Here He Comes: The Birth

Disclaimer : this is a long post! I finally wrote everything down that happened the day Eli was born - I won't blame you if you don't read the whole thing :) Christmas Day was a crazy day to say the least. But really all of the festivities started on Christmas Eve. Jason's family came to the hospital to bring us a nice dinner. The hospital food was ok, but it paled in comparison to the steak dinner they brought us—thank you! As we were enjoying...

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Almost Homeward Bound

Ever since Eli started nasal cannula he has been progressing very quickly! Here are the big milestones he's achieved in the past 2 weeks: Breastfeeding - Eli can breastfeed like a champ! He has always loved his pacifier and that seemed to help him transition well into breastfeeding. Since it's hard to know exactly how much he's eating, the nurses weigh him before and after he eats. The first time we weighed him he took in 90mL! That's a lot of...

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Grandparent Love

Eli has been showered with lots of grandparent love this week! Grandma Orme held him the first time – Grandpa Orme will hold him as soon as he gets back from his trip!My parents came into town this last week. The nurses took the CPAP off so they could snap a quick picture all together. Typically, the NICU won't let anyone but parents hold when the baby is on the ventilator or CPAP. They want the baby to be more stable and on nasal cannula...

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Nasal Cannula... Almost

Eli was taken off of CPAP Monday and moved on to the nasal cannula. It is so nice to be able to see his full head, he looks like a completely different baby! Before they put the cannula on him we got to see his face with nothing on it! Holding is so much easier without the huge CPAP.  Tuesday I went in to hold again and the doctor said that we could start nuzzling! Nuzzling is basically breast feeding practice, I pump all of my milk...

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Surgery #3: Reanastomosis

Eli went under for his 3rd (and hopefully final!) surgery on Monday. We were actually looking forward to this one! The procedure—called a reanastomosis—is done by stitching his two stomas that have been sticking out of his tummy back together and placing them back inside the abdomen. Overcoming this surgery is another big step towards coming home! Jason and I got to the hospital a few hours before the surgery. They let me hold Eli right up until...

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