Christmas Cheer *photos*

Austin had a wonderful Christmas!  He was very peaceful!  They have made a few changes with Austin the past few days.  He is no longer on his caffeine doses.  He is at the gestational age (34 weeks today) at which he should not be having prematurity caused A's and B's, therefore, no longer requiring a little extra "juice" to keep things "running".  IF, perhaps, there are signs he still needs the caffeine, they can always re administer the caffeine.  Austin has also had his CPAP settings lowered to a peep of 5 (pressure blown into lungs), which is the lowest pressure setting!  As long as he does well on the peep of 5 for five to seven days (today is day five), they will then decided if he is ready for windowed nasal cannula time.  The nasal cannula is the tube that has prongs for his nose, that will blow oxygen... the exact type of tubing you see adults using while on oxygen.  He will start out doing this for 1-2 hours a day at 30 minute intervals.  They will slowly lengthen the time he is on the cannula and the amount of times a day he is on it, until he is off the CPAP and on just the nasal cannula!  This will be such a huge milestone!  I can not wait, but am okay if it takes sometime... Austin needs to be ready for this.  :o)   His FIO2's (required oxygen amounts) have been around 25%-28%... a little lower!!!  He'll go up to 30% here and there, and sometimes down to 23% - which is awesome, but he's most comfortable right around 26%-28%.  We'll take it!!!  (**reminder... 21% oxygen is open air oxygen--the air we breathe has FIO2 of 21%**)

Our sweet baby boy is GROWING like crazy, too!  He is more than double his birth weight.  As of this morning, Austin is 16 1/4 inches long and 3lbs 14oz!!!!  Can you believe it???  He is three inches longer than at birth AND two whole pounds bigger???!!!   OMGosh... Its amazing!  SO WONDERFUL!!!  1765 grams!  Up from 828 grams at birth!!!  SO COOL!!!  Oh boy, can you tell! 

My mom came to visit with Austin yesterday.  First time she's been here to hang out with little baby boy since he was first born.... she came to stay with us a little over a week after his birth.  She said that she could really tell how much bigger he is.  She was so glad that he looked so good. Good weight, color... he's filled out and grown into his skin!  She commented on his fingers.  :o)   Every aspect of him... he just looks so good!  AND his eyelashes are dark now!!! They've always been there, but were so blond for so long that the light would have to be "hitting" them just right to see them... but now they are just as dark as mine!



Sweet Grandma!!



Austin smiled at grandma and I so much yesterday.  She held him for about an hour and then passed him off to me for another 45 minutes or so.   While I had him in my arms, he kept on puckering up his lips.  I think he wanted Mommy to give him kisses!  I still am being cautious since my cold though, so no kisses yet.  :o/    He was sleeping so soundly the entire time we were there... He just would not open those eyes.  He's been so alert at night time lately  (uh oh- I might have a night owl on my hands).



Holding Grandma's hand. 
PRECIOUS!



Austin's older brother picked him out a pink pig for Christmas and wrapped it up for him.  We brought the gift to the hospital along with his stocking stuffer from Santa Claus.  Austin was so sleepy, but seemed to just LOVE the gifts!



Austin and his pink pig from his big brother!!!!




Austin loves his rattle!! 




Christmas Day




Christmas Eve... (Austin is smiling for the camera)




His Christmas socks.....



The past few days Austin had seemed a little pale.  He had a hemarocrit done yesterday (counts the red blood cells).  His number was 28, which is borderline where they want him to be.  Before they would decide if he needed a blood transfusion (**reminder: if he is not symptomatic - a lot of a's and b's, or a continual rise in FIO2's- they usually like to wait to see if he starts to develop his own cells**), they also decide to do a reticulocyte count, which counts the immature blood cells.  Anything from 2 and up is good numbers.  Anything below would mean he isn't producing blood cells very well on his own.  His number was 6.3- which is phenomenal!!!  They will not do a transfusion since his immature cells are there and will be maturing into the red blood cells, bringing his numbers up.  This is excellent!  His body is doing what it needs to be doing, and on its own!  Fantastic!! 

I do not like to ask questions about the future.  I know that the future isn't always promised, nor in the ways in which we imagine.  HOWEVER, I do like to be prepared.  So I asked some "future" questions.  I asked, based on Austins patterns and recent progress, whether or not the doctor would predict him coming home on oxygen.  He immediately, with out thought, said "no, i don't think he'll leave here with the need of oxygen".  He said not only does he not have a severe case of CLD that would require at home, around the clock oxygen, but that the hospital works very hard and watches very closely to assure not to have to send babies home with oxygen, monitors, etc.  Obviously in some cases the babies are ready in all aspects, but just still need these things.  He said they would rather keep the babies there a few days-weeks longer and get them off of those "things", then send that stress home with the parents.  So that was nice to hear!  I also said my biggest fear is that when Austin comes home, that he will clamp down and I'll be doing CPR.  He said that they watch them so closely every day, and when its close to discharge time, they are on top of the babies "every move" to be sure that he is ready to go home and make that adjustment.  If for any reason he were to give them any sign that he were not ready, they are not going to discharge him.  He also assured me that Austin is not a baby that just has the episodes for no reason at all, that all of his episodes were "mechanical problems" on their part. 

Austins nurses and I were talking about "future" a little bit too.  They both agreed they predict him going home the last week of January.  So a little early!  As long as he is good and ready, that would be GREAT!  My husbands birthday is Jan. 29th.  That sure would be an awesome birthday present!!!!

I hope that all of you had a BLESSED and JOYOUS Christmas!  WE DEFINITELY DID!!!!  God is good... as always.  I am so happy with the life He has promised me.  I enjoy the lessons He has thrown my way.  I wouldn't change it for anything!  Thank you all for your care, concern, thoughts and prayers. 

Austin waves "BYE BYE"
L.O.V.E.