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.