Big Day! He's officially 34 weeks today.

This is just after I fed him. I wanted to remember his size, in comparison to me.

He looks happy. :) He eats really well: very peacefully. A nurse showed me how to feed a preemie in a way that cuts down on swallowing air and choking.  It's going really well.

AND, today he nursed! He just did it. I have ZERO confidence that I can do it without a lactation specialist there to help me, but at least we have one success. I am SHOCKED that he did it! He's gifted.

He's on the edge of being jaundiced so they decided to just light him up today (billruben was 11.6 and 12 needs a light). Said it'd be hard on him because he couldn't be swaddled, he had to wear glasses. Babys hate it. But, to my relief, he's been completely fine. Watching him actually makes me laugh. He's such an AZ kid - already getting in the tanning bed! So cute!

Look how little he is...

This is how he looked when Blue got back. He looks like he's just chillin.

Notice NO IV in his head! That came out today as well. He gripped my hand and sucked a pacifier as the nurse did the dirty deed. He definitely felt pain a bit, but I am happy that he can be soothed. 

  So he's all bottle or nurse fed now.

Another big milestone- his oxygen monitor, the "pulse oximeter" came off today! That one we didn't want to come off: We like looking at a monitor and seeing his oxygen at 100% or close to it. I told the nurse she really didn't need to take it off, but she insisted he's doing so well he doesn't need it. I told her i feel like he's a gifted child every time I look at it and see him at 100%, well above what was expected of him. It helps me not be nervous about him. She just took it off anyway. :)

So, many many milestones today.

I should add that the lactation specialist wanted to know about his birth because she couldn't believe he eats so well. We said his cord was wrapped around his neck 6 times. She gasped, "So he's the one! He's the one..." She'd heard about him. She told us, like everyone did, that she couldn't believe he's alive. She said she thought her son had the record - 5. Same story - she insisted something was wrong and everyone told her no, he was fine... anyway, that's another story. But she said she's been in the NICU a long time and we should know that we are very lucky. As we still ache for our other baby's, we looked at each other and knew that no one needs to tell us we're lucky. We know exactly how different things could be right now and we are sooo thankful for a repose. So thankful for our little man who's a fighter, who's here and happy, who's healing dark places inside.