3 weeks

Spencer is 3 weeks old today.  It's been 3 weeks since one of the happiest days of my life.  It's been 3 weeks since one of the most devastating days of my life.  Looking back, Artie and I can't believe it's been three weeks, it really feels like months and I feel like I have aged at least 10 years.  On the bright side, Spencer got to eat today for the first time in 2 weeks!  On the down side, he's only getting 5 mL of formula per feeding (which is only a teaspoon!).  If he does well, his amount will increase very slowly.  The formula he is on is a special type that's specifically given to babies with bowel diseases/issues.  It's called pregestimil and it is more easily digested than regular formula.  He is taking the formula well and hopefully it continues that way so we can keep making progress. 

At this point, we have no idea how much longer he will be in the hospital.  It is going to take at least a week for Spencer to be on full feedings and off his TPN (the nutrition he's getting intravenously) and that is an optimistic time if everything goes perfectly.  We could possibly have 3 1/2 more weeks to go in the hospital.  I don't know what's going to happen and we're just taking it one day at time, otherwise, we would go out of our minds wondering what's next. Spencer has an abdominal x-ray scheduled for tomorrow morning to see if everything is digesting well...hopefully that is looking good.

More news to come when we get it... 

Spencer has discovered his hands and it's absolutely adorable...I tried to keep him awake by taking away his paci, but the little booger soothed himself with his fingers anyway!

Awake with a grasp on daddy's hand-he likes to hold fingers.

I am biased, but my son is the love of the NICU.  Every nurse wants him and all the nurses that have him brag about him to everyone else.  I think it's because they are not used to getting many full-term babies that stay awake and can be a little interactive.  His nurse had him walking the hall today since he was taken off his suction last night (the tube that's in his mouth would suction intermittently what was in his stomach) and is more portable with only his IV tree to tag along.  Christine-he had this tube in his mouth because he wasn't eating and it was a larger one, today they put the smaller one through his nose so it wouldn't interfere with eating.

This is my happy, alert little guy (I like to call him my mini me, especially since-at least for now-he has my dark hair and big, dark blue eyes) today after his first feeding.  He made the silliest faces while eating for the first time, maybe because he forgot what it was like or because that stuff stinks so bad-it must taste a little gross too!