On an upswing

Its been about a week since I have updated.  I have been busy... meeting up with friends and getting all of my errands finished.  I only have an X amount of time until Austin will be home.  

Austin is doing FABULOUS.  He looks great and he is doing even better.  His FIO2's are consistently at 25% -- they have even had him down to room air (21%) but most consistently and comfortably at 25%.  He has started back with the windowing process, in which he is doing fantastic.  He is still on one hour windows twice a day and doing well.  They will go up to two hours twice a day here soon, but we are all on the same page with the fact that we do not want to push him along too quickly.  He needs his time and likes to go at his own pace (stuborn like his mother).  My new goal to have Austin home (with the small setback we had last week) is for the first week of March.  I think that is a good goal to have.

Austin is on 40 ml's of food (1 1/3 ounces) and have switched the fortification from the Elacare(basically baby creatin) to a formula fortifier.  The doctors wanted to see that his intestines could digest it correctly, and to check to see if he had matured enough to handle the dairy, (I was also asked to reintroduce dairy into my diet).  He seems to be doing well with it.  They put him back to "gravity" feeds, rather than on a pump over an hour.  He is doing well with that as well.  I think the pump was more cautionary and perhaps for MY comfort- considering the bad choking episode last week. 

Austin has been introduced to a few new things this past week.  A mobile that plays music (he really likes music), his soft sound machine LAMB (it plays the ocean, heartbeat, rain and whale sounds), and the vibrating bouncy seat (in which he LOVES).   Having these items and seeing him enjoy them really makes me realize how very far he has come.  When he was first born the stimulation factor was null and void. DO NOT TOUCH BABY OTHER THAN A FIRM TOUCH- NO STROKING, NO TAPPING.  TALK QUIETLY- BABY CANNOT HANDLE A LOT OF NOISE.  NO ROCKING WHEN HOLDING HIM.  NO LIGHTS, NO MUSIC, NO VISUAL STIMULATION - BABY'S BRAIN CANNOT HANDLE THE STIM.  IT WILL BE DETRIMENTAL TO DEVELOPMENT IF INTRODUCED TOO EARLY... HIS BRAIN NEEDS TO FOCUS ON GROWING AND MATURING BODY...NOT ON FIGURING OUT WHAT THIS or THAT IS.   I felt like there were so many rules.  So many DO NOT's and not enough DO's.....Well he has outgrown the rules!!!!!!!!!  Play time here we come!

Austin is 6lbs today!  Some of that is some water weight, as they just adjusted his diurel dose a few days ago and it will take a few days to show its working.  He is such a chunk .... so funny!!! 

I love this because it shows how incredibly chubby his cheeks are!!!
I call this picture McChubs.

I walked in and had to giggle..... He is so short (17 1/4"). LOL   He LOVES this bouncer.
This is also during his windowed period on the nasal cannula.



OMGosh..... When he is 25 he's going to kill me for this picture!!!!!  LOL
I pulled off his blanket and this is what he was showing us!  My in laws were visiting and we had a good laugh!
I assume these pants were a smidgen too short.  The pants had feet, so each time he stretched out the little crack would hang out.  I would pull them up, he'd squirm and stretch and there came his crack.  LOL.  I love it!

Again, I thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.  This journey has been indescribable.  But none the less, the most amazing journey ever!  I am so BLESSED for the family GOD has given to me!  I couldn't be happier!

(*side note*... its been brought to my attention that my blog brings so many tears, happy and sad, alike.  This is not my intention to make you cry...  BUT I want you to know that many times while writing I am crying too.  This blog is written from my heart.  It is 100% raw emotion behind each and every post.  I hope you're able to realize that even though I have my bad days... the positivity in my heart has never subsided.  I have not one inch of guilt, blame, pity or shame in me from this experience.  I am extremely happy on so many levels.  I know that I would never wish some of these experiences on another, I have seen some things no mother should see.... how ever, I wouldn't change this experience, either.  I have grown and my husband and I have grown, my older son has grown.  We have grown as a family... stronger, in many ways.  I never knew how much strength I possessed internally. *)

 CHECK BACK SOON FOR MORE PICTURES!  I SHOULD FINISH PAINTING HIS ROOM THIS WEEK..... I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!