Bennett's first month on the outside!

A few days late but wanted to try and do a quick update on how our sweet bennett has done on his first month "on the outside" (when he should be in).

He has come from he may not survive after birth, to thriving, from he will most likely need to be int abated to breathing on his own with VERY LITTLE HELP, From heart conditions to we cant find any concern in this area. and so many more little areas along the way.

Professionals-0   God-to many to count!

Besides thus far beating all the odds that have been against him. Today he is growing wonderfully. Yesterday he weighed in at 2lbs 8.7oz. He is still needing a little bit of O's (oxygen-about 21-25%) and still has tachycardia. The Dr's feel it all wraps around his small size, he may be a 38 week baby but his lungs are still small so growth is very important. He "nippled" from a bottle 4 ml's yesterday which is great! Practice makes perfect, sometime this week the speech therapist will see him and I will let you all know how that went. My main focus is for him to learn to suck and we will continually practice nursing but I'm not pushing it yet. The poor boy is underdeveloped and not even suppose to be out yet. :)

So overall I believe our son is doing great. He has some amazing nurses round the clock that just adore him which makes it a little easier for me to leave him there. I am getting the hang of the rounds and am happy that I can walk in the NICU and really understand and assist his nurses with his care. Especially to give the nurses a little break to catch up on charting. :)

Bennett has such a beautiful spirit, which i know is the Lord in him. Ministering even now to everyone who works with him, even to chari and I. The connection the lord has allowed me to form with bennett in this short time is much more than a mother-son relationship....its so much more. One that I cant explain. Our life will never be the same, our life changed in January when we started attending OHSU and then even more so the moment Bennett came. But I can tell you that I am so happy it did. I feel like the lord is giving me a second chance with life, the way I perceive it, a reminder of why we are here in the first place. God has taught me a deep gratefulness for our girls, our crazy life, what we have rather than what we don't. He has helped me understand that bennett is a precious and special gift, from the moment he was formed in me!! no matter how many times professionals give us their "diagnosis", no matter how hard it gets, I am to keep pressing on without allowing it to phase me. I am not to question god why?, I am to faithfully trust this process.  Chari and I have been chosen by God to have Bennett and His WILL be done in and through his life and I can trust that because it is for a hope and future.

God has not given us an ordinary blessing but an extraordinary miracle.

Prayer requests, his growth is always a must but really ask for extra prayers in the breathing and eating department. That is really what needs to improve before he can come home. He holds his temperature wonderfully, but he needs to be eating by bottle or breast and breathing on his own with no cannula. So please help us pray in those areas. We so appreciate it

Here are some photos of the last few weeks. :)