Milk drunk

Branson's first crush: Nurse Julie

Your opinion

I think the above framed picture should go over the baby's crib. Cristy does not. Am I crazy? Let us know what you think to the right...

Surrounded by family

Upgrade to a new "crib"

Graduating to the crib (another cp entry)

Great news! Our over-achiever child just graduated from the incubator! He is now sleeping soundly in one of those bassonets that they use for the term babies! Praise the Lord for He is GOOD. Now we've just got to work up to getting more from breastfeeding than from the tube. This apparently takes a while, so we need not let ourselves focus on the exact date of departure. BUT if all goes perfectly we might be able to take him home around Valentines day, which is less than 2 weeks away! (Please don't bring this part up to me since even mentioning a date sortof sets us up for disappointment if it takes longer.) So I'm going to keep doing the 8am-9pmish hosiptal thing to try to get 5 feeds in and then next week I'll probably move into the hospital for 3 nights or so. It will be hard not to be with Caroline (it already is!), but Branson, Sara (God bless that woman!) Becca, Courtney, and multiple sisters and brothers in Christ are giving her lots of special attention. I am grateful for that.

Anyway, that's the scoop for the day. I'll try to post a picture of him in his new bassonet at some point soon!

Love, Cristy

The boy can eat! (written by Cristy)

So here's the update: Little B weighed almost 4 lbs 8 oz today. I try to go up to the hospital by 8am and leave around 9pm in order to get all his feeds in. However I couldn't make it today. I went home for a little siesta around 4pm, and we came back around 7pm. Our strategy is to get him to take as much of his milk by breast or bottle with each feed, then what he doesn't finish they give him by NG tube. He did really well feeding this morning but by the afternoon he was too pooped so he got the rest of his feeds by NG tube. Overall we've been very encouraged by how he's doing with feeding. The goal is to get him to more than half feeds by bottle or breast before he can move from the incubator to his crib. If you know me and goal-setting, you probably know how obsessed I am with getting him up to the next level!

Several of you have requested more medical information about what happened to me. So far multiple specialists can't fully explain it as I had features of several different processes going on at once: severe preeclampsia with HELLP syndrome (Hemolysis (blood breakdown), Elevated Liver Enymes, Low Platelets - but my platelets were normal so I say I just had HELL!), cholestasis of pregnancy, and possibly Acute Fatty Liver of Pregnancy. My liver tests were rising so quickly that my doctors decided there was no choice but to deliver the baby. The delivery was peaceful, and I recall saying that I was delivering him into God's hands. What a little miracle he is!!

Thanks so much to everyone who sent their well wishes, cards, flowers, gifts, food, cheese, nursery decorating assistance, and babysitting. It's amazing how God is providing and caring for us through you! We are so grateful to Him for providing us with such an amazing community!