Feb. 11 - Pimp my crib and pass the milk

Alright - it's clear to me now that someone out there has real close connections with the Big Guy because we had more good news today. First, when we got to Colton's area in the NICU he had graduated from an open crib with a radiant warmer to an isolette (incubator). Now you might be thinking isn't it a bad thing to be moved from an open crib to an isollete? In this situation, it's a good thing. The open crib with radiant warmer was primarily needed for Colton due to the high bilirubin count (light therapy) while also regulating his body temperature. Now that the bilirubin count is down, he just needs a little help keeping his body temp regulated. Eventually, he will likely move back to an open crib but only one without a radiant heat source to regulate his temperature. So this was a positive sign that they don't necessarily believe he will need any more light therapy.

We were however disappointed when we saw a tube back down his throat. Previously, they had that tube in there to remove excess air and/or fluid that was accumulating in his stomach. Well, turns out that the tube is now a gavage feeding tube - which means he is starting to get that nourishing mother's milk! Feeding is another milestone that should not be underestimated in a preemie. We had thought he was still a few days off so this was another pleasant surprise. He is only being fed about 5 ml of milk every 3 hours but had his 3rd feeding of the day when we were there. They will continue to measure his output and increase feeding amounts accordingly. There are so many important nutrients that come from mother's milk that science will likely not ever be able to replicate. I believe that this will help Colton gain even more strength as he continues to fight his way from the NICU at Texas Woman's to where he belongs - with us at home! Mother's milk is to babies as spinach is to Popeye!

Wednesday is sibling visit day so Sydney got to go with us again today. Sydney got to hold her baby brother for the first time today! She was super excited and can't wait to get back up there on Sunday.

He now weighs 4lbs6oz (up from 3lbs12oz) and continues to gain strength and momentum. It's important to celebrate the successes but also remember he has a long way to go. We'll take all the good news that comes our way and pray for even better news tomorrow.

Appreciate everyone's support and love and looking forward to the day that we can return the favor....All the best - Bret, Wendy, Sydney and Colton.