Weekend Update

And now for our own version of "Weekend Update"(it's a Saturday Night Live thing)...

Yesterday we started the day hanging out with Lincoln at the hospital (yeah, I know shocker!). April got to hold him for a long time. The Neonatologist stopped by to tell us that everything is still looking good with the exception of his bilirubin count (jaundice)...he was one orange boy! Although he needed to spend more time under the lights, the doctor and nurses encouraged April to spend a little more time holding him because they knew we were going to be gone the rest of the day.

After some good time at the hospital, we drove to Escalon where April was a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding. It was hard to leave Lincoln but we really wanted to be at the wedding and the nurses all told us to go and have fun. The bride (Leslie) is a really good friend and also the one we blame for introducing us to each other :-) It was great to be there and celebrate with Aaron and Leslie (thanks for letting us be a part of your big day, we're excited for you guys!) After the reception we drove back and stopped by the hospital to tuck Lincoln in for the night. Of course he was wide awake...just as he was late at night in April's tummy.

While we were saying goodnight to him, his nurse weighed him and we found out that he's up to 3lbs 6oz. They've also increased his feedings to 12 ml. Good things are happening! It's crazy to look at him and see that he's actually beginning to change and grow into his skin. Hard to believe but he even seems to have a little chub in his cheeks. Keep in mind we're talking about a tiny little boy, but every ounce of fat counts...it's probably more noticeable because he started out so skinny. A little size comparison for you...to give you an idea of how small/big he is, I held my thumb up next to his foot when he decided to stick it in the air. My thumb and his foot = same size.

Today April spent a good chunk of the day at the hospital while I tried to take care of some details here at home. Lincoln's oxygen level was near perfect and it was the first day that he's not had any problems breathing in a while. This is another really good thing...we're praying that his lungs get stronger and stronger every day. Tonight after dinner, we both went to the hospital and I was able to hold Lincoln. The nurses call it "Kangarooing" because you hold the baby on your bare skin...similar to how a mother kangaroo carries her baby in her pouch...as close as possible. They encourage this method of bonding (which originated in Colombia) because it's proven to speed up a babies development and increase preemie survival rates. After we put Lincoln back in his bed, we just sat for a few minutes and watched his little body. It was amazing to look at his little fingers and realize that he's got tiny fingerprints. It's really cool to think that something so small is still so complex. Just another reminder of how awesome Lincoln's creator is.