Happy Due Date!

Keller is no longer measured gestationally! He's now a full term baby and has an adjusted age of 0. It only took us 104 days to get here! I'm really not that bitter...I'm actually for the most part doing well. Well, actually kind of feeling fabulous right now, but cautiously fabulous. You see Keller is now off of oxygen. I was afraid to say anything because I wasn't sure if he'd really stay off this time. He had gone off once only to return to 1/64 but he's been off for a whole week and he is doing great! The second and final try happened by accident. He kept pulling his cannula down and into his mouth so when the nurse went to double check his weight from the night before she took off his oxygen planning on putting it back on afterwards. During his weight check he woke up and decided his was madly hungry so she quick dressed him and handed to me to nurse. Once he was calm and eating I noticed that we had forgotten to put his cannula back on and he was sating at 100%. So we decided to let him eat and then we'd put him back on if he needed it. He didn't and hasn't. I guess he knew something we didn't. This has become a bit of a theme for him....
Yesterday, right before I got here he pulled his feeding tube out. Since he was once again starving (it had been about 2 1/2 hours since he last ate after all!) we thought we'd just see if he would be able to take a full feeding by mouth and he did!!! 46cc by breast and 30cc by bottle. Ummm...for those of you that don't know that's kind of a big deal. Once he can take all of his feedings by mouth consistently (& doesn't have any events) he can come home!!! He has been tube free for the second day now and is doing great! We're so close! I've been nervous about getting too excited because I don't want to get really disappointed if he ends up staying longer than expected. We haven't been given any dates so I can't tell you when he's coming home so please don't ask. It's hard on us to have people constantly asking us when he's coming home. Soon. That's all we know but we can see the light and it is close! Trust me when I say that everyone will know when he's coming home. We will be singing it from the mountain tops!
Since he's so close and my mom is going to come help me with Kell and the boys she has started coming in for bottle training. It's totally different than feeding a full-term baby so there is technique and a bag of tricks involved. Last night was not only her first bottle training session but also her first time holding Keller. She did a really good job for her first time. She was so nervous that she was hardly breathing and didn't look comfortable at all. Kell wasn't too sure since she was so nervous so he didn't eat, but tonight she's like an old pro and he's chugging down his bottle as I type this.
Micah and my mom will be in charge of bottle feeding because we want Keller to think there is only one way to get food from Mama. Pray that he continues to nurse and that my supply will increase with his needs. My supply has been a struggle lately and it's been really tough on me.

Thank you all for your prayers & support!
Lots of Love,
Shelly

Praises:
Off oxygen
Eyes are mature! No surgery!!! Wahoo!!!
Keller was tongue tied and had a procedure to correct it today and it went well.
Taking his feedings well.
8lbs. 9 oz.
52 ½ cm long

Prayers:
Continued growth
Feedings continue to go well
Milk supply increase!

*New picture will come later....the wireless here is taking forever!