Looking Around

Another milestone today!  Matt and I had been in the NICU for a few hours when suddenly Ben turned towards Matt and OPENED HIS EYES!!  We'd watched him try so hard to open those tiny eyelids for a few days that we knew it could happen anytime and it was so exciting to be standing there with him when he finally did it.  I posted a few pictures but we'll try to get some better ones soon.  It's a small accomplishment in the grand scheme of things but we were so proud of our little guy.

 

He no longer has any IV's, just a ventilator and a feeding tube in his mouth, so we're hoping that one day soon we'll be able to start holding him.  Skin-to-skin contact (also called kangaroo care) is supposed to be very therapeutic for preemies and it just involves holding the baby directly against mom or dad's chest for an hour or two.  He'll get heat from our bodies and hopefully begin to recognize us by our voices, smells, and heartbeats.

Ben's lungs looked a tiny bit better today and his oxygen saturation was definitely better.  Ben looked so happy stretched out on his stomach and responded very well to our touch and his photo session.  It makes us feel good seeing our baby boy look so content.