12 weeks and counting

My, my, my, how the time has flown.  Chunk baby Welton is now 5 lbs. 13 oz., and doesn't show any sign of slowing.  Needless to say, we no longer have reason to worry about him being too small.  He is keeping his temperature AND gaining weight, which are two of the huge steps he needs to take.  His air pressure is still between 3 and 4, but he seems to do better without the cannula up his nose.  The nurses won't let us take it out though. 

Welt's primary doc, Dr. Minton, was rounding on him yesterday (Feb. 7) when I was there for the lunch time visit.  Welton will be meeting the surgeon some time this week to figure out what needs to be done with his hernias.  He also has an appointment with the ENT (ear, nose, throat doc) because he is "quiet."  When he was 5 days old he had heart surgery (for PDA, patent ductus arteriosus...look it up).  We knew that there was a possible complication with the vocal chords, and since he isn't crying very loudly, the doctor is calling in the ENT as a precaution.  If they do find damage from the surgery, we will work with the occupational therapist to help him develop properly. 

The baby is spending more and more time awake, which means the time he spends sleeping during skin to skin is really helping his brain develop.  He is starting to know the difference between when he should be awake, and when he should be sleeping.  It's so fun to hold him while he's awake and playing around. 

Well, I'm pretty excited for the next few weeks.  The girls in my ward are throwing a shower for Welton and me this Thursday, and my sisters-in-law (the Utah ones) are throwing  one in a few weeks (since the original December 4th date didn't work out so well).  Welton should be moved to the low-flow cannula soon, which means he will be able to start bottle feeding.  The closer we get to that, the closer he is to coming home.  We are still aiming for his due date (March 6 or 7, depending on which doctor you talk to) for him to come home, but we know it could be sooner or later.  Ben and I will celebrate our 2 year anniversary (on baby's due date), and hopefully we will get to do that at home with the baby!