I want to be just like Mommy!

The LION says "ROAR" (or yawn....)!

SMILE for the camera!

Preparing to go home!

Phoenix is doing very well, now. He is eating between 46 - 50 ml every 3 hours, by bottle. He is using a higher flow nipple, so that he doesn't get tired sucking and he actually finishes his bottle in less than 5 minutes. It used to take around 20 - 30 minutes on the slow-flow nipple and he often got too tired to finish it and would need to be gavaged (fed by tube) whatever was left in the bottle. Phoenix is now 5 lbs. 2.8 oz. In some of the photos, you can really see his face filling out and he's starting to look more "baby-like". He will be measured (body length and head circumference) tonight, after his bath, and I will update it at that time. Last Sunday, he was 18 1/2" long. Some of these photos he was sleeping (or "pretending to sleep") because he does not appreciate the camera flashes! He closes his eyes a lot when the camera comes out! It will be easier to take photos later, when he can be either outside in the sun or in a brighter room, where a flash may not be required. Phoenix had his oxygen saturation probe and cable removed yesterday, since he has been totally off of any oxygen or even room air flow (through his nasal cannula) for 2 days. Now, the only cable still connected is the one with the three leads checking his respiratory rate and heart rate. He of course, still finds ways to get tangled up in those, but it's much easier to maneuver him in and out of the bed and into different holding positions! He does still have his gavage tube in his nose (for those feedings that he refuses to eat -- when he's just too tired). Although, he just pulled that out today (again)! We're learning different positions to hold him in to try to help alleviate the gas he has after his meals. So, fewer wires and cable connections is great for us! His doctor says that as long as he doesn't have any set backs, and continues eating as he does, Phoenix could be discharged from the hospital as early as later this week! The medical staff are basically treating him as a full-term baby, now. They told us to go ahead and bring in his car seat. And, we were told to schedule his first pediatrician appointment. Also, Steph and Lisa will be completing an infant CPR class on Tuesday. All of this news is both exciting and a bit nerve racking! We've been spending so much time at the hospital(s) that we don't even have his room done! We will probably need to go without some sleep in the next couple of days to at least finish painting his room! I want to make sure the paint is dry and has had time to cure before he comes home, so that there are no lingering fumes. Thankfully, Phoenix's Mormor (Lisa's mom) has generously offered to come down from Seattle to stay with us to help with the transition and care for Phoenix. This will help us also, so that while Mormor cares for Phoenix, Steph and Lisa can get caught up on general house work and yard work that has been neglected for a few months, since Lisa was first admitted into the hospital, due to medical complications with this preganancy! Phoenix will be in great hands with his Mormor, whom Lisa refers to as the "baby whisperer"! And, we will surely get some good baby care tips, as well.