Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from the cutest policeman I have ever seen.

Stick them up

Ready to go trick or treating

He can give me a ticket any day



Happy Halloween!!!

Cute Houston items

I just wanted to share a few cute things I have been collecting for Houston

I found these super cute monogrammed burp clothes on Etsy

My talented friend Beth made these H onesis for Houston

My friend Courtney painted this to go over Houston's crib. It's wood and I LOVE it. It's the same colors as his nursery. 

I am getting excited finishing up his nursery and having him home with us in a few short weeks.

I will do a nursery tour soon. I am having the cushions from our glider re-upholstered, so I am waiting on them to complete the room.

Lucky Ladd Pumpkin Farm

This year we visited a different pumpkin farm about 30 minutes outside of our community. It was a great pumpkin farm and will return next year with both our boys. Here are a few pictures from our fun day.



Happy fall yall

Pumpkin Carving

Tonight Jason and Landon carved the pumpkin we picked out at the pumkin farm.

The best part of carving a pumpkin for a 3 year old boy. The guts!

The finished product



New bed

Last night Houston was able to be moved into an open crib. NICU babies have to be at least 4lbs. 2oz. and maintain their own body heat for a few days before being moved out of the isolate.

Houston in his new bed

Home away from home

I cant believe we have come far enough for him to be healthy and stable enough to be in a well baby bed. As of last night he weighed 4lbs. 5oz. Today he took his best bottle all week. He took 35cc in 20mins and did AMAZING! He did so well that his doctor increased his feedings to 37cc and up to 2 bottles a day.

This afternoon, Jason and I watched two out of the four videos we have to watch before taking Houston home. His doctor told me yesterday that we probably have about three weeks left in the hospital as long as he continues to take his bottle and has to be spell free for five days. So our list of things to do before going home keeps getting shorter every week.

Just keep praying Houston continues to take his bottle well and our check off list of going home keeps getting shorter.





No oxygen

Look ma no oxygen

Today Houston was taken off his oxygen and his nose cannula came off. So he is going solo on breathing now. When his nurse took his nose cannula off, for me it was like taking the training wheels off the bike and letting go. You wonder if they are going to fall, hurt themselves or balance on two wheels and go for it. That is how I felt when the oxygen came off. I stayed a few hours after the oxygen was removed and he did just fine with no problems breathing what so ever. So lets pray he continues to do well without oxygen.
Also they have started turning the inside of his isolate down in temperature so his little body can adjust to being outside of the isolate and ready for the crib. He will more than likely be in the open crib by the end of the week. ;o)
It's amazing how far we have come compared to the time we have let in the hospital. What a ride we are on, but I would do it all over again for this sweet angel.



I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

Philippians 4:13

Houston is 6 weeks old; 33 weeks gestation

Today our miracle baby is 6 weeks old. Really 6 weeks? Have we been on this journey for that long? I'm pretty sure we are more than half way to getting home.  ;o)

Here is what Houston has been doing in the last few weeks bullet style

• Weight: 4lbs 1oz.
• Length: 16.5"
• Only 1oz. till he can be in an open crib and out of the isolate. He averages weight gain of an ounce a day
• He had an eye exam today and it went so well and his vision is so good that no other eye exam is needed
• Takes 35cc per feeding (30cc in 1oz, so hes eating a little over 1 oz every 8 hours)
• His oxygen is down to .3 per 1 liter. Only .3 down more to go and hes off oxygen all together ;o)
• He has two primary nurses. When his nurses are on shift they will always be on Houston's bedside until he goes home. Jason and I really liked these two ladies and feel the most comfortable with them taking care of Houston. So we asked them to be his primary nurses and they both accepted. We really LOVE them both. It makes us feel better about leaving him with someone we completely trust with his medical care.

And the BIG news today is after 6 weeks I was able to feed Houston his 1st bottle. I walked into the room today and his nurse said "I have a surprise" and she told me that he is doing well enough to eat from a bottle. She probably thought I was crazy because I started crying. This is a BIG deal in the NICU world.

He gets 30 minutes to eat his 35cc. He did amazing!! He ate about 25cc of the 35 without any problems and no decrease in his heart rate or his oxygen levels. It took him the whole 30 mins to eat the 25cc, but for his first bottle he did amazing. I am so proud of him and so proud to be his mommy.

This week he will only eat 1 bottle per day. If he continues to do well this week, then next week he can take 2 bottles per day. Every week they increase the amount of bottles he will take until he is on full bottle feeds and does not require an NJ (nose tube).

And for fun, here is me feeding Landon for the first time in July 2008 during his 2 week NICU stay

 Landon; July 2008. Landon and Houston look so much a like

Remembering Maddie

I have been following this blog for several months now, http://kandjstaats.blogspot.com/. Their daughter died of SIDS in February and today would have been her 1st birthday. My heart goes out to her parents and I just cant imagine what they are going through. So in honor of Maddie, her mother asked her followers to wear pink on her 1st birthday. So today I wore my pink and prayed for Maddie and her family.

I pray for all the mom's out there who have sick children or children who have passed away. A parent should NEVER have to bury their child. Her story has helped me be a better mom and not take our children, our loved ones or ourselves for granted. As a mother who has a child currently in the hospital, I am so grateful and thank God everyday that he is here with us, healthy and thriving and will come home in just a few short weeks. Thanks Maddie for being our children's guardian angel.

Wordless Wednesday

Were in clothes

Yesterday Houston weighed enough to wear clothes. He weighed in at 3lbs. 7oz. as of yesterday. Here are a few pictures of me dressing him and in his first outfit

Isn't he ADORABLE!! Someone get me a spoon because I could just eat him up.

Landon's 3 year pictures

Landon turned 3 in July, but I'm just now getting his 3 year old pictures made in October. A tad behind, but do they really change that much in 3 months? haha.

So here are a few snap shots of my handsome boy



Moving on up.....

to the 8th floor that is. Houston was moved yesterday to the 8th floor, which is also called step down. Babies are moved to step down when they do not require serious medical attention. They call them grow feeders, where all they have to do is eat, sleep and grow. We were so ready for a change and so happy he is doing so well to be moved to step down.

This is where we were for 4 weeks

and now we are here till Houston comes home.

I know not a big deal to an outsider, but the rooms are set up differently and its a different view out the window for Jason and I to look out.

Notice the little green drawers to the left? Those are Houston's clothes I brought from home that he is going to start wearing as soon as he gains 1 more ounce. ;o) I stayed up lastnight and washed several loads of laundry and put his name in them. And today I bought the Rubbermaid drawers to organize them and take to hospital. I cant wait to see him in clothes.

And here is our little man just laying around



Bath time

Yesterday Jason and I were able to give Houston another bath

 He really enjoyed his bath time

 Mommy washing his back

After bath and ready for lunch and a nap