It's almost been a week

We have been home almost a week. Things have been going really good. It took a few days of being tangled up in monitor wires and having to get accustomed to not being very mobile in the house to really get comfortable. I wouldn't say we are COMFORTABLE as in not cautious - we are very cautious about everything we do and everything Kadin does. It's just gotten a little easier for us after almost a week...

We have 3 "stations" set up for him in the house. One is in our bedroom where he has his baby bed (Thanks to Dane and Codi Canning, they sent us home with it when we went to Oklahoma for my 20th HS reunion!) - the 2nd station is in the family room where the kids play video games, it's just between the living room and the dining room/kitchen so it's a great central location for me to sit and feed him and be able to talk to anyone who isn't in a bedroom - and the 3rd location, we set up the pak n' play in the office since probably beginning this next week I will be working in the office! The concentrator is located centrally in the house (the laundry room) and the tubing goes anywhere in the house ... we just have to move the monitors when we go and that is no trouble now.

Kadin had his first pediatric appointment and the Dr. said he looks WONDERFUL. He is growing just like he is supposed to. It's strange to think about, but even tho he was born on November 3, being in the NICU is like an artifical womb ... he really doesn't start on the right path until he is term, or around his due date, so really, it's like we have a week old baby right now. He is 4 months old, but of course he wasn't supposed to be here and we had to finish growing him! It makes perfect sense and I don't think of him as 4 months old because he is so small like a newborn (tho he weighs 8 pounds and 8 ounces!) So we look forward to all the developments he will accomplish soon...

Early Childhood Intervention is coming to the house in a couple of weeks. They will get people to come out to the house to monitor his development - occupational and physical therapists and maybe even later speech therapists. I am familiar with these types of programs from when I owned and operated my daycare in Breckenridge ... several of the children I kept had a need for these types of services and I loved watching the children and their therapists. I learned how to help them individually do a lot of things also ... very interesting.

The Dr. told us now to just feed Kadin when he is hungry, give him as much as he will take - he will know when he has had enough and he will probably sleep better and longer with a full tummy. It has worked. I even thought "He is sleeping too long" but when he woke up he was ready to eat and then stayed awake for quite awhile just playing and interacting with us.

The kids have been so wonderful with him. Robbi calls him her "Little Prince" and Kota loves helping with everything we do with the baby. He helps feed, change diapers, change clothes, turn off beeping monitors, make bottles, YOU NAME IT ... that little man is RIGHT THERE helping! He even brushed Kadin's hair tonight while I fed him and when my hand would get tired, Kota would have a turn holding the bottle while I brushed. Tonight is bath night so Kota is also eager for that moment....

We were able to get some much smaller oxygen tanks from Oxycare in San Angelo. That will help greatly with any traveling we do ... especially the running the kids to school real quick in the mornings. Lugging that big ole tank around to go 1.5 blocks ... I was kinda not wanting to do that!

So, that's my update for now ... I hope you all are healthy and happy and full of blessings. I have to go feed the baby and try to get some sleep. I have had a headache for several days from a lack of sleep .. that's just what happens to me - ugh! Have a great weekend . . . .

Love,
Leslie