1 month old today

Today is officially Ryan's 1 month birthday! Hard to believe it has been a month already since his arrival. He had a busy day despite the rainy weather. This morning we took him for his hearing test, which is not done in the hospital on newborns. He passed! And then we went to the Dr. for a check up and he is growing on track like a weed. He is now 6 pounds 12 ounces. He is also now 19 inches, two inches longer than his birth. He goes back in a month for shots, and next week for the snip snip...poor baby.. Then while he was still alert and awake he went and had his passport pictures taken, which are adorable by the way.

Aunt Amanda, Uncle Michael and cousin Cara are down visiting for the next few days. Cara enjoys her cousin and when she got up this morning and was looking for the baby. It is nice to have extra hands to help out.

Photos

Mommy and Daddy

Yesterday we took Ryan on his first town adventure and went to pick up his birth certificates. This is the first step in obtaining his passport to go visit all his friends and family in the USA. We also tried to get his passport photos taken, but he was so comfy in his car seat we could not wake him up. We will definitely need a plan B next time. Today we enjoyed a lazy day relaxing at home doing the usual, eating, sleeping, and pooping! Lots of diapers.

Chillaxing

Ryan has now been home for three days and is adjusting nicely to his home. He has been pretty content and sleeping well. His schedule includes a wake up at 3:45 or 4 AM feeding and then another around 7AM. So its not a constant up and down. He is enjoying his new toys, including the bouncy chair and swing.

Ryan's Grandma C was down visiting for the last 10 days, and extended her trip an extra two days to enjoy him at home- she left yesterday. Our next visitors, Aunt Amanda, Uncle Michael and Cousin Cara arrive next week for a few days! We can't wait for them to meet him.

Homecoming!!

Today Ryan was discharged from the hospital after almost 3 weeks there. He will be 39 weeks on Monday. We arrived this morning, had our infant CPR class and then changed him and brought him home.

Today they weighed him an he is now 5 pounds 15 oz. Almost 6pounds!! He is eating like a little piggy..

So glad to have him home and enjoying his new toys and clothes.

No more wires and tube

Today, was another fabulous day for Ryan. My mom and I arrived for his 9AM feeding and he was sleeping, however he did not have the 3 monitor wires on him, and he also had the feeding tube removed! I was so excited! Ryan had all oral feeds last night, and today he did really well. Now he is just on a small monitor for his 02 levels which are always really good, and is being fed on demand, not a schedule. He was also moved to the regular nursery today, not the special care nursery....a graduation and one step in the direction out the door!

Andrew and I have a infant/ child CPR class scheduled for Saturday morning, and he can probably comer home right after that!!! Such good news to hear.

Yeah for Ryan!

B is for Belly Button and Bottles

Ryan has been progressing well with his feedings. He has been taking the bottle for every meal today and eating it like a champ! Hes a hungry little guy for 5 pounds 10 oz already. He has been gaining 2 oz every two days from the weighing schedule. Ryan's belly button cord has officially fallen off today. We have decided NOT to save it. So basically once he can feed for 24-36 hours without the feeding tube then the nurses will take it out. And with no feeding tube, then the monitors can be turned off as well. Slowly but surely he will be disconnected. Andrew and I have to take a infant/child CPR class or refresher with the hospital before they will let him come home with us. Which we think is great.

More pictures to come, we were hoping the next set would not have the feeding tube in them.

Oral Feeding

Ryan was so good today! We arrived around 11:30AM for his feeding at 12, and spent the afternoon with him. He had a lovely nurse, who helped us with his breastfeeding and he really has picked up on the idea of boob equals food. He feed really well on the breast, sucking away and very interested. Afterwards we had brought in one of his Dr. Brown bottles with a slower nipple and he gobbled down his bottle. He then repeated the same pattern for his dinner feed at 6pm. I am feeling more relaxed about the breastfeeding techniques and holds for him, and he seems to respond well and is relaxed for feeding time. We hope to keep this pattern up for the next few days which is one major hurtle to overcome in getting discharged. Go Ryan Go...

Grandma Clutsam visits

Today Ryan's Grandma "C" or Clutsam flew in to Bermuda to meet him for the first time. After arriving early on her flight, with a whole suitcase full of baby gifts we headed over to the hospital. Ryan was asleep on arrival, but without waking him we moved him to grandma's arms for an hour or so for a meet and greet. He was very happy and relaxed in her arms. Grandma C was able to watch him get changed, and fed which made him very alert and then drift back into sleep for the night. He is going to really get to know her over the next week or so visiting. Hopefully some of the time at home, but the doctors and nurses don't make promises, they just stay optimistic.

Ryan is still off the Oxygen, and taking some of his feeds orally by the nurses in a bottle. He is for the most part a relaxed baby with no real crying times. He fusses if he is hungry, and has been eating really well. Our next step is to get him off the feeding tube and on to all oral feeds. He has also gained a whole 1/2 ounce past his birth weight. Progress.....

Bath time

Ryan had a great day yesterday. I got to change my first diaper on him, and as I was cleaning up his bum, he proceeded to pee over his head and all over the back of his plastic "cot" that he stays in now. He has graduated from the special exam bed he had spent the first 5 days on to a regular nursery cot that the babies get wheeled to their parents on. He is still on just a trickle of oxygen, but are working on weaning him off. Yesterday we were able to try breastfeeding with him, and he did pretty well. He did not freak out or fuss to much, but it sure made him sleepy. Ryan was able to have visitors, and Mike and Denise Watkins stopped by to say hi. Around 6PM he had his first bath, all on video so I can remember what to do when its my turn. As you can see Ryan has enough hair for a mohawk! He was also pretty calm during the bath, and fell asleep shortly after. Wow...what a week of great milestones.