Our Sweet Boy

Joel Sr. and Joel Jr. So sweet! Joel hadn't seen him for two weeks and was so excited to see and hold his little guy.



As of today, Joel Frankie weighs 4 lbs. 5 oz. I've already forgotten what 3 lbs. 2 oz. looks like. He gets bigger everyday and is looking so good, and I'm more and more excited about him coming home.

Right now he's doing this thing called periodic breathing, which is where he breathes, breathes, breathes...pauses...breathes, breathes, etc. You and I can pause our breaths, but his tiny body can't handle those pauses. That's why he's been on oxygen the last little while. Periodic breathing is very normal for premies, so don't worry. He does this breathing when he's in deep sleep or when he's nursing. He'll most likely come home on oxygen, which I kind of don't mind.

He's nursing usually 2 times a day and doing pretty awesome at it. It's a little scary when he stops breathing, but we've learned how to get through it. Once he nurses or bottle feeds at every feeding and can get rid of his feeding tube for 48 hours straight, he'll be able to come home. I'm really hopeful that will be next week sometime. We pray every day that he'll reach these milestones of eating and breathing better so he can come home soon.



Isn't he such a cutie!