18 days and growing strong ...

Today my little Dominic is 37 weeks gestational age ... and 18 days in the real world!  Amazing how he has grown over the past 18 days.  So big and strong.  So proud of our little man!  He went to the doctor yesterday and is weighing in at 6 lbs 6.5 oz and 19 inches long.  Here is a picture from our car trip to the doctor the other day!!!

Snuggle Time for Big Sisters Birthday ...

Angelique and Dominic spent Big Sisters birthday morning snuggling and bonding.  Big sister has been a great help around the house with Dominic.  We are so blessed to have such amazing children!!

Ready for a goodnights sleep

Dominic ate like a champ and on day 11 gained 1.2 oz. His new weight is now 5 lbs. 14.8 oz. good job little man!

Now to pass the room air challenge so he can come home!!

Day 11

It amazes me everyday how much stronger Dominic gets, yet the nurses seem to freak out if he doesn't eat exactly what the "rule book" tells them my kid should or should not be doing.  Funny the say that the NEED to eat certain amounts and it is what it is, but on the other hand they keep telling me that each child is different!!  Which is it?  Are they all supposed to be on the same plan or are they all different??

We started the new diet of eat what you want when you want it and he gained 1.2 ounces so I guess we will have to see what tonight brings.  I am hoping that we find that he has gained again.  Fingers are crossed because I really don't want to see my little man have to spend to much more time in the NICU.  His Great Grandma's Birthday is this weekend and I would love to take him to the party to show him off to everyone.

Stress is running high through out our family these days and having me and Dominic here at the hospital while Serge and Angelique are at home has been very difficult on us.  I feel torn each day on if I should be at home with them or here making sure that Dominic is being cared for in the way that I see fit.

I find that having a preemie baby has been very hard on the family I just hope that in the end it brings the 4 of us that much closer to each other.

Here are some Day 11 photos in his new outfit from Aunt Cindy, Uncle Eric and his cousins Abigail, Oliver and Gabe.

Day 10 ... A new plan!

Dominic is wide awake and ready to eat!  New plan of action is to let little man eat what he wants not placing a set amount on him each feeding.  Since doing this he has become happier and hey guess what he even gained weight!  When he eats less one meal he makes up for it in one of the following!  Come on Doctors give the little man a little credit!  He knows when he is hungry and when he is not!  Like a nurse said to me you don't want a Thanksgiving meal for every meal!  

Freshly washed hair ...

Today Dominic got his hair washed.  It was looking a little flat and I thought it was time to let everyone see how much curl he has in his hair!  LOVE IT!!!

Day 8 in the NICU

So we have almost made it through day 8 here in the NICU!  Last night was a hard night Dominic hit a plateau with his eating and just couldn't keep going.  We ended up having to place a feeding tube for one of his feedings just to give him a little rest, which then ended up being that he needed more oxygen added again.

Today went well and he ate like a champ again and has been gaining weight!  He is now at 5 lbs 11.2 oz. a little under 2 oz. now from his birth weight.  He has grown an inch over the past 8 days and is a whooping 19 inches long!!

Still waiting patiently for the doctors to tell us that he can come home and be with his family!

Keep sending your prayers our way!