Got milk?

I can't believe it has been almost a week since I posted the last update, Joshua has made significant progress in the last 6 days!  He had his stomach tube removed last Thursday and after doing well with that, the doctor approved him for feeds on Friday - we were very excited, but also nervous based on how the last attempt went.  Josh started drinking 5 cc's of milk every 3 hours starting at noon on Friday.  He seemed to catch on pretty quick and sucks it down unless he is sleeping (then he requires a little more prodding).  On Saturday, his ration was increased to 10 cc's and even more exciting, he started pooping on his own!  Previously he required a little help from glycerin suppositories, but he is now having "unassisted poops".  We are very enthusiastic about poop around these parts!  Joshua had plenty of visitors on Saturday to witness his milk drinking skills.  And Papa and Gigi came to relieve me on Sunday so I could go home for a few hours to get my car and more clothes, take a shower and a nap, and make sure my cats still know who I am.  The time at home was reinvigorating, but also tough because I wanted to be back here with Josh.  I also had a difficult time being in his room because all I could think about was bringing him home to sleep in his crib and try out his new swing (thank you Aunt Anne & Uncle Wes!).  We will get there and it will be SO sweet!  After being increased to 15 cc's of milk yesterday, this morning he was approved for 20 cc's.  Josh is enjoying adding more and more milk to his daily rations.  Before he was eating, Josh rarely fussed or got upset unless the nurses were poking at him.  Since he started eating, he has gotten a lot fussier because he now knows what he was missing out on and gets hungry before the three hours is up.  I welcome the fussiness (to some extent) because that is what a normal baby does.  Now if I could just convince Joshua to fuss during the day and let me sleep from midnight to 3 am, we would be in business!

Yawning - a frequent activity for Joshua

Oma enjoying time with her new grandson

Proud Daddy feeding the little guy