Elijah is Surprising Everyone

Elijah seems to be surprising everyone who is working with him. We had an occupational therapist work with him today and she was very pleased with him. The doctor finally saw him awake today and she was also very pleased. When she left us today, she said, “That made my day!” Her saying that made my day as well. And his nurse said she was surprised by the progress that he has made so far and so fast. I am so pleased that he is doing so well. It is such a testament to God answering prayers.

So what did Elijah do today? He took his first bottle and did it very well. The occupational therapist came at noon and worked with him to get him to eat from the bottle. She seemed surprised at how well he took to it. She had met him yesterday, but it was during one of his conked out times. He was wide awake and alert for her today. He bottled 31cc and she said that she would have been happy with 10. Everyone seemed very excited about his progress. I guess I expect nothing less than fantastic progress from him. I’m his mom and I know what he can do and I know what God can do.

The lactation consultant visited me again today, but Elijah was sleeping when she came. She did suggest a video for me to watch and that really helped me. I watched it twice so that I could really get a feel for what it was trying to teach me. We got to try nursing at his six o’clock feeding and we did do a lot better. It was really encouraging. I actually got him to latch on well and suck and swallow. Yes! We can do this thing. And again, the nurse seemed surprised and pleased about how he did.

Tonight we are getting to stay at the hospital. We have a parent room and so it’s really great that we don’t have to go home. Right now I’m listening to the nurses shift change summary and it’s wonderful to hear them say how great he is doing. When the one nurse told the other one that he did 31cc for his first bottle feeding, she said, “Get out of town!” Life is good.

Elijah is waking up for every other feeding. He just woke up at midnight and we got to try nursing again. He did great. We’re getting the hang of it, we just need more practice. Andy and I really need to go to bed. We’re in our sleep room now and we’ve asked the nurse to call us if he wakes up in the night. It’s nice to feel like “real” parents. Please keep praying that he will continue to wake up more often, learn to eat quickly, and have a complete recovery. We know that God is giving us strength and the prayers help. Good night! :)

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