"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