Titus' new digs

Well, when I walked into the NICU Wednesday, I was surprised to find Titus dressed in clothing instead of just a diaper. (The funny thing about that is he was starting to look so "big," and now with clothes on, he looks so small again as he is not even close to filling them out!) The Drs. had determined that he's ready to try regulating his temperature on his own, and had him dressed and turned the temp down in his isolette. He was able to maintain his temperature for the next day and a half (24 hours minimum), and so when I walked in this morning, the lid was off his bed. If he maintains his temp today, they will move him into a little crib. This is a big step! I can't believe he's already made so much progress, and can only thank God for hearing and answering the innumerable prayers that have been lifted on our behalf. One of the neonatologists called him the NICU rock star.

Titus is doing very well gaining weight, as well, and was up to 4 lbs. 10 oz. as of yesterday. His main goal now, and really the final hurdle before he gets to come home, is for him to learn how to eat on his own. He's doing a GREAT job so far, and I'm encouraged by his progress. He's able to latch very well, and it's taking him less time each feeding to do so. As he gets bigger, it will be easier and he won't have to work as hard. He's able to nurse for an average of about 10 minutes, off and on, before he tuckers out and falls asleep. Once I see he's given it his best effort, we hook up his feed to his gavage tube and give him the rest of his meal. The only problem has been getting him to wake up in the mornings to attempt to nurse. He's not a morning person, apparently! Please pray that he would start waking up on his own to be ready to eat so that we can practice as much as possible and work toward him being able to come home. Right now he's nowhere near getting enough to eat from nursing alone, so we've got a lot of work ahead of us. He's still taking steps each day, though. I will be thankful when he can sustain his weight from simply nursing, so I don't have to go pump milk in addition to "feeding" him. It takes a lot of time!

Stella and Ezra have been doing very well. They got to play in the snow earlier this week, and had a LOT of fun. Now, it's snowing again and is supposed to snow most of the weekend, so they should have ample opportunity for play. Yesterday Nick took both Ezra and Stella to the pool, and while Stella had her swim lesson Daddy played with Ezra. They stayed a while after her lesson, too, and had a great time going down the water slides. Then, later that night, one of our favorite baby-sitters came and watched the kiddos while we took Sue out for dinner. They had a great time, as did we. Tonight Grandma Sue is going to watch them so we can go out with a few friends to celebrate some birthdays (mine is tomorrow! The big 3-0!!). Stella is all excited about making cake, so I'm curious to see what she will come up with. I'm sure Ezra will get his fingers in it, too (probably literally!).

The NICU has changed a lot over the past couple weeks. Babies have come and gone, many with minor concerns post delivery that have left within hours or a few days. Baby Kennedy and Titus are still buddies and are progressing well. Baby Lily was transported back to the US today for access to more specialized treatment. LRMC has a fantastic NICU, but when there are more complicated issues and surgeries needed, they work very hard to stabilize babies so they can be transported to the experts who can help them most. Her mama got to go on the plane with her and the team of Drs. and nurses that will escort her to a facility in the States. Please pray that she will remain stable throughout the duration of the flight, and that they will be able to get her the help she needs. Mom seemed to be in good spirits when I told her good-bye, which is a good sign.

Here's our current prayer requests:
*For Titus to continue the amazing progress he's had so far, and specifically that he would be awake and alert and eager to nurse.
*For me as I am now able to drive myself to the hospital--safety in traveling (our weather is snowy and cold at the moment, and I'm thankful BOTH our cars have new tires now), and as much rest as I can get. I've been sleeping like a rock at night!
*For Stella and Ezra to continue in good spirits as they await Titus' homecoming and deal with Mommy not being at home during the day. I know they've been better since I've been home and with them at night for dinner and bed time and again in the morning when they wake and eat breakfast.
*For all of us to remain healthy and without colds or sicknesses.
*For our family as Sue will be returning home on Sunday (barring any weather issues), and we adjust to life without live-in babysitters! Nick has the whole of next week off, and will only be working one day a week for the next month or so. We have LOTS of offers of help, which we will be taking up soon!