Happy Birthday Jeff!

Happy Birthday to this guy - yes the goofy one in the first picture - he turned 34 today! And to that same sweet, tender, loving father and amazing husband in the second photo. Sadly, because of time constraints today and because I can't drive yet, he had to buy his own birthday cupcakes! Oh well - we'll make it up to him next year????


This guy is doing great too. Every day he's making small steps towards being released. He had to get a pic line today (ouch) and get another chest xray, and a head ultrasound. the pic line only took 3 tries, the chest xray was again better, and the ultrasound is normal! He pooped three times today too!!!! And it all slap wore him out:) He slept then the rest of the day! he hadn't been allowed to eat all day since at his last feeding early this morning he had 4 cc's residual out of 5cc's milk. But tonight he got the all clear to return to 5 cc's. This is our next big hurdle. He has to increase the amount of milk he takes in per feeding before we can get him moved out of the inner sanctum of the NICU. I did get to do some Kangaroo care this morning - he loved it. Stared at me for 30 minutes and then got mad when he realized he couldn't nurse! Stinker! He loves to be swaddled and hates to be unswaddled - and everyone in the NICU knows it.

PS - I think he looks JUST like his daddy!

PSS - please pray for a dear family who lost their newborn tonight. We had seen them in the NICU yesterday and I recognized her from a blog that I had seen. Mom had an infection several months ago and perhaps this is the reason for the tragic death of their daughter, but we just don't know. Their baby girl was born brain dead and in a coma, and over the past couple of days we have been watching their devastating reality unfold. It seems that tonight was their goodbye, as the family was all gathered, tearfully, in the lobby. Jeff and I are overcome with grief for this family, as it could so easily have been us in their shoes. We are lifting them up tonight and in the coming days as they seek comfort and understanding in what seems to be an inconceivable circumstance.