March-April

Showing off the double stroller! 

See any similarities?

Jude likes being at home!  He weighs over 7 lbs. and is more alert.  Here are some recent pictures! 

Week 11-Jude is home!

After 70 days in the NICU, we are so happy to announce that Jude is home!  He weighs 5 lbs. 7.8 oz. and will be on a heart monitor for several weeks.  Stella is excited to have her brother at home.  She likes to pat him on the head and say, "Baby Jude." 

We will continue to post about Jude's progress.  Thanks as always for your thoughts and prayers. 

Getting ready to leave the hospital. . .

Jude's first car ride! 

Week 10

After hovering at 4 lbs. 15 oz. for several days, Jude now weighs over 5 pounds!  The doctors tried to send him home a few times over the past week, but Jude had a few eventful nights, so he is staying longer for observation.  He is showing off some of his newborn clothes in the pictures, since he is too long for his preemie clothing! 

3/5/11

Week 9

Jude is just relaxing, eating, and trying to get his heart rate under control so that he can come home.  He needs a little more time to grow.  When it is time to eat, Jude becomes more alert and lets us know that he is hungry! 

Week 8

Jude spent a few days resting before trying to move to an open bed again.   He did a great job eating, because he now weighs 4 1/2 lbs. 

2/22/11

Jude decided that he was not quite ready for an open bed, so he was moved back to the incubator.  He can try the open bed again in a few days.  As you can see in the pictures, he did not take long to get comfortable!

The hat shows where Jude was sleeping, but he found the bottom of the bed to be more comfortable! 

Week 7

Jude moved to an open bed this week, and if he can maintain his body temperature, he can say good-bye to the incubator.  He uses a lot of energy to stay warm, so he is more tired.  Because he is more tired, he took a brief brake from learning to eat by mouth.  Big sister Stella was excited to meet Jude this week!  She made a drawing for Jude and kept waving at him. 

Week 6

Jude is continuing to work on his feeding this week.   As his weight increases, he becomes better able to regulate his body temperature.  Because of this, he is able to wear onesies.   He had his IV removed this week, since he is no longer on any medicine.  This picture shows Jude sleeping in his favorite position! 

More pictures

Week 5

We want to share that Jude breathed today without the assistance of a nasal cannula.  He did great!  The green tube on his face in the picture is his feeding tube.  His milk feedings are being increased gradually each day. 

Week 4

Now that Jude is done with his antibiotics, he has started his milk feedings again.  He decided that he wanted to start slowly, so the amount of milk he receives is being increased slowly as he seems ready.  Because his oxygen level has been stable, he is on minimal breathing support from a nasal cannula. 
     This picture shows Jude looking out the side of his bed.  After he receives care, he often lays with his eyes open for a few minutes before dozing back to sleep. 

1/26/11

Until today, we have only held Jude twice for a few minutes.  Jill was able to hold him for an hour today!  "Kangaroo Care" involves holding a baby skin-to-skin, which has many benefits for the baby and parent. 
     Also, Jude now weighs over 3 pounds!  

Week 3

Jude must be feeling better, because in one day, he pulled out three of his tubes, including his breathing tube!  The doctors planned to keep Jude on the ventilator for 3 more days at low settings, unless he removed the tube himself, which is exactly what he did!  Also, he is moving a lot more and opening his eyes during his daily care times, which his a sign that he is feeling better.  We are so happy to see Jude get his "spunk" back! 

Week 2

Jude's second week has been more of a challenge.  He started to have difficulty with his breathing and heart rate, so the doctors put him on a ventilator.   His coloring changed and he showed signs of not feeling well.  He is currently going through numerous tests and x-rays to identify the type of infection.  After being on antibiotics for 2 days, Jude is showing some signs of feeling better, such as his coloring and moving more.

Welcome, Jude Michael

Jude Michael was born on January 6, 2011 at 3:27 a.m.  He weighed 2 lbs. 8 oz. and was 14 3/4 inches long.  Because he arrived 12 weeks early, he will be in the NICU until about his original due date of March 30th.  He has daddy's hair, mommy's long hands and feet, and he is feisty!