The Miller Bear is doing well and we are so very encouraged by his recent progress. He seems much more robust and alert than just a couple of weeks ago. And robust he is at 4 lbs., 8.4 oz! We have been bracing ourselves for the weight train to slow down, but homeboy is puttin' on some L-B's! He is now alternating his feedings between the bottle and gavage, and taking his feedings well. This is tuckering him out a bit, but we expect it to. Like we mentioned in another post, we are asking him to do a lot of things right now. This is a picture of Dad helping him muster up a good belch. He rivals Al Bundy, all the Peoples boys, and his very talented Momma when it comes to this...

Tomorrow he will receive his first immunizations. One of the shots will most likely cause a fever, so he is likely to feel a little bit yucky. We have gone back and forth worrying about immunizations and finally decided to go ahead and begin them. We are likely to spread out the ones we can in future.

Another milestone for Miller today...no more caffeine! Today was his last dose. We are hoping he won't skip a beat, but we are prepared for his oxygen needs to go up again for a bit. The caffeine will stay in his system for a number of days, so its effects will dwindle slowly. We are hoping he adapts quickly without much ado. He has been hovering around 21% (room air!) on his oxygen for a few days, so that's where we want to stay. If he can stay around 21% he will come off his cannula and leave oxygen, and that thing that tickles his nose, in the past.

Happy Father's Day to all the Daddies out there! Have a wonderful and blessed weekend.

Love,

Danny & Stephanie

Miller is 7 weeks old today!!! Woo Hoo!!! On Thursday, he will be 34 weeks gestational age. Meaning, he should still be in the belly for 6 1/2 more weeks! He is getting bigger and stronger every day and hopefully he will be able to come home soon. First, he has to prove he can do a few things. He has to be breathing on his own (we're getting there). His oxygen needs have risen a tad bit since he came off of the CPAP, but this is expected. He has to be growing, eating, and maintaining his temp as well. He's definitely growing and maintaining his temperature, and eating is next. His lungs will catch up soon, it's just a matter of maturity. At the moment, we are very encouraged by his recent progress and thank God for every blessing!

Grandma Peoples made some cute baskets for

Miller's laundry. He gets to wear jammies now since his bed is no longer heated-he's a big boy now. Speaking of that, he's 4 lbs, 2.8 oz! He's been gaining weight on a pretty consistent basis for the last couple of weeks but this may slow down because we're asking him to do a lot more these days.

Today, momma fed him his first bottle and he was a natural! It will take awhile before he's taking all of his feedings by bottle or breast, but this is a great big step. He'll still take most of his feedings by gavage for the time being.

Here's his big boy bed. It's draped to protect his eyes from the sun. He has a cute new mobile too, that plays Beethoven, Bach, and somebody else important. We think he likes the music, but he hasn't been sleeping directly on his back (so he probably isn't looking at it). Right now, he's sleeping in his boppy (inside his crib) in order to combat his reflux. He still hasn't been officially diagnosed with reflux, but the nurses seem to think that's what we're dealing with. If that's the case, we hope they'll treat him for it soon.

Mom & Dad are still holding up. We've found a routine that seems to be working, at least until he comes home. We are busy getting his nursery ready (not that he'll be sleeping in it right when he comes home)! Mom spends 5-6 hours a day in the NICU with the new love of her life (in between pumping). Dad is busy bringing home the bacon, but he still gets in 2-3 hours each evening with the Miller Bear. We are counting the days until he is ours, 24/7.

Love to you all-


Danny & Stephanie