Fun times at the Cobb household

Josh has been enjoying being home and getting to meet so of his many admirers. Mommy and Daddy are getting used to the new routine, that thankfully does not involve trips to the NICU everyday.  Now that Josh is home, we are getting to experience the "newborn" phase of having a baby at home and find it both easier and harder then our previous routine of the last 11 weeks. 

Waking up for the middle of the night feedings has proven a bit harder for Mommy then we thought it would, probably because she has been storing up tiredness for the last few weeks.  Thankfully Daddy has been here to help with feeding and allow Mommy to get a bit more rest at night.  Although we had tried to sleep when Josh sleeps, our days have not gone quite like that.  Today was the first time we were able to do that, mostly because we didn't have other commitments to keep up with.

Josh has already had quite a few doctors appointments in the 6 days he has been home.  He has been to see his pediatrician - who thought he was perfect!  Josh does still have a heart murmur that they want to watch for the next few weeks to months and if it doesn't improve we will go see a pediatric cardiologist.  He will also be going to see the pediatrician weekly for the next few weeks to make sure he is continuing to gain weight.  Our next appointment got moved up some because Josh has been having issues with his prilosec and pooping.  Apparently Prilosec tastes just like soapy water (we know, we tasted it) and the taste can't be disguised in anything we have found so far.  That means Josh hasn't had this anti-reflux medication since Thursday.  We are hoping to get it switched to a different medication on Monday.  Josh seems to be having a bit more issues with his reflux, but nothing that isn't manageable while we wait.   He is also having uses with constipation.  The thickener we are using in his feedings can apparently cause constipation.  So our poor little man sometime cries with his effort to have a poop.  We have talked to our doctors office several times and started Josh on karo syrup once a day in his bottle to see how that will help.  We are still waiting for results.

Josh continues to do well with his feedings.  He has been eating quite a bit more since he was discharged.  He continues to be breastfed first and then offered a supplemental bottle.  He is nursing for longer periods of  time and still eating quite a bit of formula.  We have been working on weaning down his thickener in his formula and he is tolerating this well.  We are hoping to have him off of the thickener and back on supplemental breast milk in the next few days (he won't eat the breast milk with thickener).  We also have an appointment on Monday at the Breastfeeding Center to see what we can do to get Josh 100% breastfed.

Josh had a follow up appointment with his eyes on Friday.  This appointment didn't go quite as well as we had hoped.  The blood vessels in his eyes are continuing to mature and are still considered to be graded 2-3.  He has also recently developed some retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).  ROP is abnormal growth of the blood vessels in the eye into the clear gel portion of the eye.  You can read more about ROP here https://health.google.com/health/ref/Retinopathy+of+prematurity  Josh's ROP is stage one in both eyes.  His left is already starting to regress.  His right eye might be regressing, but the doctor wasn't sure, so he will be followed closely by his pediatric opthamologist until his eyes are full mature.

Despite these few obstacles, Josh is flourishing.  He is enjoying two to three awake periods during the day during which times he likes laying on his tummy, playing on his back or just talking to his parents.  He has found enjoyment in being bathed in a real baby bathtub - no fussy baby here during bath times.  He has also won over Mommy and Daddy's hearts even more with his cuddling after eating.  He likes to move while being burped so his head is right next to or under our necks and he cuddles in there.  Then he makes the sweetest noises while he is falling asleep - telling us all about his day.  We especially enjoy these times since they were so limited during his time in the NICU.

Prayer Request:

• Josh would be able to poop on a regular basis and would not have pain while pooping
• Josh's reflux would continue to be mild while we are waiting to change his reflux medication
• Josh's ROP would not progress but reverse itself and heal up on its own
• Josh, Mommy and Daddy would continue to get into a routine and enjoy getting acquainted with each other
• Josh would remain free of infections while his immune system continues to mature
• Josh, Mommy and Daddy would get rested up from their time in the NICU and develop good sleeping patterns

Praises:

• Josh continues to eat well and isn't too bothered by his reflux
• Josh is flourishing at home and enjoying time with Mommy and Daddy
• Josh is continuing to make good progress towards his milestones and is getting close to being caught up for his actual age (we hope this keeps up!)
• Josh is becoming quite the cuddler, which we all enjoy

(Welcome home banner for Josh - Thanks Berry, Dawn, Marietta, Andrew, Annaliese, and Mackiel!)

(Josh and cousin Noah visiting for the first time at our house - oh and the parents visiting too)

(Josh and his cousin Noah - Noah may be bigger but Josh is older!)

(Josh getting his first bath at home)

(Josh looking cute in his puppy towel after his bath - thanks Granddad and GG for the towel!)

(Josh and Mommy going out for their first stroll around the neighborhood)

(Josh having a good awake time with Daddy)

(Josh with a personal message to Aunt Fuddy)