Packing on the pounds....err, grams :)

Drake had a great weekend! Yesterday he finally regained the weight he had lost after being born and is back up to a beefy 3 lbs 9 oz.  After slowing down his feeding schedule and allowing his stomach to learn to digest the larger volume he is back on track and his feeding amounts are increasing again! After he successfully completes the schedule this week he will be fed according to his weight. The next challenge for him to tackle will be learning to eat all of his feedings through a bottle and not rely on the feeding tube at all. This is going to take some hard work (and energy!) on his part. Currently if he is awake and alert when a feeding begins the nurse attempts to give him a bottle to start. He usually only eats around 4 ml from the bottle of a 20+ ml feeding. After that he is usually exhausted and falls asleep. Getting him to bottle feed all of his feedings is probably going to be our biggest hurdle to getting home, so we hope he is up for the challenge!

 Drake enjoyed some visitors this weekend! Grandpa Anderson visited Saturday afternoon. Drake was kind enough to wake up for just a short time during his visit, but then it was back to dream land.

This weekend was also the first time that I was able to feed Drake from a bottle. It's going to be a learning experience for all of us. There is a definite technique to getting a preemie to stay awake and eating - it's still a work in progress for us as the picture below shows him snoozing just minutes later with no more interest in continuing to eat :)

Drake also got in some great cuddle time with Daddy this weekend. The doctors encourage kangaroo care (holding Drake skin to skin) as often as he can tolerate it. Drake seems to love it and is able to maintain his temperature out of his bed when he is snuggled up to someone. It's amazing to see how his breathing pattern is always so constant and steady when he is held like this.

We are so excited by his progress, even when it seems like he takes one step forward and then two steps back with his feedings there is still overall movement in the right direction. I know he will never remember this ordeal (thankfully!) but I'm so proud of him for being such a trooper. Being poked daily for blood draws and having a tube down your throat and in your chest cannot be comfortable and I always pray that he isn't in any kind of pain.

We know another little guy who has also been through too many pokes and hospital stays. My friend Alicia has been a great support to us during this whole ordeal, her little guy, Kane, also spent time in the NICU in Peoria. I ask for prayers for her family and for Kane today as he is back at the Children's Hospital today for a surgery that will allow the doctors to take a closer look at the layout of his heart to determine how to treat him best in the future. I have always admired Alicia's strength and how she handles all the curves that are thrown her way with such grace. If you want to follow this little guy, and know specific prayer requests they have you can follow him at http://ajnwheelerfamily.blogspot.com/  He is one adorable little guy with the best head of hair I've ever seen on a baby and some stunning baby blue eyes :)