82 days and counting

3-26

Sorry folks it's Micah here giving the update today so today's post won't be as witty as usual but beggars can't be choosers so here it is.
Shelly and I are hanging out at the hospital today while Grayson and Asher at school.  At the moment Shelly is giving Keller his breakfast.  I am sure you all know what this means by now.  Keller is doing good he is gaining weight.  He is up to 6 lbs 6oz 17 3/4 inches and growing like a weed.  He is a pretty happy little guy only really fussing when he needs something.  Shelly and I are so grateful with his temperament as we listen to other babies down the hall who are constantly crying.  It must be so hard for those other parents listening to their babies cry and not being able to make them happy.  We feel blessed.
As Keller has been been doing better and better on his day to day goals Shelly and I have been looking into the future to try to figure out what it will be like once he gets home.  The doctors and nurses have been prepping us for what it will be like having a baby with chronic lung disease living at home.  For the next two years Keller will need to have a bit of a sheltered life.  This means no daycare or church nursery for 2 years and limited time around other people and kids.  This will be quite a shock to the Dolen household as we are always doing things with friends and family and lots of other kids.  The doctors tell us that once he is two his lung material should have regenerated itself and will be more immune to infection.  Up until that point he can easily get infections that could lead to hospitalization and major set backs in his lung development.
 
We are proud of Keller and will want to show him off to everyone but we will have to wait for a while for his safety.  We know all of you are also anxious to see him in person.  As of this morning our blog had 39,199 views from all over the world and I am sure all those viewers would love to pinch his chubby little cheeks but patience is the key word here.  Your time to pinch will come.
Speaking of patience Keller was born 82 days ago and we have been at Evergreen for the last 89 days.  We are still hopeful for a mid to late April date to show Keller what North Bend looks like but we will keep waiting until the doctors give us the OK to leave.  Until then we know he in in great hands with the Evergreen NICU staff.  They are an amazing group of people.
Shelly and I are both getting a bit tired but we will keep pressing on as we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  We want to thank you all for all of your love and support.

Micah