Update on Timothy

Timothy had his weekly doctor's appointment yesterday, and we are so excited about how well he is doing!! His weight went up even more than usual this time (he's now hit the 12-pound mark!) and his direct bili level went down again -- it is getting so close to the normal range finally! He is just doing wonderful here at home -- he's such a good and happy baby and such a good eater these days! He just loves his brother and sisters and is in heaven with all the attention he constantly gets. He has started laughing now (doing those cute little chuckles) and he's figuring out his hands these days -- starting to reach and grab for things -- which gets him so excited! I am just in awe when I look at him and see what a normal, healthy baby he is becoming -- we are so overwhelmed with gratitude for our beautiful baby boy here at home with us this Christmas season!

This is just a fun little video of our happy guy from the other day (sorry it's so jumpy -- Brielle was very excited to be behind the camera!) :)

Brothers

I've been waiting to get my first pictures of these two cute boys together -- Samuel is SO excited to have a brother now!

Family Christmas Pictures

We took these for our Christmas card this year -- I have such good sports around here, always letting me get my pictures that I love!

Christmas Fun

We've definitely been having a fun December around here -- kids make the holidays so much fun! These are some pictures of our family gingerbread house that we made this year and then also of decorating the tree... We let the kids take turns every year in putting the star up, so this year was Colette's turn. (As you can see, doing the star is very hard work -- she was quite worn out afterwards!) :)

TIMOTHY IS HOME!!!!!!!!

Last week was a week we have been waiting and praying for since Timothy was born -- we found out at the beginning of the week (after his bronchoscopy went well with no major issues found) that he was probably going to get to come home, and after 11 weeks in the NICU, he was able to finally come home to us last Saturday -- on Jared’s 30th birthday!!!! It was the best week ever!! And since he has been home, he has been doing AWESOME!! He of course still has some little issues left to overcome (quite the job keeping up with all his medicines that he’s on, but of course completely worth it just to be able to have him home!) -- weight gain and his jaundice levels (caused by the TPN he was on so long) being the most serious issues, and he has been doing so well on his eating ever since he has been home!! We just had the most exciting news today at his doctor’s appointment -- he’s finally had a normal healthy weight gain after this week, and the best part -- his direct bili levels went down by almost half!! There is no way to even explain our relief and our joy at hearing that news today. And what an angel of a baby we get to have in our house these days!! He is the sweetest, happiest, and most good-natured little guy ever -- it is the most wonderful thing in the world to get to enjoy him at home now and see him finally feeling so content and secure and being able to make him so happy… Such a gift that we will never take for granted again -- seeing and having him as a normal, healthy baby.

Our first family picture of 6! (Finally!!) :)


So we had to take a picture of this… :) I have been pumping ever since Timothy was born -- hoping to get to nurse him (another exciting event, making last week the best week ever!) But this is a picture of what our crazy freezer has been looking like, storing all this pumped milk… :) And this isn’t even all of it -- we ended up having to buy another little freezer (obviously due to lack of space), plus all the milk I had stored at the hospital as well… But it all ended up being worth it because Timothy is nursing now!! They let him start having breast milk in the hospital last week, and I even got to try nursing him for the first time, and he has ended up being an awesome nursing baby!! (Who knew it could be possible even after being 2 ½ months old and never having nursed before -- another prayer answered for me!) And he is doing so awesome!! Ever since he has been home, he hasn’t been having any issues with throwing up or even spitting up like he was in the hospital! And apparently he is doing good with weight gain on breast milk now as well!! We are just so thankful! :)

Don't you just love that worried look on his face - as if to say, "Am I really expected to eat all of this?" :)

It was such a neat gift for Timothy to get to come home on Jared’s birthday -- of course the best present he could have wished for!! Such a happy day… One we will always remember! :)

Well, Brielle, Samuel, & Colette had only seen their new little brother one time -- the day after he was born -- before the regulations started at the hospital with no visitors allowed under the age of 15 during flu season… So this was definitely a day they had been waiting for -- to finally get to see their new baby brother!! They were so excited to get to see him again for the first time, and they have been having so much fun ever since, having him in our home now!

We just feel so very blessed right now!!! :)

Our Thanksgiving

We were very excited to have my family come to visit us for Thanksgiving weekend this year!! They were tons of help with all that ended up happening last week with Timothy at the hospital -- again, making it a fun experience for our kids rather than a stressful one! We were very thankful to have them! We ended up going to Golden Corral for our Thanksgiving meal (again due to the busyness of the week), and it was actually a fun little afternoon we had there -- and no mess to clean up afterwards! :)

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Timothy’s first Thanksgiving was of course spent at the NICU, but it was still an exciting day, as we knew it was going to be one of his last ones there!! :) He actually had his carseat trial that day (making sure he doesn’t start de-satting while sitting in his carseat for an hour and a half) -- and of course he passed just fine! :) We also took this other picture that day too -- before we started packing up all his stuff -- to show what his little corner of the world looked like for his first 11 weeks of life… Quite the menagerie he had built up there! Also very exciting those first few days we got to hold him without his pick line and all his cords and wires attached to him...