*there's 101 days

Today Will is 101 days old!

This is a really quick follow up on Will's feeding, but I'm pretty excited. I think I have mastered the art of feeding Will while preventing any of those spells. I've been told that eating for Will is like running for us- it takes a lot out of him. Since it's important to keep his body oxygenated it helps if I pace him in a very specific way while sucking from a bottle. I've fed him, watched others feed him, and today all of these things clicked. What is interesting about this is that I don't think anyone knew that the feeding technique could change everything so much. Actually the speech language pathologist (SLP) knew, but I don't think she knew it would actually work so well! No doctor or nurse has ever said to us that feeding-related spells were preventable. And by technique, I mean details that include the way the bottle is held, the position of his body, the number of sucks he is allowed at a time, watching his nostrils, the way he breathes, and about ten other small things that make a big difference.

Now I'm going to try to take over feeding Will all of the time. Hopefully the consistency will help him start eating like a pro really soon! I am so grateful for the skills of the SLP that helped me with this today. Overnight he had a lot of drops in heart rate (one of the types of spells he can have) so we were getting concerned. I hope this doesn't jinx our good day of eating and I could come back soon to say something else has changed, but I'm trying to be confident that this is it and we will be taking him home soon.

Yesterday the baby in the room next door got to go home. That baby was born at the beginning of October. I was happy and sad to see them go. Happy because we got the recliner out of their room. Sad because that family has been a motivator for us. Knowing that they have been here longer than us and have had the inconvenience of being away from their home all this time has reminded us that if they can do it, we can do it too. At least Chris & I have been able to go home to our own bed and continue to go to work. The last thing I heard the father say in the hallway was "We'll be back!". This hospital is a strange place. I will be so happy and sad for Will to be discharged. And like that family, we will also be back. 

 

 This comes in handy...Will holds his pacifier for himself:

  

  

 Below is the debut of Will's new mobile! It is attached to his hospital mobile so he can see it well. This is a one-of-a-kind handmade gift from one of Will's young fans who is also a thoughtful friend.

  

 And the most important detail...teeny tiny beads that look like dogs!!

  

 Thanks for thinking of little Will!

Will's pouty face. 

This is Chris' favorite of Will's expressions.

 

More to come soon!