Silly face!!

Westons first quiet time

Time with daddy

Omie and Weston

In her arms at last!

Napping with Grandpa

My dad enjoying finally being able to hold his first grandchild!

Happy Due Date Weston!

Today was supposed to be the big day for Weston to make his arrival, but God decided to have him come 21 days early and bless our lives more than we could have imagined!

We had our first doctors visit Monday and have nothing but good things to report: Weston is gaining an ounce a day and has grown one inch since the 1st! He is very healthy and doing perfectly according to Dr. Chan the pediatrician. Things have been getting more exciting around here too as Weston matures a little more each day:

He has had a real bath in the big bathtub ( thanks daddy for getting soaked!)

He has sat in his vibrating bouncy chair and loved it for about 15 min!

He has gone to Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, out to lunch and to church!

and in honor of his due date, we moved Weston into his crib last night during the middle of the night. So far we have had him in his darling bassinet/basket on the chase in our room, but the last few nights he has started to let out a random frustrated sounding scream that is ear piercing! Since we share a house and our bedrooms are back to back, we decided to make the move and hopefully keep our neighbors from hating us :) He will continue to sleep in his basket during the day so that I can keep him in whatever room I happen to be in, but from now on he will be in his own room at night. ( with the baby monitor right by my head though, of course!)

1st doctors visit

Daddy waiting patiently

1st time in his bouncy chair

Passed out ( finally!) after a fussy night

Westons new friends !

Today Weston met some of the Foundry! The Foundry is the name of our
beloved singles ministry where Andrew serves under our dear pastor
Kurt and his wife Julie. Julie and I were pregnant at the same time,
this being her 6th and my 1st so she was a great source of info and
encouragement! This pic is of our two little guys. Dax is 7 weeks and
Weston a little over 2 weeks. Today a big group gathered at a
beautiful park despite the heat for fellowship and a chance to hang
out with our pastor and his family who will soon be moving to North
Carolina to take a church there! We are so excited for them, but are
already mourning their absence. The other pic is of all the babies
present! It was so fun to have our little guy meet the extension of
our family as our church feels very much that way to us! Hopefully
little Weston will catch up soon to all the others!

Weston is doing great and has gained more weight. He is now 5 lbs 11
oz. And eating more each day.

Highlights of having Weston home:
Showing him off to his visitors :)
Seeing his funny little faces, especially when passing gas
How little he looks in his daddy's arms
Hearing his Nanni tell him the Lords prayer to calm him down
Feeling so happy to finally have our little guy with us and doing so
well! Praise God!

Relaxing at home

The last 13 days seem like ages ago now that our baby is home with us. We are slowly settling in as we realize each minute that goes by that we really have a baby and he is ours to keep! What a wonderful feeling. We can snuggle, kiss and stare at his little face all we want without asking permission first. We are so grateful for the care and love he received during his stay in the NICU. We met some truly amazing people and realized how blessed we really are with our healthy little one.

We survived our first night wonderfully! Weston didn't cry once! He just woke up every 3 hours making hungry noises ( sucking sounds and grunts looking for his pacifier) I enjoyed the novelty of waking up to feed our baby and the peaceful sound of him drinking as he nursed. I know that this will quickly wear off and that I won't think waking up every few hours is great, but for now I am in a state of baby bliss!

Thank you to everyone who has been following our blog and for your prayers! It means SO much to us. I know I keep saying it, but we are so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful family and friends. I will try not to post every single coo and peep our little one makes, even though I think it all to be blog worthy! :)

We have an appointment with the pediatrician next week to see how he is fairing at home. We will let you know how it goes.

We are truly grateful to the Lord for allowing Weston to progress so quickly and to amaze his NICU doctors and nurses. Our God is so faithful and really does give the strength that we need no matter the circumstance. What a blessed hope we have in Him, that no matter what happens in this life, He will be glorified. We just need to humbly submit, trust and see that He is at work!

First car ride

So excited to be going home

Weston and his discharge nurse Rose

Weston is home!!

I will post more later, but just wanted say thanks for all the
prayers! To have our baby home sleeping on our couch is more wonderful
than words can express!

Our little bug

I love this pic! He is all snuggled like a burrito for his nap :)
Weston did well maintaining his body temp the entire day and did well
with his feedings! The doctor called me this afternoon and would like
to see him gain a little more weight each day, but he is doing ok. If
all goes well tonight, baby could be coming home with us tomorrow!
He needs to keep his temp up and eat well before tomorrow. We are
praying and trusting the Lord for these things! His last feeding was
really slow, we hope he makes up for it later tonight!

Thank u for your prayers and encouragement. We have never been thru
something like this but we are grateful for the opportunity to learn
to trust in God's providence more than ever before!

I don't think we will be sleeping much tonight!

Bathtime with Daddy

No more tube in my nose!

Quick update: Weston was a little cold last night despite all the
bundling, and the nurse mentioned he might need the incubator again.
But this morning the new nurse said he looks fine, so we are praying
that whatever our little guy needs will be done. (of course hoping no
incubator needed!) my emotions got the best of me for a moment again
but in reading the psalms this morning I found great comfort. Psalms
131:2 "surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child
rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me."

Getting Closer!

Each night I call in during the middle of the night to check in on our little man and we had an excellent report that his back to back bottle feedings were going great and that he had gained a little more weight! Thank you so much for your prayers! Because he has consistently been doing so well, alot happened today to get him home sooner!

1. His feedings have increased to 46 cc!

2. He is now all bottle or breast feedings, no more tube feedings!

3. He is out of the incubator and into a big boy bed!! Wow!

All of this happened this evening at 5pm when we came in to do his evening feedings. I cried when the nurse told me all that the doctor had ordered! So Weston's homecoming is closer than we thought. We are so proud of our strong little guy and pray fervently that his strength will continue. He will be watched very carefully now for any signs of regression, so please pray that all of these changes will not be too much for his little system.

Our biggest prayer requests are that he won't lose weight now that he has to exert much more energy at each feeding and that he can maintain his own body temperature outside of the incubator. If he does these things successfully he can come home! He also has been showing some signs of shallow breathing during his sleep, nothing to worry about yet, but it could turn into apnea. There are also some routine tests and hoops to jump thru policy wise before coming home as well, so we are praying that all of that falls into place and wouldn't hinder his homecoming.

Andrew and I are beside ourselves with excitement and anticipate what the next 24 hours hold for Weston. Now that that end is nearer than ever before, we find ourselves being even more anxious to have him home. The Lord has been so faithful to us and to Weston and we are so excited to see what He has for us each passing day. We are also trying to keep a level head and know that any little thing that comes up could keep Weston in the NICU longer.

My personal hope and prayer is that Weston will be able to come with me to my post-operation appointment with my doctor which is on Monday at 4:15pm! I am so excited to show our doctor our little monkey and Weston says that he would like to thank him in person for taking such good care of us while he was in my tummy :)

Weston's big boy bed

Bye bye incubator

Last pic inside the incubator!

Wearing clothes for the first time!

What a wonderful surprise we had today during our afternoon visit!
Westons IV had been removed and he was wearing a shirt!! Praise the
Lord :) getting rid of the iv line is a major step in his progress
towards coming home. The therapist evaluated his feeding and increased
the amount of bottle and breast feedings as well! He did back to back
bottle feedings for the first time but seemed really tired the second
feeding . Please pray that he would continue to get stronger with each
feeding so he won't need the tube feedings anymore.

We are so excited and proud of our little guy today!

The therapist also talked to us about Weston's muscle development in
his arms,legs and neck. He has poor muscle control in those areas and
may require some help in the future.( This was caused from his being
early and tiny ) We will just need to do a few things at home to help
him out, and then he will be evaluated again at 5 months .

Baby update

Today was a full day: Weston is getting more to eat at 40 cc per
feeding, we were able to bathe him for the first time which was great
and had another successful attempt at breast feeding! It looks like
the IV will be coming off tomorrow if he digests all his feedings
tonight. Please pray our little guy can handle it so that he can come
home soon!

Despite all of the great things that happened today, I am struggling
emotionally with all of this. I know that our little guy will be home
soon, but I couldn't shake the blues today. I blame it on his
cuteness! If he wasn't so cute it would be easier to leave him! Just
kidding! I am praying for strength and peace and joy! I know that it
is ok to be sad, but I don't want to fall into discontentment with
where the Lord has us right now. All of this will just make his
homecoming all the sweeter!

Our God is good.

Graduating

Here is what we found at Weston's station tonight! He has officially
graduated to normal baby feedings every other feeding. So he will do
tube/bottle/tube/bottle etc. He is also tolerating 30 cc each feeding
and should be up to 35 tomorrow! The dr checked him today and thinks
he will get rid of his iv tomorrow or the next day! Soon after that he
can leave the incubator into a big boy bed! We are hopeful this will
happen soon.

We are trying to not get our hopes too high for a quick departure but
the Lord has been so gracious as to allow no set backs so far. He is
more than able to keep sustaining our little boy and we trust in
whatever He has for him.

Our "neighbor" left today and I almost cried for them, what an
exciting moment to see! Little Everette has been here for 3 weeks and
his mommy was over the moon. We also exchanged numbers to get together
with our little boys in the near future.
I am praying for boldness to share the gospel with this mom!

Tomorrow my mom will be leaving, being the last relative here these
days. But both grandmas will be back when baby comes home. We have
been so blessed by our family and friends, thank u so much for all you
have done and continue to do!

We continue to rejoice over our treasure and love him to pieces!

Passed out

Look at my funny hat!

Full Belly

Last nite Weston gained a little more weight. He is now 5 lbs. 1.8 oz
and counting! Since he has been digesting well, the doctor increased
his feedings some more today and tonight he bottle fed 27oz and ate it
in under 5 minutes!

He is a different baby today so peaceful and content now that his
little belly gets more in it. It has been so painful to hear him cry
knowing it is because he is hungry! Praise God he is digesting so he
won't be so frustrated. He is also getting stronger and will bottle
feed every other feeding with one breast feeding a day!

This morning we breast fed again and he did so great! The therapist
says he is much stronger than he looks :) so we will try again
tomorrow and hopefully start doing 2 breast feedings a day soon. ( if
he doesn't get too tired)

We have met a really nice couple in the Nicu and have been praying for
eachothers babies. Their little boy was 2 days overdue and inhaled
meconium. He is doing better and hopefully will go home this week!
Chatting today, we discovered that they are looking for a church and
we told them about Grace! We exchanged numbers and once we both have
our babies home, they are going to come check it out! Please pray that
Dean and Kim would find a home at Grace if it is the Lords will.

Good nite!

Weston with his Nani

Listening to mommy

Holding Auntie Leah's Finger

Grandpa

Here is Grandpa Trogan with Weston the day after he was born!

One day at a time

It feels good to be home with some normalcy again. We laid in bed last night reminiscing about feeling my belly move, our favorite activity before falling asleep. I won't hide the fact that there were many tears yesterday as leaving our little guy miles away is the most unnatural feeling. But we are so grateful for how well our little guy is doing and that we even have a little guy to cry about :)

My sister made a comment that has really helped me. She mentioned that if I had gone to my due date, we wouldn't even have Weston yet, so this is like a treat to have him here early with us, even though he isn't home yet.

Today was another encouraging day in the NICU. Babies around us are going home, so that makes us hopeful. I was able to bottle feed Weston again and he is up to three times a day at the bottle. He is still at 20 cc milk but will get more tonight since he is so hungry all the time. We talked with the therapist for a while this morning and she really helped us understand alot about our little preemie. She also talked about the next step in his feeding, introducing breast feeding. She mentioned that I could try and do it tomorrow in the am, but at 11am today I needed to pump and the nurse on duty said , " Why don't you try to breastfeed him now?" I was thrilled! Weston did great for the first time and actually got some milk out with a good suck! The nurse was very encouraging and said that with practice he will be a really good eater very soon! He tired very quickly and finished the rest of his meal by tube and I couldn't stop smiling! Tomorrow we will try again at 11am, this time with the therapist who will really be able to evaluate his progress and help us both out at this very new experience!

Each night Andrew and I read a portion of scripture and last night we started 2 Corinthians. The passage was so fitting and the Lord is so gracious to us.

2 Corinthians 1 :3-4 " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our afflictions so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
How wonderful to have a God that cares and loves us so much to put these words in scripture for us to draw strength and peace from. We have a God that understands and hurts when we do. The most exciting thing to me is that every time my little boy cries, He is there with him even though Andrew and I can't always be.

First family photo!

This was taken tonight after another bottle feeding. Weston has
progressed to 3 bottle feedings a day now(with tube feedings in
between) at 20 cc! Praise God! The nurses have told us that Weston's
fussing is due to being hungry! He wants more than he is being given
which is a good sign. At each feeding he will get one more cc unless
he has trouble digesting. Being able to feed Weston his bottle was so
much fun! Both Andrew and I learned how to do it today. Since he is so
little it requires a different technique and different things to look
for. But he has a great suck now and loves food according to the nurse!

Thank u for your prayers for today. It was so hard to leave our little
boy behind this afternoon, but he is in such good hands. We are so
grateful for the care and love he is getting.

We r both so exhausted so that is all I can write for now. Nite!

Being comforted by daddy

A full belly and snuggles from daddy, what more could you want!

Introducing the bottle

Another day to give praise to God! It is getting pretty quiet around
here which is nice! 12 families were discharged from the floor in the
past 24 hours, so resting has been easier.

Andrew and I both agree that this has been the best 4th of July!
Weston gave us a holiday present today by doing very well with his
first bottle feeding! His sucking has grown strong the past day and a
half as he has become very fond of his pacifier! The pics are of his
second bottle feeding which just took place. He also did very well
again! If he keeps progressing I will get to try and nurse him early
next week. I am praying for this and eager to stop pumping, which
isn't the most natural experience! :) our nurse also let us know that
they have been increasing the amount Weston gets by 1cc each feeding
now. He has been digesting 17 Just fine and should be up to 20 in
the am. To come home he needs to be able to eat around 50. They will
continue to bottle feed twice a day and use the tube for the other
feedings.

Well our little guy is starting to show signs that he might be a fussy
baby :) He gets quite upset if his pacifier is removed or if he isn't
situated just right! But both Andrew and I were blessed to be the only
ones that could sooth our little man today, despite the nurses
efforts. It was neat to feel like we could help in some way as most of
the time we are outsiders looking in on the care of our baby. I didn't
anticipate feeling helpless and somewhat useless, but the nurses do
everything they can to bring us in on his care. Please pray for us in
that as it can be hard to not know what is best for your own baby.

Another prayer request would be for tomorrow. I am being sent home
which is great, but it will be so hard to go home with an empty car
seat for the time being. We can be here as much as we want and plan to
be with our baby as much as possible, but the nights away from him
will not be easy! But God's grace is sufficient for us and we will
trust in Him.

Thank u to my friend Amanda who posted a comment... I realized that I
never posted Weston's stats!!

He was born July 1, 2009 at 1:31pm
He weighed 5lbs 4 oz and is 18 1/2 inches long. He has lost a little
weight since then, but is doing great!

Good night and happy 4th to everyone!

Kangaroo Care

Today was really good! Weston is eating more and digesting it well. He
is up to 12cc and needs to get to 15cc at each feeding. Yesterday he
was at 10. My favorite part of today was talking with the NICU
therapist and getting to do kangaroo care! It is basically skin to
skin contact which really helps preemies' development ( and mommy to
feel better too!) I felt connected to our baby for the first time
today and fight back the tears thinking about it :) we have also been
so blessed by our families' support and patience in just being here
with us. Only a select few people are allowed to see Weston Which is
difficult. Each day I am amazed by the Grace of God in the life of our
little one. He is sustaining him and keeping him in such peace! We
already love our little boy so much and want to keep him from harm. I
have a new perspective of what Christ did on the cross and how painful
it must have been for our Father to put the sins of the world on His
precious innocent Son! Wow. We truly do not know the depths of the
love of God. Thank you for praying and for the encouragement from our
dear friends and family members. We couldn't go thru this without all
of you!

Our little miracle!

Weston is doing great! Thank u for all your prayers. It was so amazing
to finally see and hold him again after I was able to walk around. At
1:30 pm I took my first steps post op, it didn't feel too good but I
am glad to have some independence back! I also graduated to a clear
liquid diet which was like a feast compared to ice chips.
Weston is still being fed by a small feeding tube with formula mixed
with my colostrom and had been digesting it for the last 3 or so
feedings! So they may increase the amount he gets tomorrow which is
one more step in the right direction. We also got some more answers
today about what it will
Take for Weston to come home with us: he will need to be able to eat
at least 8 feedings in a 24 hr. Period unaided and to digest it as
well. So he may be in the Nicu for a little while but he has already
progressed so much in just one day! Andrew is super dad, going between
the nicu and my bed caring for both of us tirelessly! Weston has
definitely bonded with Andrew too, when he put his hand on Weston he
was so peaceful and looked straight into his eyes! It was so precious.

First pacifier!

Prayer Request

Weston is having a hard time maintaining his blood sugar, so he has
been moved to the Nicu. He is doing good, but I miss him! We r not
sure when he will come out, but we hope it will be soon. I had a
spinal for the surgery so I won't be walking until tomorrow. So that
means I can't see him until tomorrow! But the Lord is giving me
strenght and peace and we r so excited to be parents! More updates to
follow.

Right after birth

Here is Weston snuggled up with me in the recovery room!

We r in!

I am all set and ready to have this baby! Didn't get much sleep last
night, but didn't go into labor. God is so good. We will keep u
updated as we can, but everything is set to happen as scheduled! Only
1 1/2 hours until we see Weston!