen is stable on 21%, when it is stable under 30% and when the nurses think Will is stable enough.  We really just want a consistent answer.  We can't wait to have our primary nurses back who are really consistent with Will.  

We were also hoping that we could complete Stage 2  Day 2 today.  While Will has done a great job with his feedings, we are sad to report that he lost 25 grams today.  He is back to weighing 4 pounds 13 ounces.  So that means tomorrow, we start back with Stage 2 day 2.  What a bummer!  Let's hope that he can finish Stage 2 tomorrow. 

July 6, 2012- The Best Part of the NICU

I was thinking today about what I should write about since Will is kind of on cruise control right now.  At first I wanted to write about his cheeks and how he is starting to get some big cheeks and a double chin!  This is really blowing me away especially when I look back at pictures from his first few days of life when he was a skinny little 31 week preemie.  It wasn't until this afternoon, that I decided to write about the best part of the NICU, the nurses.  I'm not just saying this because I am a nurse, but it is really true.  The nurses are the people that are with my little boy even more than I am.  They seem to know him as well as Brandon and I know him.  Brandon, Will and I are so fortunate to have a core group of 4 nurses that take care of Will each time they work.  On the days that none of them are working, I feel sad and even a little nervous that someone else are caring for my little boy.   I can tell that these 4 nurses love my baby.  I can tell this by how they dress him in little outfits, how they talk to him and how they come to see him even when they aren't caring for him.  They all know his quirks and his likes and dislikes.  Having them care for Will is almost as good as Brandon and I caring for him.  When these wonderful nurses are caring for Will, I actually feel okay and safe leaving Will in their care.  I think that says a lot about the care these awesome nurses give him.  

I have had these thoughts about our nurses for a long time, but it really hit today.  This afternoon I received a phone call from the NICU telling me that there was an influx of babies coming in and would we be willing to transfer Will to another hospital in Provo.  IMC was even willing to pay for Will's transfer to the other facility.  Brandon and I thought about this, and we decided no for multiple reasons.  For one, we would not have Will's doctors, nurse practitioners, his nice room and most of all his awesome nurses.  After 32 days in the NICU, I trust the people caring for my son, and the thought of an entire new team learning how to care for Will was too much to bear.  Brandon and I felt bad about saying no to the transfer, but we had to think of what was best for our son, and it is in the best interest of Will's care to stay with the nurses that know and love him.  I am not sure the the nurses want me to use their names, but a simple 'thank you' is not enough to express the gratitude that Brandon and I feel for these angels that have cared for our son.  

Now for an update on Will.  Will was dressed in a very cute outfit (a green hat and a frog outfit thanks to his night nurse) when I arrived to the NICU this morning.  I was able to nurse Will this morning, and he did great!  He is also doing well with is oxygen, and we are hoping to be able to wean his oxygen soon.  He has been breathing easier everyday.  I also nursed Will this evening, and again, he did well.  He is going to feed with bottles tonight with his night nurse.  Fingers crossed that he does well.  Brandon made his nightly call to the NICU to see how Will was doing.  He gained another 25 grams for a total of 2225 which is 4 pounds 14.5 ounces.  We are hoping that he hits 5 pounds by our anniversary on Sunday. 

July 5, 2012- First Bottle

Will had another great day!  He is still on his regular nasal cannula at 1 Liter and his percentage of oxygen was between 26% and 32%, but he mostly stayed around 27-28%.  I was able to nurse Will again this morning.  Sometimes it is a challenge to get Will to concentrate long enough to latch on and nurse, and today was no different.  Between his leads, oxygen tubing and his crazy hands, he is all over the place and everything gets in the way.  Plus, my little man wants to nurse when he wants to nurse and the way he wants to nurse.  He already has a mind of his own.  He can be quite stubborn, but I usually win!  

We have established that Will can nurse and nurse well, and now it's time to introduce the bottle.  Brandon had the opportunity to feed Will his first bottle!  There was a little adjustment period with Brandon and Will getting used to the bottle, but they managed to work things out.  Will ate 27ml out of the 36ml that he needed to eat.  When he was finished eating, the remainder of the milk went into his tube.  The other nice thing is that Will is tolerating his feeds better when he nurses and when he takes the bottle.  He doesn't seem to reflux as often and he doesn't seem as restless as when he gets the feed in his tube.  If Will can take 2 feedings per shift for 2 days, then he can move on to stage 3.  We are hoping that Will can complete stage 2 sometime this weekend.  The nurse told us this afternoon, that for the first bottle feed, Will did a great job!  Brandon and I are so proud of his progress.  We are hoping to have him home sometime soon!

Will also had another head ultrasound.  He had one ultrasound a week and a half after he was born and this was his 30 day follow up.  Like the first ultrasound, this one look perfect with no bleeds noted and no brain abnormalities noted.  YAY!  Also today, Will gained weight!  He gained 25 grams for a total of 2200 grams.  This equals out to almost 4 pounds 14 ounces.  I think Will can reach 5 pounds this weekend.  Brandon and I are happy with the 25 gram weight.  We think that a steady 20-25 gram weight gain each night will be better than the whopping 85 grams weight gain that he had two nights in a row prior to a weight loss.  Let's hope he can keep up the consistent weight gain! 

July 4, 2012- One month Old

Happy 4th of July!  Although Will didn't get to spend his first 4th of July at a barbeque or watching fireworks, he did have a great day.  Today, Will is one month old and he marked this day by passing Stage One of feeding!  YAY!!!  Will is doing great on his nasal cannula with hardly any desaturations and he is holding his own will feeding.  He is still on the 1 Liter nasal cannula and we are hoping we can wean him down tomorrow to 3/4 Liter or 1/2 Liter.  

Will also took two feedings from me and did great!  He is really catching on to with nursing!  He did so well with the feedings and he gained weight so tomorrow he moves on to Stage Two of feeding.  Stage Two of feeding means that Will needs to nurse and take a bottle 2 times per shift.  This means that Brandon gets to give Will a bottle!  This is such a big step for us.  If Will can take his feedings for 2 straight days and gain weight, we move on to Stage Three.  We are hoping that Will can move through these stages quickly and that we can get him home.

Tonight Will gained 20 grams and weighs 4 pounds 13 ounces!  We are hoping he will reach 5 pounds this weekend!

July 3, 2012- Making Progress

We are slowly making some progress!  Will's oxygen had been stable on the high flow oxygen at 1.5 Liters for 2 plus days and the medical team decided that it was safe to turn his oxygen down to 1 Liter.  This also meant that the high flow was discontinued and Will was going to be on a regular nasal cannula.  Brandon and I were very excited for this step, but we were also nervous at the same time.  We've been here before with Will having a regular nasal cannula and he went back to the high flow a few weeks ago.  It was so hard to go backwards but this time we were having a little faith that everything would be okay this time.  Will's oxygen changed over to the regular cannula around 2pm and for the remainder of the day, Will did great!  His respiratory status was very stable and he seemed so comfortable.  Brandon and I were so excited!

Another plus of the day was Will's nursing attempts.  Will nursed twice, once at 11am and once at 2pm.  Both times he did a great job coordinating his breathing with this eating.  He didn't need his oxygen turned up at all and he was able to take full feeds with no respiratory distress.  With Will able to nurse twice, we just needed him to gain weight tonight.  If he gained weight, we could move to the next stage of feeding.  This stage includes Brandon giving Will his first bottle!  Brandon just called the NICU and Will lost weight!  He lost about 40 grams, but his nurse wanted to weigh him one more time at 11pm to see if his weight was a true weight.  With the weight loss, we will have to continue on with stage one of feeding.  This is a bummer, but I have to look at the overall picture and see that Will is doing well with him oxygen and we were able to wean him off his high flow.  I know that the weight gain will come and that Will is smart enough to get through these feeding stages in a timely manner.  Fingers crossed for another good day tomorrow!

July 2, 2012- Four Weeks Old!

Will is four weeks old today!  In a way, I can't believe that it has been 4 weeks since I gave birth to this amazing little man and in another way, it has been the longest 4 weeks of my life.  My days have been consumed with driving to the NICU and sitting with Will all day.  I have my books (thanks Mom) to read and a sweet baby to hold and nurse, but the days are still passing slow.  I can't wait to take him home and be a true family with Will, Brandon and my dogs.  I hate being away from the house all day every day.  

Today, Will was still on 1.5 Liters of high flow oxygen.  The medical team didn't want to wean the oxygen due to Will's fragile status and I was happy with their decision.  His respiratory status was stable today with his respirations low and steady.  I nursed Will this morning, and he did great!  He had a full feeding and then he fell asleep.  He was stable on his oxygen and didn't desat at all.  I was so proud of him and I was prepared to feed him at 5pm or 8pm.  The time depended on whether he was more awake at 5pm or at 8pm.  When it was time for Will's 2pm cares, he was wide awake and wanted to suck on his hands or pacifier.  The nurse asked me if I wanted to try and nurse him even though I had just done it 3 hours prior.  I, of course, wanted to try and Will nursed again!  He had another full feeding and then he fell asleep.  I couldn't believe it!  I was so proud of him!

I am hoping that this is a turning point and that Will is finally turning a corner.  I have to prepare myself in case this doesn't happen, but I also want to be optimistic in thinking that Will will be coming home sooner rather than later.  Like most nights, Brandon called the NICU to see how Will was doing.  His oxygen percentage is down to 26% on the 1.5 Liters and we are hoping this means we can wean down to a normal nasal cannula tomorrow.  Also, Will gained another 85 grams for a total of 2190.  This is 4 pounds 13 ounces!  This means that Will passed day one of two of stage one.  If he nurses two times tomorrow and gains weight, we get to graduate to stage 2.  Stage 2 means that Will can nurse twice per shift or nurse and take a bottle.  We are so excited!  Fingers crossed for a good day tomorrow!

July 1, 2012- Making Small Strides

Once again, I was privileged to spend the day snuggling my sweet little baby.  I went in to the hospital this morning to attempt to feed Will.  It took him about 20 minutes to figure out what to do, but he nursed!  He nursed for about 12 minutes and that was his entire feeding.  After he nursed, he passed out on me and slept for an hour or so until I put him back in his crib.  He seemed a little annoyed that I put him in his crib, but he quickly calmed down and slept.  Will's oxygen stayed stable the entire time I was there next to him.  He was still on 2 Liters high flow, but he was breathing easily and comfortably.  It was so nice to see him be so comfortable.  

Later on in the day, Will had some visitors come by.  He had his Uncle Shawn and cousins, Nic, Lacie and Justin.  They were all able to snuggle him and Will did great with all the holding.  It was during this time that the doctors decided to try and wean Will's oxygen 1.5 Liters and he did great holding his own even with everyone holding him.  

After everyone left, I tried to nurse Will again, but he was too tired to nurse.  He laid with me and smiled at me instead of nursing.  Since Will was not successful with the nursing, he had his milk fed to him through his feeding tube.  Will did great with the feeding even with his new oxygen levels.  He never desatted and his respirations didn't increase.  This is a great step in moving forward with his oxygen weaning.  Brandon and I are so proud of our sweet son!

HOLY COW, Brandon just called the NICU and Will gained 85 grams.  He weighs 2105 which equals out to 4 pounds 10 ounces!  He also is doing great with his lower oxygen!  The nurse said that his breathing was a little fast when she put him on the scale, but that he calmed down when he was dressed and back in bed.  I am so so proud of my little guy.  I can't wait to see him in the morning.