leaps and bounds...

we have had a very eventful couple of days! it seems like everyday is something new...

after taking a few days off its amazing how much bigger he looks...still right around three and a half pounds but gaining a little everyday. today they decided to add vitamin d to his food, and tomorrow theyre going to add in iron also. so he can grow big and strong!

We missed rounds yesterday but when we did arrive we discovered that his high flow had been taken off! So he is now breathing on his own completely and has no assistance and is doing great! Normally underdeveloped lungs are a big issue for preemies, especially as small as he is...but he likes defying the odds apparently...

We were also told that his PICC line would be coming out today. it had been in long enough and wasnt really needed anymore anyway now that he is done with surgeries for the foreseeable future. He was not happy with the process of removing the central line but i bet he was pretty thrilled to get that silly boxing glove off!

its also pretty evident to us that the removal of some of that excess fluid in his head has improved his stats and made him so much more alert and awake! hes such a happy little guy when hes awake too its so cute! however he rarely lets me get a decent picture with his eyes open! camera shy already!

this afternoon when i got back to the hospital after dropping jason off at the ferry so he could go to work, Rowans nurse asked if i would like to try breastfeeding (until now ive been pumping and they give it to him'through his tube). i if ciurse said yes, and we got him out of his isolette. the nurse warned me that with babies his age, you have to slowly get them into nursing, and that if we got him to sniff around and lick a little, we were doing great. well, he had other plans, and latched on pretty good the first try! once we got the shield put on, he did even better! the nurse said that if, at some ooint tonight, he was fairly awake during a feeding time, they might even try him on a bottle!! one of the things they need before they go home is to be able to take all their feedings by mouth....one step closer to going home!

Rowan had his usual monday cranial ultrasound, which showed that the swelling in the ventricles has gone down yay! and that the cysts are getting a bit bigger. neurology has been notified and they will now be involved in his care. catching these things as early as we have will not affect whatever outcome he has, however we will be able to get him into therapies much sooner than if he was a regular baby. these things can go nearly a year before being diagnosed.

get this thing off my arm!

we also finally got a tentative date to bring him home...december 20. right before christmas. depending on how he does, this date could change, the better he does the earlier he can come home! we have a meeting with the caseworker, and the neurologists and other various doctors that he will see in about two weeks to discuss his prognosis and what types of things we should expect to need when we get him home. theres a light at the end of the tunnel now. thank goodness.