A Josiah Update

Josiah's name tag on his NICU bed. The nurses are so sweet to us and to our sweet little Josiah. They make all the babies their own little name tag for their cribs to "welcome" you to their little family. They have all been a great support for our family.

Dave and I on one of our visits to see Josiah. He is on an oxygen hood in this picture. Because he is having to work a little bit harder than normal to breathe, we aren't allowed to hold him or stimulate him very much. We can touch him, just not rub or try to soothe him (which as his Mommy that is very hard not to do). He LOVES when his Daddy puts his hand on his chest and talks to him. It seems to always calm him.

This morning, about 4 am they got Josiah off his oxygen for a little bit. He was still doing good at 6 so the nurse said we could hold him. WOW!!! What a moment that was!! We had only gotten to hold him briefly after he was born.....But it was certainly worth the wait. He snuggled into me and made everything perfect. I got to hold him for 15-20 minutes then I shared my snuggle time with Daddy. Josiah was equally as happy with either of us holding him. Can't wait for many more snuggle times!!!! He was off the oxygen for about 4 hours then started working a little harder to breathe. So, for now, he is back on the oxygen. The doctor came by today and said that he still has some fluid on his lungs but overall he looks better. No signs of infection or anything, pretty much just early baby lungs. He just needs time to get over the hump-so time is what we will give him! The plan is to keep him on the oxygen for the next 12 hours then try to wean him off if he tolerates it. If not, we will wait until tomorrow and try to wean him. As far as eating, the poor little guy hasn't gotten to eat yet. He is getting IV fluid. If he is not off the oxygen by tomorrow, we will have to decide the best way for him to get nutrition.

And, in case you were wondering about this cute little thing--SHE IS GREAT!! Her and BB are getting along great. She has been such a good girl. It is hard for her to understand that the baby is here, but she can't see him :-( It makes her very sad, which in turn makes here Mommy very sad. But I am sure the day will be soon enough, when she asks if we can return him!!!!

So there you have an update. Thanks for all the facebook messages, comments left here, phone calls, prayers .They are all appreciated. Our days right now consist of taking care of Mommy and spending time in the ICU with Josiah. Time is flying by, but we are thankful to have the time with him!!

Keep the prayers coming, and we will do the same with the updates.