Blessings Abound

I have several wonderful things to share today. First, Lydia went home yesterday! There were several milestones that made this possible: she is only one ounce under her birth weight, she is eating from a bottle, she's maintaining good body temperature, and her biliruben levels are acceptable. I know Rhonda is already worn out from a night of feedings every two hours, but I also know it feels good to have the girls together and the whole family under one roof.

Secondly, Mom has started her much reduced schedule of chemo treatments. She will only have to go once every three weeks instead of three weeks on, one week off. I'm sure that must be freeing. She can't wait to get back to Nashville to help out when it is needed, and now she won't have to worry about being back on Mondays for treatments.

Finally, Sam is a happy, healthy 5 month old who finally weighs 14 lbs. Here's hoping we double his birthweight by his 6 month check-up. Only 10 onces to go in 3.5 weeks. I'm pretty sure we can do that. I know eating solids has helped. He seems to like everything we offer to him - sweet potatoes, pears, avacado, butternut squash, and cereal. So far I am making all of his food (except cereal). I don't know if I'll continue to do that as the volume of his meals increases, but for now it ensures he's only getting natural ingredients, and it saves us money! I've got to get to work on some green veggies for him next.

Sam is very strong and already working on sitting up. I think that will come sooner rather than later. He loves to stand up, too. His favorite activity right now is his jumperoo. He has a rather unusual technique, though. He alternates legs as he bounces. It is so cute to watch, and he really gets the thing going!

Some of you have asked how breastfeeding is going. We are still going strong! I didn't know if we'd make it to three months, and now we're on our way to six months - that was my minimum goal when we started, so I'm very excited. I can't say it always goes smoothly, but it goes smoothly enough to manage. Sam is doing better about taking a couple of ounces of formula from a bottle after he nurses if he's hungry. I don't have to offer that very often, but every few days I seem to have a low supply and need to supplement. He doesn't always want it, but I'm pleased enough with his weight gain that I think we're doing well.


We are also still cloth diapering. Sam is outgrowing his newborn stash, so I have started buying his one-size pocket diapers. We are going with Bum Genius. After trying Fuzzi Bunz, Blueberries, Happy Heiny's and Bum Genius, I think the BG 3.0 fit him the best and seem to do the best overnight as well. The exciting thing is that they are one of the cheapest of the bunch! That doesn't mean they are cheap, by any means, but at least we're not out buying cases of disposables. The question now is, "Will the velcro stand the test of time?" That's one of the complaints on this diaper. Some mommies opt for snap closures, but I'm taking my chances because of the ease and fit of the diaper. I'll let you know how they hold up down the road.

Here are some 5-month birthday pics:





And pics from Saturday morning: