The Story of Three

We’re home! After 12 days in the NICU, Ethan was discharged from the hospital into our care. We couldn’t be happier.

Couple updates:

• Tube definitely gone. So thankful he just ripped that thing out himself!
• He’s eating really well – 35+ cc’s per feeding (there’s 8/day)
• Gaining weight like a banshee! Today he clocked in at 1900 grams (4lbs 3oz) as of 6am this morning.
• Sleeping well. With the white noise, he sleeps very well. I suppose its not surprising he’s a deep sleeper, as he’s growing more and more every day and he had to deal with some pretty intense noises in the NICU.
• After spending all this time in the NICU, he doesn’t like quiet (who’s child is this?!), so we have to keep some sort of white noise going when he’s sleeping. Thankfully he has a lamb that makes noises, so that’s comforting for him.
• Jenny and I stayed the two nights in a “Room in” room. This was to have the nurses right there in case we needed them, but still give us a bit of freedom. We did all the feedings, diaper changes and everything else that comes with a little boy. We could’ve come home after just one night, but we didn’t feel comfortable just yet with how to feed him. He’d learned really well how to feed and the doctors said he could go home with us, but Mom and Dad still hadn’t gotten the hang of feeding him all his food in the necessary time allotment given by the nurses (30 mins). That was a bit of a struggle for Jenny and I, but after getting even more advice from the nurses (who’ve fed countless babies in their career), we quickly learned how to feed him.

We are so incredibly thankful for all the thoughts and prayers from all our friends, and we can’t wait to see what our little monster grows up to become.

Just a quick update on our little monster:
Weight Gains
Ethan is getting stronger and stronger with each passing day. In each of the last three days he’s gained about 60 grams. Jenny even saw a double chin today! Heh, that mean’s he’s got all four of my chins!

Off the Biliblanket
This is huge because it’s one of the doctor’s milestones. Being off the biliblanket means that his jaundice levels are low and his liver is functioning exactly as it should. And we don’t have to have that weird blue glow behind all the pictures now.

Eating full feedings by mouth at least twice a day
Ethan’s come a long way in just a few short days. At the beginning of the week, he was taking just 5cc’s of his formula before petering out and having to be fed via the tube in his nose (for those that didn’t know what that was for, now you do. ). He now is taking 25-30cc’s by either bottle or nursing in all 8 of his feedings (every 3 hours). On top of that, in two or three of those eight feedings, he is taking the full serving of his 33cc’s. Huge improvement. The nurses say that sometimes a baby will just “turn a corner and get it”. Monday was that corner for Ethan.

And the greatest news of all so far…
One of our favorite nurses isn’t going to be back in the NICU until next Friday and already said g’bye to us — this is exciting because it means the nurses are thinking he’ll be in our home *before* the end of next week!