Still Going Strong

Drew has done so well and has grown so much. He now weighs close to three pounds two ounces. Drew has been tolerating lower settings on the high flow nasal cannula and seems to have tolerated his changes in medicines. Drew is no longer on pain medication and he will soon be off of hydrocortisone. Drew has been getting cuter and cuter everyday. Drew is getting very strong and his cry is so cute but getting pretty loud too. We love Drew so so much, we are very grateful for our sweet little "big" guy.

Big Boy!

Drew is getting big! Well he seems big to us, he is just a few grams shy of three pounds! He is looking so cute and his personality is starting to really take form. Drew loves attention, he loves to squueze our fingers, he loves songs and loves to be talked to. He seems to get bored sometimes and he really doesn't like to be left alone. Drew recently started trying to bottle feed! The first attempt was pretty funny, he slowly swallowed four milliters and then fell asleep. It was so funny, he was exhausted. Learning to take a bottle might take a while, it is a lot for him to learn how to suck, breathe and swallow at the same time. We love watching him try new things even if he doesn't quite grasp the concept right away. We enjoy the process and the funny faces he makes when we introduce new things to him. This week we worked on doing some excercises with him, we gently pressed down on his shoulders, we moved his hips from side to side and we continue to do leg presses. Drew is so precious to us and we love taking part in his growth.

Doing Really Well

Drew is doing really well on the high flow nasal cannula. He is getting bigger and stronger every day. We love holding him every day and we can't believe how much he has progressed in the past month. Drew loves his binky and he loved hangin out with his little teddy bear today. Mommy and Daddy are so grateful for Drew, we love him so much.

One More Step

Today Drew was taken off of CPAP and placed on high flow nasal cannula! He is doing really well and seems a lot more comfortable. Today we were able to hold Drew for quite a while. He absolutely loves being the center of attention and we think that he was trying hard to smile and maybe even giggle a little today. Drew has grown and progressed so fast us but it almost doesn't seem real that we will have him home some day. We get excited just thinking about how wonderful it will be when he can come home, but for now we are enjoying the experience of watching our little guy grow stronger every day. We keep praying that he will continue to progress without any serious setbacks and so far God has granted Drew that blessing. We are very grateful for our son and we love him.

First Bath!

Yesterday Drew got his first bath! Before he got wet they took out his nasal prongs and feeding tube, and they also took off all of his monitor leads. We finally got to see our precious little guy without any of the tubes or wires! He looked so cute and his facial expressions had us all laughing. He would squeeze his lips together and his mouth looked like a little cheerio. Drew loved hanging out in the warm water. He was trying hard to smile, it was the cutest thing and he absolutely melted our hearts. Drew did so well trying to breathe on his own, we held the flowing oxygen mask close by his face so that he could inhale the air that had a high concentration of oxygen. He had to work pretty hard to breathe but he did surprisingly well. Bathing him and holding him without the tubes was one of the greatest moments we have had with our son. For the first time we were able to interact with our son without any of the restraints from his life sustaining but restricting tubes. After all of the fun it was time to put the wires back on and put the feeding tube and nasal prongs back in. We weren't there when they put the nasal prongs back in but we heard that he threw a big fit:)Drew has a funny personality and he is not afraid to let you know when he is mad, unfortunately he needs those tubes to live (hopefully not too much longer). Drew is getting so strong and he is a testimony of the power of prayer. Today they were able to place him on straight CPAP. He is no longer requiring the assistance of high pressures and he doesn't need the occasional assisted breaths! We are very grateful to God for his progress. Drew has had wonderfully inspired doctors, nurses and specialists. Thank you to all who have prayed for our son, he is so precious and we love him more than we could ever describe.

Two Months!

Drew had his two month birthday yesterday! He is 16 inches long and weighs two pounds nine ounces! We have grown so much with Drew, he has taught us many invaluable lessons. Drew has taught us to appreciate every moment of this precious life that God has given us. Our family will forever be changed from these experiences that we have had these past two months and we look forward to the joys that we will share with Drew in the future. He is doing well and we have been very blessed to witness his miraculous progress. We love him so so much.

Going Strong

Drew is doing great! He is getting stronger and better every day. These past few days have been wonderful for us. After he was extubated last Thursday we got to hear Drew's cry for the first time! It was so so sweet to hear our son and although it would usually not be a pleasant sound his little cry was music to our ears. He is slowly getting stronger, they were able to lower some of the settings on his nasal IMV CPAP today. Drew is now on full feedings and he is digesting well, he almost weighs two pounds nine ounces. We are so pleased and grateful for his progress, we just keep praying that he will continue to grow and mature without any serious set backs. Drew has shown a lot personality recently and it looks like we are going to have our hands full with him. He has become very social and loves lots of attention. We love Drew more than we ever could have imagined.

One Big Step

Drew is doing so well! We are very proud of our little guy. Drew has been off of the ventilator for 33 hours! Yesterday around 2:00 PM Drew had his endotracheal tube removed and was placed on nasal IMV CPAP. He is growing so strong, we pray that he will keep doing well without the full support of his ventilator. He has had his moments and has thrown a few fits but he calms down with his binky and a gentle but firm hand on his legs and head. Drew loves it when we sing and tell him stories. Today his eyes were wide open and he looked so cute. He is our little hero, we are so grateful for his strength.

First Outfit

Drew is growing and getting stronger every day. Yesterday Drew got to wear his first little outfit! We couldn't believe how tiny the outfit was but it still looked huge on Drew! He looked so handsome in his little onseie and he had a wonderfully relaxing day yesterday. Today Drew did well again and he had his first eye checkup. It is great to see him growing and progressing. Mommy and Daddy get to hold Drew once a day every day! We love the time that we get to hold him and interact with him outside of his isolette. Drew is so sweet and we love him so so so much.

Baby Steps

Drew has taken some big steps and some little baby steps recently. Yesterday was an eventful day for our little guy. He was given the chance to get off of the ventilator and he was placed on a high flow nasal cannula. Drew lasted for about an hour and after struggling to embrace the adjustment, it was decided to place him back on the ventilator which was a smooth transition to familiar territory for him. This was a little discouraging but at the same time we are thrilled that he is getting so close to taking that big step and getting off of the ventilator for good. Drew has made so much progress and we are extremely blessed to witness his strength and God's mercy. Drew has almost doubled in weight since the day he was born and his nutrition now all comes from breast milk which is fed to him through his OG tube that goes in through his mouth and down to his stomach. Today they were able to remove Drew's PICC line which was used as a long term intravenous access line through which he would receive his medications and some nutrition, he will now receive all of his nutrition and medication through is feeding tube! He is looking so good and Mommy and Daddy were able to hold him again today! This was Mommy's third time and Daddy's second time holding Drew. We love him and we are very grateful for the progress he is making every day.

Wonderful Day

Drew is doing great! His feedings are going really well and he is even starting to get a little tummy! Today he was awake for a long time and it was so funny to see his little eyes scanning around the room. Drew still likes to throw a fit every once in a while but for most of the day he did great. Depending on how he does tonight, tomorrow might be a big day for Drew. They are thinking about trying to take out his breathing tube and placing him on CPAP, which would be a huge step for him. It is exciting to see that he is making progress and growing. We are praying that this attempt will go well and that he will have the strength to stay off of the ventilator. Drew is an inspiration to us all and we love him so much!

Getting Better Every Day

Drew is a strong little guy. He is doing pretty well and we have enjoyed this nice stretch of good days. Drew is doing better with his feedings and he is tolerating some lower settings on his ventilator. He has almost doubled in weight since his birth and he looks really good! Drew's favorite night time story right now is "I Knew You Could" and his favorite songs that Mommy and Daddy sing to him are "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" by John Lennon and "Jesus Once Was a Little Child". It is amazing to see how well he responds when we sing and play with him, but he will also let us know when he is tired! Drew definitely recognizes Mommy's voice and tries to pop his eyes open when he hears her. We are so blessed to have him and very fortunate to spend time with him. His next big step will be to get off of the ventilator and breathe on CPAP. We know it will be challenging for him, but we have to believe that he can do it - even if it takes a few tries:) We love Drew so much!!!

Happy New Year

Drew has a lot to look forward to this year. He is doing really well and we are so grateful for his progress. Today Mommy and Daddy got to hold him! This was Daddy's first time and Mommy's second. Drew loved every second that he got to cuddle with us, which lasted for about an hour and a half. We are praying that he will continue to grow and get stronger so that we can have more opportunities to hold our son. They have started feeding him Mommy's milk again and it doesn't look like he has an infection! We love Drew so so so much, he is so sweet.