Another busy week on defense

Let's start with Monday, March 16th, Jakey's birthday. Now anyone who knows Jakey knows that he is far from typical and literally marches to the beat of his own drum, one of many. Because of this, it's hard to celebrate his birthday or other occasions with him. Cake? Why bother, won't eat it anyway. Presents? Only really interested in the computer or other electronic devices, not typical fare. Hats? Streamers? Guests? You got to be kidding. No way. Balloons? Now you're on to something.

Our boy loves balloons, totally loves them. So, on the way home from seeing Finn, I stopped at the grocery store to buy him a bouquet of 8 balloons, one mylar with the number 8, another mylar with Winnie-the-Pooh gang wishing him "Happy Birthday," and 6 latex balloons of different colors. I also brought home a package of his favorite glazed donut holes that he hadn't had in a while. And, Jake's birthday was made. He was so happy to have the balloons that he took them to whichever room he was in, even his bedroom. I had to stop him from carrying them into his bed though. Next time I down/upload pics, I'll show you the one with him in bed, balloons floating nearby. Oh, and this day was also Meg's 1/2 birthday; she is now officially 9 and 1/2 years old.

Also, that morning we found out that Finn passed the 5 lb mark -- just barely.

The 17th was also a momentous day. Early in the morning I took Meg to her second orthodontist appointment. Since we were halfway to the hospital, I also took her to see Finn for her second time. Since the first time was the day after he was born, it was nice for her to him without so many tubes and in such a fragile state. She also held him for the first time and loved it. She's going to be the best big sister and is anxious for him to come home. She also commented on how soft his head was with his silky hair. I'll post pics of this too when I can.

This momentous day was not done yet. At 2:30 pm, Finn took his entire feed by bottle, then at 5:30 pm, he took another feed by bottle served by Papa (Brian for those who don't know Walker family vernacular). At 8:30 pm, he rested and took the feed by gavage (tube), but the next two feeds were completely by bottle! That's 4 out of 5 by bottle! The next day, yesterday, he mostly rested, taking some by bottle and some by gavage. And, last night, his weight hit 5 lbs, 7.4 oz! Over one pound from his original 4 lbs, 6 oz -- in 3 weeks.

He's getting there. Now he just needs to eat solely by bottle or boomba (Meg's word for breast) for 48 hours, and then he can come home. We're getting there.

Oh, and me? Tired, oh so, very tired. I'm not picky about location either. Just give me a relatively flat surface, and I'm out ... until I have to pump again. Brian isn't faring much better. He's tried sleeping in Jake's room but now has a sore throat. Maybe allergies? Life is good but never easy.