One Month

Time seems to fly by as you get older. We blink and Dexter is now a month old. Parenting has both it's ups and downs, but definately more ups. I've been able to catch a fleeting glimpse of some intentional smiles from Dexter recently. They're so fleeting however that you wonder if you actually saw them. He is holding up his head very well and is not as scared to roll from his stomach to his back.

Staying at home and not working for this short period of time has been absolutely wonderful. Tummy time on the floor beats working any day. Dex and I have been trying to get out a few times a week, even if it's going through the drive through. The trips to the store have been the most interesting. If the car seat doesn't quite latch onto the cart then you have to get two carts. Even though you have two eyes that look in the same direction, you somehow have to keep one eye on the boy, and the other on the task at hand (the eyes in the back of my head are still developing).

Dexter and I have also had the opportunity to visit with friends and recently went to a family reunion for James' side of the family. What a great day we had... until the end. The little guy was absolutely exhausted (he slept all day so I don't completely understand why he was so tuckered out). I can definately say his lungs are fully developed and working great!

Our family is looking forward to going camping in September (with the Ballast side) and again in October (with this Shinabery side). I've been slowly going over what we'll need for the trips and am absolutely astounded at the amount of stuff we'll have to tote with us now. I continue to remind myself that if we forget something there are plenty of stores that carry almost everything.

I'll get some pictures up soon.

The Orchestra

Dexter has become an accomplished conductor. When he gets hungry, or excited this is what occurs...

Dexter is already showing great progress in his development. He follows movement with his eyes, he crains his neck to find mommy when he hears her, and has been holding his head up for several minutes at a time.

He is doing well in all aspects. The suspected case of Jaundice turned out to be nothing, at least nothing the doctors would label as jaundice. He still shows some lingering yellowish tints, but they are going away. He is sleeping great and has had a few 4 hour stretches. He eating patterns are somewhat of a mystery however. James and I have begun calling him a lazy eater. He'll eat for 5-10 minutes and be fully content. If you wait an hour however you'll find a screaming kid who is too worked up to eat, but is famished. He also gets hiccups at least every other day. Poor guy, they wreak havoc on his whole body.

We had a two week visit at the Doctors office for our little guy. He is doing very well and the nurses couldn't get enough of him (I sometimes wonder if they do that for everyone, which doesn't make it as special as it should be- oh well).

We found out today what the percentile measurements mean- 50% is average, anything above that is larger than average, and anything below that is smaller than average. For his height he is the 60% percentile, 23% for his head size and a measly 9% for his weight. The weight didn't seem to be that big of an issue because he gained a full pound since leaving the hospital (he was expected to gain a minimum of 1/2 lb.) I suppose the label of "lazy eater" has been missplaced.

Please Pray

We appreciate your continued prayers for the two families mentioned in a previous blog entry.

Please continue to pray for the one family as they have lost their little one. After being taken off life support the little one passed away in her mothers arm.

As for the other family... on the 30th we received word the newborn was breathing on her own, but there were concerns about brain damage from lack of oxygen. This however is not the case today. The baby has slipped into a coma and is not expected to regain consciousness.

My hormones are all over the charts right now after giving birth to my own precious one. Every time I think about these families I can't hold back the tears. Please pray for the peace that passes all understading.