We had much to be thankful for this past Thursday -- it was Gabriel's first Thanksgiving. Except for a minor cold, he is a healthy happy little boy. You would never know he spent his first 5 months in the hospital. He met all his Moser cousins and family via Skype and the next night he spent with his Ruthford family. Greatgrandma Edna held him for a large chunk of the evening and his aunt and two uncles were able to spend time with him, too. Grandma Jane and Grandpa Charles were very happy to see him and Grandma Jane took LOTS of pictures.
Just yesterday, he officially turned 7 months old. His adjusted age (the age he would be if he hadn't been premature) is now 3 months old. We've definitely seen some new things develop over the past month, not the least of which is that he is now wearing 6-month clothing. It's a little big, but the 3-month sizes were getting on toward the small side of "just right", so we made the switch. He is 12 lbs. 10 oz. and 23.5".
We are seeing quite a few smiles, he is VERY social, and we're starting to identify his little laugh as well. He still struggles with eating, and we haven't really seen significant progress. We have had to switch back to the Dr. Brown's bottle he was using the hospital since he seems to be thoroughly rejecting the easy bottle he has been using since leaving Swedish. And yes, he likes his milk nice and warm. Tomorrow he starts with his new feeding therapist and a new physical therapist. By January, I'm hoping that his pediatrician/dietician will approve starting solids to see if he can get his calories that way.
Another new change is that I am coming off maternity leave and starting work again tomorrow. This means he now gets a "Daddy day" on Tuesdays and a babysitter for the first three Wednesdays until my schedule switches to Saturdays. It will be nice to have a break in the week and be able to take care of all my zoo animals again.
Gabriel did develop his first cold this week -- we're on day six if it right now. We saw the doctor yesterday since it's his first respiratory illness since being home. It's uncomfortable for him, but the doctor said he should get over just fine on his own. For the most part, he doesn't act too sick, but definitely has the congested cough. It's nice to know his lungs are as healthy as they seem to be, even as he's sitting here crying at me because he just started coughing. He has the air to cry... But we will be starting his winter sit-in and stop taking him to church on Sundays. At least we can still do outside walks.
Here's hoping (and praying) that tomorrow he will start improving and get over this first of many colds to come.
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