Idea Of Size

Here are several more recent pictures of Matthew. I tried to put several objects in the pictures to give a better idea of his size (pen, thumb, etc.). Matthew is doing very well and as you can see, resting and growing. He is now just over 4 lbs, 3 oz. and gaining weight (about 7-10 grams) daily. He is in the 56th percentile for wt, and 50th+ for ht, all are progressing normally. As of tomorrow (Sunday, Feb 22nd) he will be at 32 weeks (gestational).

He is back and forth between room air (21%) and 23% O2, as his lungs are also continuing to develop, and is being given caffeine to help remind him to breath at times when he is very relaxed. We are hoping that the remainder of his stay will be as uneventful as possible. He remains big for his gestational age and the nurses continuously remind themselves that he is only 31, and now almost 32 wks.

It feels strange at times, and I will speak for my husband as well, as if we have two lives. One is at the NICU and then the other is at our house. It is still hard to divide the time and Andrew is handling it very well. He has had a rough week with allergy/sinus issues and has been unable to come to the hospital to see his little brother. Hopefully he will recover soon and get a chance to spend some time with Mom, Dad, and Matthew at the hospital. Over all, we are developing a daily/weekly routine that requires every bit of energy and leads to utter exhaustion :) Despite everything, the are sooooo blessed and are soooo happy to have our new addition and our Andew in our lives!!! We are thankful everyday for the two of them, and know that they both have a guardian angel, Alexandra, who we lost previously at 18 wks.