Monday Rounds

We just finished up rounds and everything appears to be going just as well as it possibly could be.

Bryce is 50 days old today and weighing in at a whopping 1290 grams (2 pounds and 13.5 ounces).

They are upping his feeds today to 8 ml every 3 hours, as well as increasing his proteins, fats and caffeine to try to get his weight and strength up for another try at extubation late in the week.

Hopefully he will continue to tolerate his feeds though we were nervous that they would go up on the frequency to every 3 hours today. That is when he stopped tolerating them last time and they had to stop feeding him all together for a few days. BUT the big difference is that he is now - finally - having real stools. He's been pooping for about a week or so now, but those were all still meconium. Saturday he had his first bowel movement that was obviously milk passing all the way through his little belly. And he's been steadily going ever since.

Also on Saturday, while Abuelita was babysitting and Bryce was still extubated my mom thinks she heard baby Bryce cry for the first time. I wasn't here, unfortunately, so I can't attest to it but she is sure she knows what she heard. Maybe this weekend we'll get to hear him for ourselves, though of course we hope he has no reason to cry.

Caleb and I did get to go home again on Friday and it was so nice to see our furry children, but especially to sleep in our own bed! Our bed at home is like an island unto itself compared to the bed at the Ronald McDonald house. Though we are so grateful to have a bed so close to Bryce available, otherwise I might be sleeping in my car in the hospital parking lot.

We're going to do our best to make Friday nights our night at home. But you know what they say about the best laid plans. We should know better than to try to plan anything anymore.

While we were home on Saturday the painter came by to lay the groundwork for Bryce's nursery. Caleb and I had installed the laminate flooring and put up the crown molding for his dimmer rope lights but that is as far as we had gotten before he made his surprise appearance.

So my mom, aka Abuelita, had a painter come paint the walls and ceiling a beautiful, baby-safe blue. He also repainted the door and trim a fresh, clean white. It's a small start but it looks great already. Next will be the green hills on all three walls (one wall is all closet) and then come the Seuss characters. I'll keep everyone posted as the nursery progresses. I'm so excited to see it all ready for him to come home to!

We've been here seven weeks now and can't help but wonder if we're almost half way there? We know better than to get our hopes too high but the day we drive Bryce home, in the slow lane with all the crazy Austin drivers honking and passing us by, will be the best and second scariest day of our lives!