35 & 10

Okay so I actually wrote this last Friday and am now only remembering to post it. Sorry! This is my brain these days....
Keller is 35 gestational weeks and 10 weeks old this week. We've been here in the NICU for 72 days. Crazy!!! There are a lot of new babies this week which means lot of new terrified looking parents. That was us 72 days ago. I feel so sad and sorry for them. Babies shouldn't have to come here. They should just all be full-term healthy babies...a girl can dream!
Keller is now 5 lbs. 11 oz. He's still having quite a few desats but he usually is able to get himself back up pretty quickly. At his 11:30 am feeding he nursed and ate 20cc which is just 10cc shy of an ounce. (They weigh him before he nurses and then again right after so they can see exactly how much he ate.)Yesterday he ate 14cc and it took him about five minutes longer. I'm so proud of his progress!
Sadly, Keller's eyes are not doing as well as his feedings. His left eye is now Stage 2 ROP. This has gotten worse in the last two weeks. While his right eye is doing better than his left, it's still immature. Pray for healing and proper growth of his eye blood vessels.
His personality stills seems to be an over all chill dude. He cries when he needs something...diaper change, food, change of position, cuddles from mommy. Even then he usually has just one or two outbursts and then is done. I am so thankful that he isn't a fussy baby. I think it would make all of this so much harder.
Asher is obsessed with the nicknames we have all started calling Keller. He goes through them with me almost everyday (right after he asks when we get to go to the hotel again...the one we went to during the power outage...maybe to celebrate Kell's 1 year NICU graduation anniversary?) I'm sure they will evolve as he grows just as the ones for Asher & Grayson have. So here are this moments nicknames for Keller...
Mommy: Kell, Kell Bell, Bug, Love (I call most kids Bug and Love so that doesn't really count.)
Daddy: Little Buddy
Grayson: KID for Keller Isaiah Dolen
Asher: Killer (even though he means Keller), Kell Bell, My Baby Brother Keller

Prayers: Growth and healing for both Kell's eyes and lungs.

Lots of Love,
Shelly