Bales' Blessings: June 2012

Time for an update. All is GOOD! Since we have gotten home from the hospital, Joshua has been thriving. In the NICU, he was consistently falling into the < 3rd percentile for weight, not even on the growth chart. In each of his weekly visits to the pediatrician, he has been climbing up the chart, from 4th, to 7th, to 11th and 10th percentile. Today he weighs 8 lbs 5.5 oz. His eating has improved so much. He is now able to take a full bottle (80-85 mL, almost 3 oz) in 20-30 minutes, and it isn't so stressful to feed him like it was when we first brought him home. It's like feeding a normal baby. Just a few days ago, things finally clicked, and he is now able to nurse without any issues, too. He just latches right on without putting up a fight. That makes me happy!

Two days ago, June 18th, Joshua turned 6 weeks old (adjusted age based on his due date). We had a big day. For starters, Joshua hit Jeremiah's birth weight, 8 lbs 4 oz. Then that evening, James was talking to him, and he suddenly smiled. He showed us 5 big grins, definitely social smiles. This is a big deal for us because we don't know if Joshua will have developmental delays. Time will tell, and we just have to see how he does. So far, he has been right on track. The social smile was the last of the 6 week milestones we were waiting to conquer.

One other piece of good news: We met with the cardiologist last week, and the repeat echo showed Joshua's ASD (hole in the heart) has closed. It's no longer a concern! His pressures were up, but that may just be because he was screaming and crying during the test. He will follow up again next month for another echocardiogram to make sure it's nothing to worry about. In the meantime, he continues to be on oxygen, but we're hoping it won't be for long.
We still keep him pretty sheltered. He hasn't left the house except for doctors appointments. I'm hoping he'll soon get the go-ahead to attend church and maybe even playgroup at the park, but I have a feeling the latter is still a ways off. I'm getting a little stir crazy not being able to take him anywhere, but if that's my biggest concern after all we've been through, I can't complain. We are just so thankful!

Jeremiah is loving his role as Big Brother. He is so lovey to Joshua, and he talks to him and reads to him all the time. He is bound and determined to make sure Joshua knows which trucks have wheels and which have treaded tracks, as we hear him explain to Joshua with his books and trucks over and over all day long. He also walks around saying "Only Mommy and Dad carry Baby Joshua," so we know he would like nothing better than to carry him around the house. Thankfully he has a little discretion, and I haven't yet caught him dragging Joshua around!

Ok, I was making Joshua smile while holding the camera off to the side. I never claimed to be a professional photographer anyway. But check out those chubby cheeks!