Baby Isaac - 6 Weeks Old

Isaac is doing super well! (Or "swell" if you combine the two ;)

It's been a while since the last post, so there's plenty of pictures, though only a couple of updates.

The updates: 
He's growing, growing! At 4 lbs. 11oz now! He is up to 7ml an hour on his continuous G-tube feeds. We just found out they want him to get up to 12 or 13ml an hour, which we're assuming is before he leaves the hospital. As they increase his feeds, they will decrease his TPN(special nutrition via IV) as he can handle it. 

G-tube on the left side of his stomach and PICC line in his right leg.

His blood pressure is doing better - it is not high as often now, so hopefully it will continue to get and stay better. As you can see, he is still on a little bit of oxygen, usually the lowest settings in fact. But, when they have tried to wean him off of it, he acts like he needs it again. Which is not a huge deal. After all, he's a preemie, and his lungs weren't fully developed when he was born, so it's typical for them to need a little help for a while. 

Isaac has been getting some good cuddle time with Daddy

Zeke is the only sibling so far that's visited twice - lucky boy! 

 A belated Mother's Day gift from our amazing nurse, Christine - the pics and crafts on Isaac's wall.




And another Mother's Day gift for all the NICU moms from Curacao - a gorgeous gold and crystal necklace!

The biggest step towards home has been moving to an open crib! He is maintaining his own body temperature very well. That's a big deal in the NICU! :) (Still in an isolette in the pic below.)

He's truly in his happy place there!

 Can you tell this guy really loves his littlest baby brother?! 💞

Zeke had one of the best days EVER. It was his birthday - turned 10 - and he came to visit Isaac with Stephan and me. The Child Life specialist at the NICU came and talked to Zeke and answered a whole bunch of his questions. When she found out it was his birthday, she brought him some gifts - Clue Junior, an AZ Cardinals hat, and a big football. THEN, he got to play in the Kids Zone with Dad. AND on this day, the Kids Zone just happened to have an AZ Cardinals PLAYER come and hang out with all the kids!! Zeke got to meet Troy Niklas, a TE, got his hat and football signed, AND played air hockey with him!
I tried to put a couple videos here, but it's not working, so I'll email it to those who don't have FB, as well as post it on FB soon.

My mom, Veronica, also got to finally come visit and hold Isaac. Mikey, Victoria, and Daniel also all got to visit - they were very happy to finally meet their baby brother! :)

That's all for now:)