Happy 4th of July=Happy Birthday, Aaron!

It has been a busy weekend! Papa and Mimi were in town, we went Granny's house for a bbq, and we watched the fireworks! We also made a special trip to IKEA to get Isaac's new bedroom furniture so that we can start getting the house ready for Aaron!

Today is Aaron's three week birthday! Three weeks ago, I definitely experienced some moments where I wasn't sure we would still have him here at this point, but God has brought healing into his body, and he continues growing and improving! He is above his birth weight now, and instead of all the fluid (which he lost), he has a positive weight gain; he is 4 pounds, 13 1/4 ounces!

When I went to the hospital yesterday, the nurse told me that Aaron had taken two full feedings with his bottle, one the night before and one that morning. I was there during two of his later feedings, and I was able to bottlefeed him, although he only took about half of each feed. It's fairly easy to see when he gets too tired. At one point, he actually stopped breathing; all of his alarms were going off! Fortunately, one of the nurses had warned me that this might happen a few days before, so I was prepared and knew precisely what to do to remind him that we like to encourage breathing :)
Tonight when I went to see him, I was able to give him a bath again. I was much more confident tonight than the first time, but apparently each nurse has a specific way she wants you to do things because tonight's nurse kept telling me to do things a different way than the one from a few days ago. It's really like learning to be a mom all over again! Some things have to be done differently because Aaron is a preemie, so lots of direction is appreciated, even if it does occasionally make me feel inept:(

Cuddle time is my favorite time of the day. I get to talk to Aaron, sing to him, pray for him. He is a precious gift!

As you continue to pray, please pray that his feeding keeps improving. Also, please pray that no diseases or disorders of any kind are found and that Aaron continues to develop as he should!

Some of you have asked about the other baby I asked you to pray for. Unfortunately, I will be unable to follow-up on this due to privacy issues, but I do know that there are about 57 babies in the unit right now, some more needy and critical than others, and they and their parents could all use your prayers. We serve a BIG God, and He is more than able to touch each and every one of these babies and families. It is my prayer that I will be a vocal support to the parents that I meet and that I will speak boldly about God and His great love for them! Perhaps that is part of the reason Aaron is there; I want to walk His paths! Thank you for walking with me!