first day trip

We went to Cheyenne on Saturday, just to hang out. There wasn't anything to do at home, so we decided to get out and have some fun. We had some coupons for the Sears Portrait Studio so we got some pictures of Brecken taken. He was awake the whole time which really surprised me, he's usually asleep all morning! My sister and her husband and 3.5 month old came over too and got pictures taken as well. Then we all had lunch at Red Lobster, where Josh's cousin Kevin joined us. Then we did some shopping in the afternoon, then came home. Brecken did great. Soon, we'll have to get back to Cheyenne for Josh's cousin's wife to get some pictures of Brecken. Stacey does the most beautiful pictures- I can't wait.

Also Saturday night, Brecken got the hang of nursing! I don't know why he got it all of a sudden, but he did. He's slowly getting better- but it's hard work and he falls asleep after not too long. But that's OK- baby steps. We have to build up his stamina for nursing just like we did weeks ago with his bottle. So he's taking most of his food still from his bottle, but we'll get there. Slowly. :) I know he can do it though. I remember back to Children's where he was only eating 10 ml's of milk from his bottle and it would take FOREVER for him to get it down, and most of the time it had to go down his feeding tube because after about 4 ml's or so, he was just so, so tired. Now he's sometimes eating 100 ml's in one sitting and scarfing it down! What a trooper he is. I'm so proud of him and his accomplishments, and I tell him that every day.

This morning, in the middle of the night actually, while feeding Brecken, I started thinking about those little babies that are probably still in Denver. I think about them a lot and wonder how they are doing. Little Joseph, with the cleft palate (did I spell that even close to correctly?) and the shortened lower jaw who had surgery to lengthen the jaw a couple days before we left for Laramie again, I wonder if he's breathing better. The poor guy couldn't breathe and it would make him panic and then he REALLY couldn't breathe, poor baby. And little Karson across the hallway who was born at 28 weeks, I wonder if his mommy got to transfer him back closer to home like she was hoping to. And little Sam down the hallway, who was also born at 36 weeks and had Down Syndrome, I wonder how he's doing. His mommy is a biology teacher so she and Josh had quite the conversation. I wonder if he's home yet. And baby Gia, whose little cubical had exploded with pink things. I never did find out why she was there. And I will never, ever forget the mommy and daddy of the little baby born the first Wednesday we were in Denver, who was taken off life support 4 days later on Saturday. His station was next to ours in the NICU. His blood was being taken out of him and run through an ECMO machine, to put oxygen back in the blood or something like that, because his heart couldn't do it for him. That poor mommy and daddy, what a hard decision to take your 4 day old off life support. I thank God for my little boy's health. He was certainly sick, but by FAR one of the healthiest babies there. Thank the Lord.

My little man is waking up and is ready to eat- better get to it. It could take a while. :)

Kara