We're going on Day 5 having little Luke at home and all is going better than expected! He is the sweetest baby EVER! All the munchkin does is sleep, eat and poop! I have yet to hear him cry - I know it's coming, but I'm really enjoying how easy he is right now. Ford is definitely warming up to him, but I wouldn't call them best friends or anything! But he's showing a lot more interest in him - today I was getting Ford's backpack ready for school and Ford got Luke's bottle off the coffee table and put it next to him in the bouncy seat. My eyes welled up (probably had a little to do with hormones) because it gave me a glimpse of what the future could be like! It really is my prayer that they will love each other fiercely and be the best of friends!
What a wonderful day it has been! To have our whole little family together at last was perfect. Ford, unfortunately, did not feel the same way! He was very unsure of Luke when he came home from school, and then acted totally disinterested in him after his nap this afternoon. I think he's taking the tactic of "If I ignore him, he'll go away." I guess he'll realize after a couple of days that this little guy is here to stay!
He's coming home tomorrow! He gained 3 ounces, so he's back to his birth weight! I can't believe that we'll all be together tomorrow! I can't wait to see Ford's reaction...I'm thinking it's not going to be very favorable:) He's a mama's boy, so I'm pretty sure he's not going to like to have to share me! I guess he'll get over it soon enough! Stay tuned for lots of pictures tomorrow!
We're hoping Luke is coming home tomorrow or Wednesday! We walked into the nursery today and he was out of the incubator in a regular bassinet!!! He has to keep his temp up, continue to eat well, and not lose any weight through the night. He was up to 5 pounds this morning, so pray every ounce stays on! I can't believe we may be reaching the end of this winding road...but I think we have a pretty fun, crazy road ahead of us! My mom got out all of her baby stuff last night while Ford was over there, and she said he sat in the infant swing, ate blueberries, and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for an hour! I would have kept all that stuff out if I thought it would keep him still for more than 2 minutes!
I figured since Luke has been the main topic of interest lately, Ford needed a little blog action! We were both a little stir crazy this afternoon, me from being at the hospital for most of the morning and Ford from being stuck inside due to the rain. So we decided to take a little stroll around the neighborhood, and somehow he ended up stripped down to his diaper and crocs so he could play in the mud puddles! He loved every second of it and did NOT want to come inside! He is such a different child now that he's gotten tubes - it's hard to believe that was only two weeks ago. Ford got tubes on Monday, I went into labor on Wednesday, and Luke was born Thursday morning! What a blessing those tubes have been. God's timing is perfect!
Luke has been moved from the NICU into the "special" nursery! He's gaining weight everyday - he was up to 4-15 today, so one more ounce and we'll be back to 5! He's nursed a few times and takes a bottle very well, so hopefully that weight will keep piling on! He's got a lot of skin to grow into! My best guess, if everything keeps going like it is, is he'll be home maybe the middle to the end of this week. I CAN'T WAIT! He's such a sweet baby; I haven't heard him cry yet! He doesn't even complain when we change his diaper! I know that will all change, but I think the nurses are all loving him! Thanks for your continued prayers!
Hello, dear friends! Luke is doing well; we had a bit of a setback yesterday, but he seems better today. He had a few episodes of apnea, so they put him back on the oxygen and are giving him some rounds of medicine that will take care of it. He was back off of the oxygen this morning, so he's definitely improving. Joseph got to give him a bottle, and that little monkey sucked it down in less than a minute! He's HUNGRY!! All steps in the right direction!
Specific prayers at this point would be that he puts on weight, that he's soon able to maintain his own body temperature, and that he will be able to nurse soon. His pediatrician said best case scenario would be us bringing him home at the beginning of next week, but a more realistic picture would be towards the end of next week. I've had a pretty emotional day - I think the hormones are finally catching up to me and the waterworks have begun! Luckily Joseph is like a rock - in the best possible way - so he's keeping me encouraged! Please continue to lift Luke up as well as the amazing doctors and nurses that are taking such great care of him. Thank you!
We got some unexpected good news today at the hospital...the scales in the delivery room were off by a pound, so Luke really weighed 5 pounds 3 ounces!!! Doesn't that sound so much better? He would have been one big baby if he had cooked for 5 1/2 more weeks! He's down to 4-13, but now that he's getting milk through the feeding tube, he'll hopefully gain it back fast!
He's also completely off the oxygen! It just gets better and better!
We just got back from the hospital where we got to hold him for the first time!!! It was the best feeling ever - one I'll never take for granted again. He's doing so well. He's almost completely off the oxygen, and he's able to use a feeding tube to take my milk...which is in in abundance! Pumping every two hours around the clock sure does do the trick!! He's done a great job at sucking a paci, so hopefully when we get to the point where we're able to try to nurse, he'll be a champ at that! Thank you so much for the prayers, sweet messages, and the food! What amazing friends we have! Specific prayers would be that he continues to progress so well, and that he's able to nurse. I'm not sure what the next step is; they don't really like to give a time table for things up there! That's a little difficult for me since I thrive on a plan, but God sure is teaching us a lot through this! We'll take some pictures tonight and post them soon! I think he looks a lot like Joseph - especially his long arms and legs!
Hello dear friends! It's Sarah - I'm home for a few hours to spend some time with Ford, and then Joseph and I are heading back up to the hospital for the evening. We had a bit of a scare this morning; Luke's CO2 levels were too high, and they were talking about sending him to Montgomery, but we just got the latest test results back and they're no longer going up. Praise the Lord!!! I've been discharged, and because he is not able to breathe on his own, they were unable to keep a room for me. Apparently they can only do that if the baby can actually stay in the room as the patient. So we are taking this day by day - luckily we have lots of help for Ford thanks to my mom and sister! I just talked to our pediatrician and she said that none of what Luke is going through right now will have any long term effects, it's just an annoying hurdle to get through. Coming home without a baby is probably the hardest thing I've ever done, but Joseph and I know this is only temporary and we are extremely blessed that he's doing as well as he is. God is so good!
Luke had a good first night! He is still in intensive care but is showing improvement. Every chest x-ray is better than the one before. They did have to raise his oxygen level, but the doctor did say that preemies get worse before they get better. He had a episode of apnea which is where he stopped breathing for a couple of seconds but it has only happened once. Our specific prayers are that he will stay strong enough to remain here and not have to go to Montgomery and that he will be strong enough to suck so that he can have his Mama's milk to fatten him up! He also has a touch of jaundice, so we are praying that those levels don't rise. Thanks again for all of your prayers, we are definitely feeling them!
