What do you do with a fussy baby? Love on him!

It is hard to believe, but Josh's original due date is tomorrow March 6th.  He will be 14 weeks old on March 7th.  It is amazing to think that our little guy could be born so early and be doing so well.  He was born at 2lbs 2oz and is now 6lbs 3oz!  More than words can express we are thankful to have Josh home with us and to have the on going prayers and support of so many of you. We are very blessed!!

Josh is doing well overall, although he has had a rough couple of nights.  He has decided that he doesn't want to sleep at night, instead he would rather wail at the top of his lungs for at least two hours after each feeding.  Mommy and Daddy are at a loss as to what might be wrong with him. Nothing comforts him, not holding or rocking or swinging or anything else you can come up with at 2am.  So after 3 very long nights, we called our doctor's office today to see if there was anything else we could do.  (We have been thinking that perhaps Josh was learning that if he fussed he got held and was enjoying being held quite a bit at night. This idea was reinforced by the fact that his fussiness is only at night, he sleeps like a champ during the day.)

Our doctor squeezed us in this afternoon and after looking him over very carefully, said she could not find anything wrong with him.  She is thinking perhaps he has gas pains, which can be worse at night.  Josh's reflux adds to the equation, which makes for a very unhappy boy.  So for the time being, we are going to be doing mylicon, gripe water and Mommy is going to cut the dairy out of her diet.  We are hoping this will help our little guy to feel better and not be so fussy at night.   We will keep you updated on how this goes.

During the day, Josh is becoming quite the social little guy.  With just a little help, he is staying up for short periods of time after each meal during the day.  He is quite the cutie, looking around and taking in his world.  It is interesting to watch him as he is trying to figure out what is going on around him.  He frequently gives us a wide eyed look and makes and "o" with his mouth that is adorable.  We have been working on his head control and he is doing quite well.  He is able to keep his head steady all by himself most of the time.  He continues to enjoy meeting many of the people who have been following his progress over the last few months.

Josh is scheduled to have the ultrasound of his spine next Thursday.  Mommy and Daddy are hoping that the ultrasound will be able to provide us with the information we want to know and the news will be good.  The ultrasound is to help us determine if his hemangioma is a sign that he has an abnormality of his spinal cord that would result in him needing surgery.  We are praying that there is no spinal cord involvement.

Josh continues with his frequent doctors appointments next week.  He will be seen by our pediatrician (for labs and his synagist shot, which is to help prevent RSV infection) and the pediatric opthamologist.  We will keep you updated on the outcomes of these appointments.

Prayer Request:

• Josh's ultrasound of his spine show there is no involvement with his spinal cord
• Josh feel better and not having less fussiness at night so everyone can get some sleep
• The retinopathy in his left eye heals up completely
• Josh's lab work comes out ok and he tolerate his synagist shot well
• Mommy, Daddy, Josh and Mimi are able to get some good rest and catch up on their sleep

Praises:

• Josh is now 6lbs 3oz!
• Josh is having more awake time and exploring his environment
• Josh is healthy and doing very well as his due date approaches we are thankful he is doing so well

(Josh enjoying some tummy time with his cousin Noah)

(Noah is very intersted in Josh)

(Josh isn't so sure about Noah, although he did show Noah that he can turn his head)

(Charlotte finally getting to cuddle with Josh)

(Daddy trying to get the cuddleasaurus to sleep tonight)