10 pounds!

Luke had his second round of shots for RSV today...so we made the trek to the pediatricians office. When he was getting weighed in, I (Wendy) assumed he was going to be 9 pounds +, but imagine my surprise when he he weighed 10 lbs. 4 oz! What a tank! Obviously, Lucas is thriving and doing great. He now gets to try regular formula because the special preemie formula has too many calories! We're pretty happy about that too, because the Neosure (preemie formula) is more expensive than the others. He also grew to 21 inches. Here's a picture I just took with the web cam -- sorry for the quality...but you can see the little chubby guy for yourself!



Thanks for your continued prayers! We are truly grateful and blessed because of them!

Wendy

Happy Birthday Luke

If Wendy had a normal pregnancy, our son Lucas would have been born sometime around today. Instead, she had a crazy pregnancy and Lucas was born 13 weeks ago.

Today, he's pretty much a normal baby. He weighs around 9 pounds and eats, sleeps, and cries like a normal baby. He even has a screwed up sleep schedule where he likes to stay awake in the middle of the night...I love babies.

Here's a few pictures of the little guy...





Thanks again for all of your prayers and encouragement. It's humbling to hear from all of the people that have been keeping track of our little family. Thank you.

Cheers,
Colin

Wendy again... Today Lucas had a follow-up appointment with the Pediatrician to make sure his circumcision was healing well. Everything looks great! The best part is...he gained 10 more ounces! Our little guy is getting chunky! He weighed in at 8 lbs. 5 oz. today. It's kind of scary to think that he should still be in utero for another 9 days. Just imagine how big he would've been had he been a term baby!

Here's a picture and video of Luke inside his Christmas stocking. Maybe when he's 16 years old, I'll put a copy of the photo inside his stocking on Christmas day!




Thanks for your continued prayers. Lucas is our miracle baby. We thank God everyday for the gift of our son, and we ask blessings on those that lift him up in prayer continually. God is good!

Wendy

Bad day, but progress!

This is Wendy writing... I'm getting a break from Mom duties while Colin feeds Lucas. The poor guy had a rough day today. He got circumcised. It didn't go so well. He bled quite a bit, even at the beginning of the procedure when he received the shot of local anesthetic. The pediatrician said that the amount of bleeding was not normal, but told me not to worry...hard for a mother to do! The Dr. gave Luke a Vitamin K shot after the procedure was over -- I'm assuming it was for the bleeding, or because of the bleeding.

Anyway...please pray for his recovery. He's still bleeding -- not a ton, but I think it should've stopped by now. He's also very irritable, which is exhausting!

Enough of the negative...here's the good stuff!

Lucas weighed in at 7 lbs. 11 oz. today! The kid is amazing! He left the hospital 10 days ago -- weighing 6 lbs. 8 oz. and has gained 19 oz. since! Almost 2 oz. a day! The Dr. said that we could reduce the calories in his formula and the Nurse Practitioner said that "he's just a regular baby now!"

The cool thing...Jake was 7 lbs 11 oz. at birth. Then he lost weight and took 5 weeks to gain it back. Luke is 8 weeks ahead of what Jake was according to gestational age. That just blows my mind!

God is good!

Thanks for the prayers! Keep them coming!

Wendy (Colin, Jake, & Luke too!)

A Request...

Life is actually starting to feel a little normal now, well as normal as it can be with a newborn at home. Wendy and I are getting into a routine regarding nighttime feedings...Luke has to eat like clockwork at 3, 6, 9 and 12 to maintain his growth. It's still crazy to think that he should still be in Wendy for 4 more weeks...and he's so big! He looks like such a normal baby...

October 26, 2008 (Approximately 13 weeks before gestational birthdate)


December 28, 2008 (Approximately 4 weeks before gestational birthdate)

And now for my request. If you don't mind, could you possibly send Luke an email, with a note of encouragement (or something like that), noting who you are and where you come from? The plan is to print out a hard copy of the blog and include a copy of your emails. The primary purpose of this blog was to be a journal of Luke's time in the NICU...a journal that we could look back on in several years to remind us of everything we went through. One key part of this blog has been the variety of people that have been reading it. We've heard from people all over that have enjoyed reading about Luke's progress. Please send emails to me at cwarnes@sbcglobal.net.

Finally, now that Lucas is home from the NICU, I will no longer be updating the blog daily. However, I will post periodic updates relating to doctors appointments or other significant events.

I'd like to thank you all for joining Lucas and our family on this journey through the NICU. I can't tell you enough how much your prayers and encouragement have meant to us the past 8+ weeks. I just hope and pray that none of you have to experience the NICU with a little one like we did...but if you do, be assured that your little one has a great shot at making it.

Cheers,
Colin

Finally!

2 months to the day...we finally brought Luke home! There's a mix of emotions running through me right now...joy, excitement, exhaustion, fear - it's all a bit overwhelming right now.

I'll provide some more info tomorrow, since i'm having a hard time staying awake as I type here. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from today...




Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement! Thank you God!

Cheers,
Colin

Going Home?

There's a good chance Lucas may come home tomorrow/today (Friday)...What a relief it is to hear those words! If Luke has a good night tonight regarding oxygen saturation, they'll probably sign his release papers in the morning. It's looking good, but I don't want to get too optimistic - every once in awhile, he'll have a little spell and I get worried that the nurse will determine that he's not ready to go yet (nurses don't make the call, but they give feedback to the doctors). However, his health is our ultimate concern and if he's not ready to come home yet, I will gladly wait.

On the home front, we're in a frantic rush to get everything ready for Luke's arrival. I must admit that we're a bit unprepared due to the chaotic schedule we've been dealing with the past month. Also, I'm in self-doubt mode...it's been 5 years since I've been a dad to a new born...how do you heat up milk/formula again? Please pray that fatherhood is like riding a bike.

Anyway, it's late and I'm exhausted. Please keep the prayers and encouragement coming...we're not out of the woods yet.

Thanks again for your support!

Cheers,
Colin