Chunky Monkey

3lbs. 1oz.-That is how much Duncan weighs now!!! We are so excited. It is so great that he is gaining weight because that means that his body and organs will grow and develop. Other good news is that his pic line was taken out today because he is tolerating his full feeds and doesn't need the line anymore (if you look at his arm at the top of the picture, that is the pic line- it was giving him his lipids). He is just doing really great. His Dr. is back and she was so thrilled with how he is doing. She told me she almost fainted when she saw him, she said he looks like a totally different baby. When she read his vision test results she smiled and gave me a thumbs up and said,"This is so good." So now the only lines he has in him are his feeding tube and his breathing tube. They are in the weening process on the vent. It will be a couple of weeks more on this vent and then hopefully onto a nasal vent. It will be so weird and exciting to hear his voice. They are going to give him caffeine to help stimulate the part of the brain that registers that he needs to breath on his own. When babies are extreme preemies they don't have this ability and they have to get this to help so he doesn't get apnea. He is watched very carefully and I have been really happy with most of his nurses. It is really nice when his has the same nurse several days at a time. I really like his day nurse Brooke and his night nurse Lara. They are really great and they both asked for him as their primary-and it is really nice to have that consistency.

I got to hold him again today for about 5 minutes. I was changing him today and he had a poopy diaper, as I was changing him I lifted his legs and as I did he pooped more! Luckily it didn't get on my hand because it was stinky. So he did get it on his blanket that you see in the picture and she had to change that blanket out. As she changed it out she let me hold him and it was really nice. I can't wait to hold him without the breathing tubes, it kind of limits how long and how well you can hold him.

Also, if you look at the picture of my dad and then at Duncan they have the same chin. I think he looks like his Papa. Justin is so surprised at how much Duncan DOESN'T look like him. I am a little too, because I really thought he was going to look just like him. He is total opposite-he looks like me. When Duncan gets the tape off his face we will take a picture and put a baby picture of both me and Justin on here and see what everyone else thinks.