Happy Easter and Happy Due Date!

Colton and Dad hanging out

Sydney chillin with her baby brother

Sydney helping Dad with the mulch

Sydney dyeing Easter eggs

Colton finally reached his official due date of April 11, 2009. He weighs in over 9 lbs. now. Technically speaking, you can't say that he would have weighed 9 lbs. at birth as growth in utero and outside of the uterus happen at different rates. So while technically he was 10 weeks old on April 11, his targets will be adjusted based on his prematurity. For example, if he's not walking by 12 months, it won't be unusual as he will likely be acting more like a 9 1/2 month old on his first birthday.

Wendy and I were still talking about how February and March seemed like a blur to us. We had so much help during that time and couldn't have done it without the support of family and friends. Wendy and I both are trying to get refocused on things we neglected over the past couple of months. Our first and foremost priority remains our family (Colton and Sydney) but we are starting to whittle away at that proverbial to do list. I finally managed to get the weeds pulled in the front flowerbed and mulch put in this past weekend. Sydney was a big helper and said she enjoyed doing it. How many 8 year old girls do you know who would get out and help their old man put mulch in the flowerbeds and actually say they enjoyed it! I'm sure the neighbors are glad that we got that done as well. We didn't want to earn the label of "the rednecks next door who don't take care of their yard"!

Wendy has been working on thank you notes and getting the birth announcements out in the mail. Many of you reading this should receive your announcement this week. If you don't receive one in a week or so and would like us to send you one, send us an email! Please don't be offended or think we left you off as we've not intentionally left anybody off the list. It's difficult to proofread your list and get it right on just a few hours of sleep. Don't be shy and let us know if you would like to have one if you don't get one.

Colton continues to be fed every 3 hours around the clock. As Wendy mentioned in the last blog update, he's starting to focus more on faces when he's awake. Any concerns we had with the muted voice are all but gone. When Colton gets fired up, it sends our black lab (Shadow) to a safe refuge, complete with tail tucked under. Poor Shadow - between the crying baby, loud beeps from the oxygen machine, apnea monitor going off from loose leads, and the recent thunderstorms, she is officially in her own private hell.

Colton sees the pediatrician again this week for a follow up and some immunizations. He also visits the pulmonologist soon to determine if apnea monitor, oxygen for feeding and caffeine supplements are still needed. Otherwise, we will continue to the routine of: eat, sleep, poop, repeat. When he reaches the 12 lbs. mark, we can start looking at spreading out some of his feedings. So our immediate goals are to ditch the oxygen, apnea monitor, caffeine, keep him well, and pack in the calories. Too bad I can't transfer some of my belly fat and calorie intake to Colton - he would hit that 12 lbs. mark in no time!

The Easter Bunny was good to both Sydney and Colton. Wendy made my grandmother's famous coconut cake and a nice meal for Easter. Sydney and I made it to church this morning as well. We can't get Colton out in a big public place yet so we couldn't all go as a family today. :( We continue to be grateful for the love and support of our family and friends. And we give thanks today for our risen Savior and the blessings upon our family. All the best to you and your family.....Bret, Wendy, Sydney and Colton.

We are loving life at home with our little man, even if we are a bit sleep deprived! As you all know, Colton came home on Monday, March 23rd in the evening. Everyone is adjusting and doing well. Colton is now one week from his due date of April 11 and is starting to look and act like a full term infant.

Colton initially came home with an NG tube. He pulled it out on Wed, April 1 in the evening. The doctors have decided to leave it out at this time as he is making excellent progress with eating by mouth. He is weighing in at 8 lbs 11 oz and is 20.5 inches long!

Colton is starting to be awake more often and more alert. He looks around and attends to faces. He has definitely decided that being held is better than lying around wrapped up like a burrito in the bassinet. There is never a shortage of anyone wanting to hold him.

Colton after finishing up his first bath at home. He is doesn't cry much during his bath, but rather looks worried and concerned during his bath.

All wrapped up in his towel after his first bath at home. It is a huge mess and production to get him bathed!

Colton contemplating his crib. Notice the clean baby face! You can really see his chubby cheeks!

Sweet baby boy. He loves his pacifier. Pacifiers help with reflux, so we let him go to town. Sydney never took one, so this is new for us.

We will update and post more pictures soon!

Wendy, Bret, Sydney and Colton

April 2 - Eat, Poop, Sleep...Repeat

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Colton continues to do well at home. It's been a little crazy around getting the routine in order and catching up on things that were put on hold while we were in the "NICU mode". Colton now weighs about 8 1/2 lbs. As the title of the blog entry suggests, we have him in a normal infant routine (as normal as can be with NG tube, apnea monitor, oxygen nasal canula and 5 medicine doses per day can be). He is still being fed around the clock every 3 hours.

We'll post a more lengthy update soon with some pics. Love Bret, Wendy, Sydney and Colton