Happy Halloween!

Yes, I've talked about it for months, and now it's here: Christopher spreading holiday cheer as a Ninja for Halloween. He's even sporting the authentic Ninja pose. Here's a closeup:






















I actually told Christopher while he was in utero that he would be able to dress up in a really cool Ninja costume for his first halloween. Of course, I thought that he would be about 10 months old at that point, and clearly able to handle all of the rights and responsibilities of being a Ninja. I also thought that I would be able to con someone with a sewing machine somewhere to make the costume for me. Well, 15 minutes at Wal-Mart, and a $1.97 go a long way. He's wearing Mommy's bandanna, and his bodysuit is a child's ski mask with arm holes cut into it...it was the only thing small enough to put him in. The yellow onesie he's in was non-negotiable at the time =).

We had a really cool experience with him today (besides the Ninja wear, which is actually quite cozy for him and we think we may hang on to), where when we fed him we got to unhook him from the monitors. It was so wonderful...just to be able to pick up our baby and carry him around! He still had wires attached to him, but we didn't have to wheel a dinging monitor everywhere. It was the first time ever that I've picked him up and not had a 3ft or less tether on where I could take him. Such an amazing, freeing experience.

We did have to put him back on the monitors when we were done feeding him (he had an apnea spell yesterday after his eye exam and today after he threw up). I'm starting to get excited and nervous about taking him home...how will we ever sleep if we're afraid that he will stop breathing in the night? Please pray that he won't have any more spells, ever. That would solve it.

Rach and I are both pretty run down, kind of nearing the end of our reserves. Again. =). I know we'll have the strength to make it through, but man, we'll be tired when we're done.

One more thing...our little man now weighs 4 pounds! He's starting to get fat on his cheeks, on the backs of his little fingers, and on his legs. It's fun to see so much change in him every day.

Gotta go!

--Andy

Big Breakfasts...

Before we get started, I'd like to mention that I've been having more and more trouble using the Blogger engine to post photos to our site. I don't know what the deal is, but it's frustrating me to the point of needing to go elsewhere for my blogging needs. More on that when I can get back to work and talk to people who know much more about that kind of thing than I do.

Rachel and I got up this morning and I made a big breakfast. Pancakes, fruit topping, hot tea, bacon, the whole deal. It was so wonderful...we used to have a big breakfast every Saturday morning that we were home (which wasn't that often, but still). When we had just gotten married, it was one of the things we could do together that was simple and fun. I know this won't sound flattering at first, but the smell of bacon cooking will probably always remind me of my Dad. Ever since we were kids, Saturday mornings were the same - eggs, toast, and hot tea (the tea being for Dad until I was about 16 - although Dad, my growth never got stunted from the caffeine because I'm 6"1'). Interesting how something as banal as eggs on toast can profoundly influence a person for the rest of their lives.

It makes me excited to think about all of the traditions and fun that we'll have with our kids...and not just the planned things like how the Christmas tree gets decorated (in my childhood, the lights in a mathematical grid pattern with perfectly spiraled garland), but the unintentional things that are so much a tradition that they are a part of who you are a person. I stir my tea like my dad: loudly. Like my mom, I raise my eyebrows when I'm listening to people (watch for it, you'll see it). My sisters and I have all inherited my Mom's gift of gab and my Dad's sarcastic humor (alas, a gift and a curse =) ). Christopher likewise will be a product of all of the shared experiences of his Mommy and Daddy. While this is quite scary, it's also very exciting, because I've calculated that Rachel and I have, at worst, only 23 characteristics that could be classified as "bad," 6 that would be considered "really bad," and 1 that has been labeled "excommunicative" (that one's mine).

Seriously though, eggs on toast made me realize that it is a good thing in life when you are as excited to be in the moment as you are about what's coming up next. I'm overjoyed when I see Christopher now, and I'm dreaming about what our home will be like with him in the future. What a blessing it will be to have him home for the holidays.

Sorry, for you math people, here are the facts =):

Weight: 3lbs 12.8oz
Apnea/Bradycardia spells: 0, last one 3 days ago
Bottle/Breast Feedings: 4/day
Disposition: Content, unless you're changing his diaper and he gets cold
Parents: Tired. Happy. Sad sometimes. Stressed out but hanging in there.

We love you all...thanks for reading and praying!

--Andy

Gaining weight and oxygen free!

Oxygen free! Christopher came off his oxygen yesterday morning and has been doing well since then. He's only had one apnic/brady spell in the last week! PTL!!





























Daddy fed Christopher for the first time last night. Our little man drank 26 of his 30mL feeding - way to go, Christopher! He's now allowed to be breast/bottle fed 3 times a day.
















He's doing pretty well at breastfeeding. Mommy and Christopher both need some practice, but he's doing a good job latching on and sucking. He just gets worn out after a few minutes. We think he's pretty smart already. He'll be wide awake when we start his feeding, but as soon as he's done or tired out, he closes his eyes and opens his mouth as wide as he can. Once the bottle is put away, he'll wake right up again and stay alert for another 20 minutes or so. Knows how to get his way already!
















Stretching out to show his size - Christopher has now gained over 1 lb!!!! He is 3 lb. 9 oz. Funny how that seems big to us now.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support. We love you all!

~Rachel

Guess what ..... ?!?

.....I now weigh 3 lbs. 5.4 oz.!!
















.....I still like to snuggle my Daddy!
















.....I got to be wrapped in a new blanket today - one with animals - I like it better!
















.....Mommy fed me a bottle last night! I drank 18 mL from it before she had to give me the rest though my tube. It was hard work, so I decided to go to sleep instead of finishing it all.

.....and.....
















.....I got promoted to a new bed! Now I'm all bundled up in several blankets and I have to keep my hat on, but I'm not in the incubator anymore. Hopefully I can keep maintaining my own body temperature in this new "regular" bed so I'll be one step closer to going home.
















.....Mommy likes it better because now she can kiss me whenever she wants! (so can Daddy.)


Thanks for praying for me. Jesus is answering your prayers - I heard the doctor telling Daddy and Mommy today that I'll probably get to go home with them in 2 1/2 weeks!!! That will be a good day. I can't wait to finally meet all of you.

Love,
Christopher

A sure thing

Here's some advice, if you ever want to be sad, do the following:

1. Have a long day at work
2. See your son at the hospital
3. Leave your son in the hospital
4. Drive home alone late at night
5. Cue the steady rain
6. Blast your radio, only to have NPR be doing a special on Irish funeral dirges

Works every time! =)

I really did have to laugh at how sad it was, because although I was truly sad, it was kind of funny how everything came together...the rain, the lonely road, and on top of all of it the FUNERAL DIRGES! Over the top. But I guess that's what makes a lot of things "funny" - absurdity.

Anyways, I'm doing fine, but that was a sad ride home. Christopher is doing really well today. This is the first day in a while that he has had no episodes of Apena or Bradycardia. When I got ot hold him tonight, he just did normal baby stuff, not turn blue. He's weighing in at 3 pounds 1.5 oz, and should go up from there. In other good news, he's holding his temperature well and if he keeps gaining weight (at least 4-8 more ounces) then they will consider moving him to a crib (read: clear plastic box without a lid). He's still under a close watch though, and the nurse tonight acknowledged that he's had a rougher than expected time with the whole breathing thing but that it wasn't necessarily an indication of greater problems down the road. You always worry about that stuff, but I guess I should hold off on freaking out until I have something to really freak out about.

Rachel has a big test tomorrow at 8:00AM, so please pray for her. She's trying so hard to stay focused but I know it's the hardest thing for her to do.
















Hehe...this is Christopher with a onesie that we tried to bring to have him wear. It says it's for a "preemie," but either America is getting way fatter than I realized or somebody must have switched tags on us...we just laughed and took it home. Notice his little feet sticking out of the bottom - it covers his whole body! They just don't make clothes as small as him.

New Perscription...

Today at a doctor's appointment, Rachel and I got a new prescription:

Go on more dates.

It seems that a doctor can tell us in a 15 minute appointment (that took 2.25 hours of waiting to actually get to) that we need to spend more time together and taking care of each other. It's an easy thing to forget in the name of something as important as taking care of a newborn in the hospital. It's funny; our friends and family have been telling us the same thing. Something that makes me feel good about going on a date is that it's really an investment in Christopher and any more kids that we may be blessed with to keep our marriage strong and our spirits refreshed. The NICU scene can be very draining in ways that you don't always notice right away.

I saw something today that I should have taken a picture of but didn't. It was both about the saddest thing and the most promising thing I've ever seen. In a Blockbuster parking lot near us, there is this tiny triangle of grass, probably no more than 6-7 square feet in size. The green grass is surrounded by an asphalt curb and raised up about 8 inches off of the blacktop lot. It's literally a tiny island of green surrounded by a sea of lifeless, tarry blacktop. At first, I was genuinely saddened by the sight of it. As a lover of nature and all things out-of-doors (except big spiders), it was depressing to see this struggling patch of life that had been cruelly entombed by concrete. It seemed hopeless and totally unfair. A tree could never survive on the amount of earth present there, only something small, like grass. And the grass could only survive there, not thrive, because it couldn't grow outside of its hardened surroundings...the only thing beyond its concrete walls is lifeless blacktop. But then I thought of something that made me smile.

With enough time, nature would win. I've been to Greece, and seen ruins of ancient buildings that have survived three or four millennia, but they had to be unearthed in order to be seen. Take a look at an abandoned house...it only takes a few seasons for nature to take over and for plants to break windows, uproot foundations and for the entire structure to be unrecognizable. In some ways, I feel like we are living with that kind of potential. Right now, Christopher is growing and struggling in a tiny plastic box. He is very limited, his environment is sterile, and outside of him all he can see are other tiny boxes with struggling life - an asphalt landscape with the occasional grassy triangle. But given time, a moment will come when nature will take over and my son will grow big and wild and ready to take over everything around him and change it. He'll outgrow his box and be too strong to be merely contained. Sooner or later, he'll come home, our foundations will be uprooted, and we can begin the life that we were meant to simply live and steadily grow before God.

When that happens, I'm going to rent a backhoe, go to Blockbuster, and plant a tree.

--Andy

3 Pounds!

Well, looks like blogger is shutting down tonight from 9-11PM - prime blogging time.

Today was a long day for me. I worked about 12 hours on a video shoot, and then when I went to visit Christopher I found Rachel giving him oxygen. We're so tired of him turning blue...so much emotional distress for us every time. =(

Otherwise, he's doing well. He's continuing to gain weight, and last night he finally topped 3 Pounds! For reference, here are a couple of things you can now compare him to:

- 1.36 Kilograms
- 3 T-bone steaks
- 3/5 a small bag of flour
- 578 pennies
- 1/5 of an average Thanksgiving Turkey
- 4 monster thickburgers

This is a great day!

--Andy

Power Shower

Okay, so I've decided quick updates are better than no updates at all.

We had Christopher's Lexington baby shower today, and it was a ton of fun. Special thanks to Ann, Amy, and Lizbeth for putting that on. For those of you who stuck around for the impromptu "after-party," thanks, that was a lot of fun, too =).

Wow, a lot has happened in the 5 days since we last posted an update, but a lot has stayed the same. Christopher is now almost 3 pounds, and he continues to have fewer Apnea and Bradycardia spells, although he's still had a couple each day over the weekend. We hate those so much, and each one he has makes it seem like we'll be even more and more nervous about taking him home.

An update on that, we're being told that it may be another month before we can get him home. It's not that he's progressing slowly-far from it-it's that no one should have told us 3-4 weeks to begin with =). When I was getting ready for the shower, I was going through some pictures and looked at the ones when he had a chest tube and stuff. That really makes me realize how far we've come. Now Christopher is so alert, opens his eyes and looks around at you when you talk to him. He looks so smart!

I've been having some trouble lately posting pictures, so I'm going to look into installing some new software on the site that will handle that more easily. Plus, I'll probably keep my wife much happier that way since she gets so mad at the computer when the pictures don't upload!

I think this every day, so I want to say, "thank you" to everyone that has done anything to help us so far. The hundreds of small kindnesses that we receive throughout the week make a big difference every time, and add up to a huge weight off of our shoulders. Gift cards in the mail, presents for Christopher at our door, food in our freezer (our freezer for that matter), meals with friends, kind emails and phone calls, and of course the prayers. I had a good conversation with someone that I work with who has spent a lot of time in the NICU before, and he reminded me that very few people have the opportunity to experience the love of God and of his body on earth unless they have this kind of need. To that I say, "amen." Having thousands of people praying for you really is something that you can feel. It's a buoyancy that gets us through each day, and an extra set of arms that holds us as we comfort one another. This experience has already given me a lot of compassion for anyone else who has to go through something similar.

Speaking of, one of my co-workers at Cre8tive Group is going through something similar. He and his wife had a baby boy last week who was born with transposition of the great arteries, and now they are spending several weeks in the NICU at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital while he has surgery for this rare but treatable condition. Our hearts and prayers go out to them. When you work in an office of only 12 people, everyone is pretty close.

Well, I thought I would post as long as Rachel was pumping, but it appears as if she's outlasting me. Time for bed. Blessings to all of you!

--Andy

Nap Time - Awake Time

NAP TIME:

Daddy and Christopher taking their first nap together.

The late nights and waking up when I get up to pump are catching up with Andy. I went in to the nursing room at the hospital to pump while Andy spent some time with Christopher. One of the nurses came and said 'you've got to come see this,' and this is what I found - two boys sound asleep! =)
















AWAKE TIME:

Christopher was wide awake this morning when we went in to spend some time with him. He was focused intently on our faces while we were talking to him. This is about the most bright-eyed he's been yet. What a cute little man!

Prayer Request

Friends,

First off, I'd like to thank Dan Sutton for buying me lunch on Friday and hanging out with me this weekend. We hiked down Jessamine Creek and froze our feet off. It was awesome. A much needed break from everything, and good for the soul.

Please pray for Christopher (like you're not already =)). He's been having more and more trouble with apnea. Today, I tried to hold him, but after about 15 mintues I had to put him back because he kept turning blue and wouldn't remember to breathe. They say that he'll grow out of this, and they are giving him lots of medication to try and help, but as parents it's extremely difficult to handle. I may spend tomorrow or at least part of it at the hospital just so I can be close by. I know they are taking good care of him there, but there is nothing like having to shake your baby so that he remembers to breathe. This has been a very trying couple of days for us...please support us in prayer.

Love,

--Andy

"Mommy - Love"

According to the nurses, that's what Christopher gets when we hold him..."Mommy-love" or "Daddy-love." Today he got an extra big dose. I went to the hospital around noon to spend some time with him before heading to the library to study. His nurse, Cindy, said I could hold him for awhile, so I sat down for what I thought would be ~30 min. Two and a half hours later, I stuck him back in his box not because he was cold, but because Mommy had to go use the pump so he would have some milk for his 3 0'clock feeding! Cindy kept checking his temperature, but he was staying warm wrapped up in two blankets and snuggled against Mommy, so I was able to hold him for quite awhile. I was proud of the little guy - keeping his temperature up for so long. When Andy and I returned to the hospital this evening, the doors to his box were open so he could cool off! Hopefully this is a good sign that he's starting to maintain his temperature better on his own so he can graduate to a regular crib. They moved Christopher yesterday to the "grower" room - basically, they're just waiting on him to gain some weight, so we were pleased and thanking God for that. He's now 2lb. 13.2 oz. or 1280 grams.

Please pray for Andy this week as he transitions into a new role at work - he'll be spending more time out at Lexmark - one of Cre8tive Group's clients. Transitions are always stressful, and added to having his son in the hospital, he's feeling a bit overwhelmed.

I have to take the HESI test on Thursday. It's like the nursing boards, and my school requires that I pass to graduate in December. I have three chances to take/pass the test, but I'd like to be done with it the first time around. At the same time, I'm trying not to stress about it and realize that with everything else going on, it'll be ok if I end up taking it again. I'd appreciate your prayers concerning this as well.

We love and appreciate you all.

~Rachel

Weekend Update

We had a good weekend. My Mama and sister, Anna Leigh, came up for the weekend to help us out for a couple days. It was wonderful to have them here. We had a fun time simply being together, and traveling back and forth to the hospital to see Christopher. Mama cooked and cleaned the whole weekend, which was a tremendous help. Thanks, Mama!

Christopher continues to do extremely well. His feedings are up to 26mL every three hours, and he is tolerating them well. He now weighs 2 lb. 12.6 oz!!! Dr. Gundy said that if he continues tolerating them, he’ll try to start him on bottle feedings in about a week. So please add that to your prayer list – that’d be one step closer to bringing him home.

It was wonderful to be able to hold Christopher quite a bit this weekend. We’ve decided that bundled in a blanket is still nice, but the Kangaroo Care is more fun because you can actually feel his little body wiggling into a ball and snuggling close as he falls asleep. It’s fun to sing to him and share with him about our days. Until he falls asleep, he focuses quite intently on our faces during those special times.

The Zantac Christopher is receiving every day continues to help with his spells of not breathing and dropping his heart rate, though they haven’t been eliminated completely. I discovered on Friday night that it’s the worst feeling I’ve ever had in my life when my baby boy was grabbed out of my hands by one nurse as another reached for oxygen because he wasn’t breathing and his face was turning blue. Talk about scary - even knowing that’s ‘normal’ for preterm infants isn’t very comforting in the moment. But the nurses were wonderful, and Christopher was able to ‘recover himself’ without any oxygen, so that was good. I’ll be happy when he outgrows this ‘stage,’ that way Daddy and Mommy’s hearts can quit stopping too!

Thanks again for all your prayers. We feel them every day and couldn’t do this without the love and support you all are giving us.

~Rachel

Grandma Tolan holds Christopher for the first time.
(She had a cold last week, and though felt better - decided to wear a mask 'just in case.')






















Daddy's first experience with Kangaroo Care. Both boys enjoyed it (except for the point when Christopher really pinched his Daddy's nipple - look out guys - seems like he'll be good at PTA).
Christopher even turned his head the other way so he could look up at Daddy's face when he was talking to him.



















Christopher Steven - our little miracle.
(and for those of you who've been asking, we're calling him Christopher.)

















Christopher practicing with his pacifier. Unfortunately, he's getting spoiled by tube feedings - it only takes a few mL's before he enters his carb-coma. We'll have to break that habit once he switches to eating by mouth.

CRAZY PHOTO-OBSESSIVE PARENT PICTURE POST!!!

The photos we take are usually grainy, because we have to use the ISO 1600 setting on our camera. They keep it pretty dark in the NICU.

















Our first family photo!

















Christopher was lounging when we came in tonight. He's going to need a king-sized bed before we know it!
















A closer shot. See the huge wad of tape on his face? That's because he pulled out his feeding tube and the nurses got smart. He still tried to grab at it while we were there.























The little man in the arms of his Daddy, as Christopher begins his "carb coma." He loves to fall asleep when he's getting fed.
















Kisses from Daddy (Rachel made me put this up)

One more thing. Please pray for Christopher over the next couple of days for the following:

1. That his lungs will produce surfactant fast enough to keep up with his growing body. The doctors say that premature babies at about 2 weeks (saturday) usually have to go back on oxygen, as their lungs can't keep up with their growing bodies. He'll grow out of it, but he hates those tubes.

2. That his apnea (not breathing) spells will go away. Currently, several times a day Christopher stops breathing for awhile, his heartrate drops, and it's scary. It happened today when we were holding him, and he stopped breathing for about 20-30 seconds. He gets himself out of it, and they have him on caffeine for it, but it needs to go away. It's a normal thing for a baby born as early as he was to go through, but we still don't like it.

We ate dinner at the Griesner's tonight...it was a great stop between the hospital and home. And if Ann ever offers you Bananas Foster, take her up on it =).

--Andy

One part down, one to go

Wow-what a ride! I just wanted to thank you all so much for the support you've given us through your many prayers, emails, and phone calls. We'll never be able to completely express how grateful we are for each one of you. Please keep praying - your prayers are being answered daily.

Thank you for your prayers for me as I try to finish up school. Today was the last of my 120 hour clinical rotation! Now I just have a 60-hour preceptor experience to complete and then all I'll have for the rest of the semester is class on Fridays - so, one part down and one to go. This last week has been rough...I've been so torn by wanting to finish school while Christopher is in the hospital so I can stay home with him when he finally arrives here, and wanting to sit beside his bed all day in the hospital and hold his little hand. (I'm sure all the nursing staff are glad I haven't chosen the latter one or I'd probably be driving them crazy.) One day at a time, I'm slowly knocking out the hours. God is being faithful in giving me the strength I need for each day. Thanks for the love and encouragement from so many of you. I feel your prayers.

~Rachel

He is his father's son...

Just a quick update, Rachel and I are doing a little better than the last time I wrote. We've gotten one good night's rest, which does a world of good. We're still getting to see Christopher at least once a day, and I actually got in a load of laundry last night.

We've been both having some weird feelings about the little guy. The more time that he spends away from us, the harder it is to feel like he's really "ours." I know that's hard to explain, because we do love him intensely, love spending time with him, and are sad when he's away. But really, we don't get to spend much time bonding with him, and we've never just been together as a family by ourselves (and won't be until he finally comes home, at which point I will lock the doors to our house for 3 days and just stay there=)). I wonder how we will feel a week from now, two or three weeks from now, when we're still doing the same thing? It's like you think you know how you should be feeling, but you're not feeling it right then.

On a lighter note, I think I mentioned before that Rach and I taped a picture of us on the inside of Christopher's incubator so that he could always see his Mommy and Daddy. Well, Christopher thanked us yesterday when we were changing his diaper by peeing up over his bed and all over the picture on the side of the incubator. Not on the bed, not on his blankets, but really just all over the picture of Daddy and Mommy. I'm not quite sure what to think about that, I hope it's not a sign of things to come, although if Karma does exist then we may be in for a wild ride =)

Love to you all, and thanks for your support and prayers!!

--Andy

A chilly episode

Today was an interesting day. After all of our wonderful experiences with the staff at St. Joe East, we had a couple of rough moments. When Rachel went to visit Christopher this afternoon, she reached in and noticed that he was really cold. When she asked the nurses about it, they discovered that whoever was supposed to take care of him had neglected to move his temperature sensor from his front to his back when they turned him over. With the sensor now resting on the heated bed, it kept reading warmer and warmer, so the bed heated up less and less. This probably wouldn't have amounted to anything major, but a premature baby's system is pretty delicate and doesn't take well to having its temperature jacked around.

Then we had a short visit with him at around 5 before I had to leave to go back to work for a little while. Rachel went back up to tell Christopher good-bye, but ended up staying for over an hour to watch the "nursing students" give Christopher his care. Now, I understand that medical students of any kind need to learn like the rest of us, but it's not very confidence-inspiring when they are forgetting basic sanitary precautions ON YOUR BABY! They kept wiping his eyes with the same piece of gauze (you're supposed to use a different piece each time to prevent infection), then they jammed this thermometer up into his little armpit too hard (glad this wasn't a rectal one!) and finally one girl stood there twisting his head around for a few minutes before calling for help because she couldn't figure out how to TURN HIM OVER. So, what exactly were these students doing in the NICU? Were they accounting majors placed there by mistake? I was proud of Rachel - she said she calmly stood there and corrected each student as they cleaned his eyes, checked his temperature, etc. I'm glad I wasn't there =).

Thanks for letting me vent. I don't want to be a crazy overprotective parent, but it's an easy thing to do when your kid already has so many things to deal with already.

I think a bit of my current frustration and stress level is starting to come through in this blog post. Things are very busy at work, and I feel like I should be spending about 60 hours a week there. It's funny how your whole life you're told by very wise and well-meaning people, "don't take work home with you...just leave work at work." I know that's what I'm supposed to be doing, but I can't help but think that the people who say that about work must not care very much about it, or are much better about "switching gears" than I will ever be. =)

Sorry no post for awhile, but I know a short post is better than none at all.

--Andy

A day of helping

We have been very blessed today. Amy Crouch cooked us dinner, mowed our lawn, vacuumed our floors, did our laundry and made our beds. It's hard to explain how helpful every little thing like that is. It really helps us to support each other better and to spend more time with Christopher.

Then, Dave and Lizbeth bought us our new freezer! I'll post a pic later. We have to leave it plugged in for 24 hours before we move anything into it, and it couldn't have come a day sooner. Our freezer is TOTALLY PACKED WITH BREASTMILK!! I'm so glad they gave us the freezer. Otherwise I was going to have to start using it on my cereal so we didn't have to throw it away =). My mom is recovering from surgery still, and told me today that it made her feel really good to know that we were in such good hands with friends like these.

Christopher is amazing us again today. This morning, at some time between 3 and 4 am, he finally got his way and pulled out his nasal oxygen. Under the cover of darkness and undetected by the nursing staff, he continued to post great saturation and respritory numbers all throughout the rest of the morning. He's been off the nasal oxygen ever since! In fact, when I got to visit him today at lunchtime the nurse was giving him his first spongebath and he was totally cordless except for the feeding tube. I got to hold him for about 5 minutes that way and it was truly special. And then all the cords went back on =), but at least now they are all just sensors. I'll bring my camera again tomorrow so I can get a good picture. Please pray that he doesn't do the same thing with his feeding tube. Although, I guess he knew the right time with the oxygen, so maybe pray that he yanks it out at the right time.

Rachel continues to struggle with exhaustion and the blues as she is constantly either pumping, studying, or thinking about her baby not being home. We both know that we have so much more to be thankful for than not, and we are SO thankful, but we still have to travel this road together. It's a lot different than anything we imagined and/or planned out as far as how it would go having our first child. Sometimes when I come home it's still hard to believe that I have one. We have a crib, but no baby. Soon though.

If anyone is praying for me to develop patience, you can stop now. =)

--Andy

Our Life...

...has changed very much. Here's what Rachel's typical schedule now looks like:

1:30-2:00 AM - Pump
4:30-5:00AM - Get up, Pump
5:00-6:00AM - get ready, make lunch
6:00AM - start driving to Clinicals or Classes
6:30AM - call the NICU and check on Christopher
7:00AM - start clinicals or classes
9:00-9:30AM - Pump
12:00-1:00PM Lunch, and Pump
3:00-3:30PM Pump
4:00PM - leave clinicals for home
6:00:630PM Pump
6:30-7:30PM defrost/make/eat dinner
7:30-8:30PM Go to hospital and visit with Christopher, drop off milk, pick up bottles and labels for milk supply
9:30-10:00PM- get home and PUMP!!
10:30PM - call the NICU and check on Christopher
11:00PM - go to bed. dream of pumping.

The weekends look similar except it involves a lot more visits to the hospital. We want to be sure that when we finally take Christopher home that he remembers who we are!















Here's a look in our freezer...one of two shelves quickly getting full of milk. Mercifully, our good friends Dave and Lizbeth have decided to give us a chest freezer! This will make life so much easier, as the hospital can only store so much milk a a time and Rach has to keep it comin' for when Christopher gets out. We are so thankful for the help! And yes, Dave and Lizbeth are the same friends that bought us a microwave after the "What? You said there was popcorn in there when I turned it on for 5 minutes but it was really empty" meltdown incident right after we got married.

Mr. Christopher is doing great...if anyone is looking for a miracle to warm their hearts, check this out - Christopher moved to room air only this morning! That's right, no more supplimental oxygen! They are still giving him 1 liter airflow through his nasal tubes, just to make sure air is flowing, but he's getting great O2 saturation on room air alone. I really can't believe it and it's purley evidence of how fast God wants little Christopher to come home with us. We're all surprised, but I guess we shouldn't be. Over 275 people a day visit this blog to check out what's going on, and tens of thousands of people are praying for him all over the world. Praise God!


We got to hold Christopher again on Saturday. It was wonderful! It's a surreal experience, but it usually gets interrupted by the alarms going off all over the nursery. We have to watch the monitors closely as we hold him, to make sure that he keeps breathing, keeps good O2 saturation, a good pulse, and to make sure he doesn't get cold. It will be a sweet day when our little man gets upgraded to a cordless model and we can just love him without [too much] worry.

When we held him tonight (Sunday) he was being a little troublemaker He's figured out how to pull his nasal oxygen out, and how to yank on his feeding tube. I think we're going to have to bring some tubing home so that he can have something to play with =).

In the world of good days and bad days, I would say that today has been an inbetween day. We've been home by ourselves most of the day, and we've been overjoyed by Christopher's progress. But then the better he gets, the harder it is to put him back into a plastic box and leave him at the hospital. It's hard to be patient, and rational, and nice when nurses tell you nicely that you need to go. Our schedule doesn't make it any easier. One of the nurses today was marveling over how much fun Rachel and I were having with Christopher. I guess we probably are a little over-the-top, oohing and laughing about every little thing he does, but when you only get to hold him an hour a day everything is pretty exciting.
















On a brighter note, my parents came in for the weekend and Grandma took Rachel and I out to buy a crib for our little guy. Unfortunately, we miscalculated the amout of space we would need in the car for something that large, and took our Subaru instead of our van. Hilarity ensued. Mom was only trapped for a short while though, and then we let her out so I could lay down across the back seats for the whole ride home.

Okay, so there is much more, but that's all the time I have. I've got to do some stuff for work and Rachel has to, well, you know, pump. And I should probably help her, since she finally caved and let me buy thickburgers for dinner. Score one for the men of our family!

--Andy