Chillin at Three, Feelin Free

Hey, everybody... thanks again for checking in. Sorry we missed a day, I know some of you worry (because you let us know pretty quick!). Rest assured Doug is still doing well, now FREE of that C-pap and its big tubes that were held on with all that tape across his face. This was a great surprise for us yesterday morning, and sweet Whitney Hadwin was there to enjoy it with us. Douglas is now on the last and lowest of the breathing support, a nasal cannula just like any of us might wear in the hospital. It's still taped on with some round band aids that keep his little face scrunched up, making those sweet cheeks even puffier, but the important thing is we can see him! We can see his whole face, and he can see us. He's looking around a lot more when he's awake now, since before he mostly saw those giant tubes and little else.

He did lose a couple of ounces a few days back, right after that crazy jump up to 3.0, but he's now back at that weight and we expect him to start gaining steadily.

He's also doing great with the incubator heat turned down lower and lower, and we expect him to be out of the box and into an open crib next week. These might seem like little things, but once he's out of there and regulating his own temp, all that is really left is for the apnea to stop (usually that wiring that tells them to keep breathing and keep the heart going at all times starts to solidify at 32 weeks, which is next week) and for him to put on some more weight.

Now that he's wearing clothes, Melissa was able to go shopping for him and get him... oh... a DOZEN or so preemie outfits, which was wonderful for her. It really is starting to feel like he's actually going to be coming home before we know it, even though we probably have another 5-6 weeks.

As you can hear from the video below, we also got him a little sound system set up in his incubator so that when he's not listening to stories read by his sisters on cassette tape, he can listen to some classical, some Jack Johnson (prescribed by his mother), and of course some Beatles and even a little Led Zeppelin (prescribed by his father). He seems to like it, as you can see.

In other news, my brother Clint got to go home yesterday, after a month in the hospital. I can't wait to hear his "further tales from the other side" when I see him next. Way to give em hell again, big brother.