Tommy just chillin' out in his home! It was cute how his little legs were hanging out of his bed. He was sound asleep, and almost slept though the entire diaper change!
Daddy finally got to hold the little guy--what an experience!
Tommy's Stomach
I am learning all kinds of interesting things. After Tommy "eats" all of his food, they wait for about an hour and then suck whatever remains in his stomach back out to measure it. They like it to be just a little bit--I think it was 10% or less of the full amount of food they look for. That is pretty gross, don't you think?? Anyway, he has been doing very well until this last feeding--almost the whole 5 cc's came back out after the feeding..yummy. They don't seem too concerned just yet--they say that this happens quite often, and I have confirmed that from what I have read online. The main concern is that his bowels have become infected, so they are testing for that right now. The Dr. really does not think that is the case, but he wants to completely rule that out. Then, they give him some meds to help kick-start is digestive track again, and then they will continue to feed him. He has gained another 20 grams or so, and is now just 100 grams from his birthweight. It seems crazy that we are weighing our new baby using grams, doesn't it??
Tommy is also completely off of oxygen in any form--no more nose tubes--the only thing physically stuck in him is a feeding tube and an IV. As things get peeled off his little head, you can see more and more of his face--he is looking a bit more like a little baby boy. Except, he still has about 8 or 9 sensors sticking to him with their associated wires and the like, so moving him from the bed to the chair where we get to hold him is a pretty involved process. I got to hold him for the first time today--Tricia has done it in the past. He is so tiny and light, you almost forget he is on your chest. But, he just sleeps away so comfortably there. I am so impressed with our nurses. They call us and tell us of any changes as they happen--even inbetween visits. And they have such a passion for what they do. I couldn't ask for anything more!
The Altus Kids
I figured out how to play UNO and Tic-Tac-Toe online today, and Robby and Kaitlyn and I all had fun playing for an hour or so. They seem to be doing well, and my mom is enjoying the extra time she has gotten to spend with the kids--especially with our pending move to Germany in about 6 months.
Saturday
We are still planning on comming back to Altus Saturday evening. Hopefully, Tricia will be up to driving herself back to OKC on Sunday, and then we'll start working on a schedule for me to head back to work. I am going to really miss going up to see Tommy every day, but it is a necessary evil. I should still be able to see him on the weekends for a little while. I'm also looking forward to getting back to Church--to see friends and get recharged!!
Take care, and God Bless!
