3 weeks old

Now that I am feeling much better I finally got a chance to visit Aiden. It is so therapeutic to just watch him sleep, but he actually surprised me by being wide awake. This week Aiden has proved he can digest an ounce (30 CC) of milk every 3 hours and he can maintain his body temperature without the help of the incubator. He now weighs 3lbs 13oz.

Just the Guys

Mommy has been under the weather this Memorial Day weekend, so Aiden and I have been having guys night out alot more often. He is progressing nicely. Aiden is now 3 lbs, 9 ozs. and has been moving around on his own, so much so, that the nurses has been forced to bundle him up in wraps and blankets just to keep him in one area.

We are coming down to the "home stretch". This week Aiden will begin experimenting with breast feeding and once he has mastered that, it is a good possibility he will be headed home. Until then, we will be camping out at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

To my graduates...

Both Khary and Aiden graduate today. Khary with his Master's degree in Real Estate Development from University of Maryland College Park, and Aiden to new heights in his development. Aiden is now drinking 27 CC of milk, his weight is 3lbs 6.5oz, no oxygen is flowing through his nasal cannula, and there are no fluids running through his IV line. With this achievement brings new hurdles to overcome, and we have no doubt that Aiden will also achieve them ahead of schedule.

I am proud of both of you!!

Growing and Growing....

Aiden is now 3lbs 3oz. He was receiving 10 CC of milk this past Friday and the doctors increased his order 3 times since then. He is now up to 19 CC and at midnight they will increase it to 22 CC. The doctor stated she normally does not increase the amount of feedings twice in 24 hours; however, since he is already doing amazing things they will see how he does. We are very excited about his progress and he continues to impress his care team. He is totally living up to his name, Ato, which means "Brilliant"!

A view of Aiden's first week!!!

From left to right:
Pic 1 (A few hours old), Pic 2 (Khary visiting for the 3rd time that day)
Pic 3 (Aiden's 1st feeding), Pic 4 (1 week old)




Oh and yes, the nasal cannula in the first picture is the one he took off 3 times. He was trying to let his nurse know that he didn't need the cannula and that he didn't like the hat. His strategy worked. The nurse removed both within 24 hours of him being born.

Kangaroo Care

Despite not eating for a day and a half our little man has been gaining a little weight. He now weighs 3lbs. He continues to impress his nurses and us with his stability and strength. We just started Kangaroo Care with him Wednesday and he responded so well. Kangaroo Care is a way of holding an infant so that they are in chest to chest contact with the person holding them. When the nurse placed Aiden on my chest and wrapped us with a blanket, he immediately began to study my face and clawing around my chest. Before we knew it he started to open his mouth and moving his head as if he thought it was time to eat. Absolutely amazing to us. The nurses have already stated it would be for a few more weeks before they would attempt to have him breastfeed, but he acted as if he was ready.

My First (!!!) Mother's Day Weekend

Aiden received several visits this past weekend from his family. Everyone is very excited about his presence. He showed all of us how strong he is by removing his nasal cannula three times, wrestling two nurses as they tried to fix the cannula, lifting his head up twice on his own, moving his body from one side of his bed to the other, pushing his soothie back in his mouth, and he squeezed my finger. Our little man is really active and strong. His vital signs have been great and he is learning how to consistently digest his milk. Overall, for me to have a chance to hold him for the first time on Mother's Day was the best gift I could have asked for!

Did I mention he was practically doing push-ups! Now that's a Reynolds!

Being born early has it's perks... but then...

Ready to get his feet in the world Aiden didn't allow us to throw a baby shower. Soon as our prince gets settled at home, there will be a Welcome Party for him. =)

In the meantime, feel free to view our registry at Babys 'R Us and Target:
www.babiesrus.com and www.target.com/registry

EXTRA EXTRA! Read ALL About It!

Name: Aiden Ato Reynolds
DOB: 05/07/2009
Time: 4:29am
Length: 15 in. (38 cm)
Weight: 2lbs 14oz

Hello World!

Our bundle of joy just couldn't wait anymore! An overachiever from the womb he bullied his way out at 29 weeks to a world that is not prepared for the brilliance he is emanating.