Keep Your Fingers Crossed!

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!

The other big news is we have another new member of the family! My fabulous sister-in-law had a beautiful little girl on Friday! Her name is Emma Claire, and I think she looks just like her big sister, Maryn. Jennie had a LONG day of labor, but she is a champ! I can't wait to hold that little girl! I told Jennie that looking at all the pictures of her friends with Emma made me so mad because it's supposed to be me! I was actually going to go to Charlotte last Tuesday if Jennie had gone into labor by then, but thank the Lord she didn't! Luke would have been born in North Carolina! I can just imagine Mark trying to explain to the nurses why he was there with 2 very pregnant women! Maryn and Ford are exactly a week apart and Luke and Emma are a week and a day apart. Jennie tells me I'm on my own for the next one!

The Big Brother

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!

Ford thinks the camera is called "cheese" - he shouts it whenever he sees me break it out!

We had to get Daddy to help hose him down...Joseph forced me to take some really crude shots using the water hose as a prop - you can use your imagination from there - but I will not be posting those photos on this blog!

Checking In

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!

The Latest

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!

A Great Mistake

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!

The Best Day Ever

Here are the pictures I promised...he's even cuter in person! He's doing great with the feeding tube and they're hoping he'll be completely off the oxygen sometime tomorrow. What a little miracle God has given us!! Good night!

Joseph is so proud of all of his hair - he thinks Luke has excellent "swoop" potential!

Great News!

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!