Kaden....

September 23rd- Kaden's corrected birthday! We had fun that day...we did handprints and footprints and measured him...he is 18 inches long!! he weighed 5 lbs. 13.1 ounces....

I have to say it was kind of a strange and also exciting day for me....I would have given anything to have been in labor! wierd I know but honestly there is nothing in life that I have experienced that is more frightening than having such a premature baby and not knowing for sooo long if he was going to make it....He has had to go through soo much and there are more ups and downs than I can even explain. He has had more surgery's in his four months of life than I have had in my whole life...all due to his prematurity. I meet a friend whose son was born the day after Kaden at 26 weeks and we would always talk about how NO one understands truely how we feel until you experience it as a mother....we didn't comprehend what it feels like beforehand....but oh the JOY I feel now to see how far my little Kaden has come. It is undescrible! I hate to say this but any pregnancy no matter how hard...there is nothing harder than seeing your baby struggle day in and out.

Kaden is doing well...he had his hernia and circ today. Things went well and he will recover...than go back to his room at ccn. Then from there it is a matter of getting him to eat more on his own...without the feeding tube and weaning his oxygen more...He weighs SIX POUNDS today!! he is like a real newborn!!

Thanks again for the continued support and love! It means the world to us!

Kaden....

Life in the NICU as we know it....Kaden is still growing.

He now weighs FOUR pounds EIGHT ounces!!

ounces are a huge deal because that just means he is closer to

another pound. He ended up needing eye surgery for what is called ROP.

He did really well and didn't stay on the vent for very long. He is getting to be really popular around here. The doctors fight to round on him and I think it is cute! The nurses just love him...and we can't get enough of him. It will be his 3 month birthday on September 5...wierd I know!

As of right now we are trying to wean the liters of oxygen he is requiring and that will come with time and growth. We are also trying to get him more interested in eating or "nippling" from a bottle. The language in the NICU has become second nature. I have learned so much about the body...about myself...and just life in general.

So...he just needs to keep growing. He will have one more surgery before we leave the hospital. He has two hernias that will be fixed which is very common in boys of prematurity.

We will be moving soon and I am so excited to have a little more room. It is only 100 ft away from our apartment and in the same complex but I am still excited!

Thanks for all the continued support! It means the world to us!