Joshua is 2 months old!

Lounging at home

As of yesterday, Joshua is now two months old! He is loving being home with mommy and daddy. We have been spoiling him with lots of attention and tummy time. Today Joshua got his 2 month immunizations =(  We have never really heard Joshua let out a big cry, today we broke that silence. Poor little guy let out the biggest scream and he has been pretty fussy all day. The doctors said he would probably feel not so great for a couple days. The monitor went off today, but only because Joshua was fussing so much so his heart rate was way high.

 Even though Joshua is 2 months old, for the first two years of life he will actually go by his gestational age, so as of today he is 2 days old. Developmentally, doctors don't expect him to be acting like a 2 month old because he wasn't supposed to arrive until today. By the time Joshua is two years old, he should be caught up developmentally. If he is not, then that is a time for doctors to have some concerns. Hopefully he will do just fine, he is already good at focusing on our faces when we talk to him and recognizing sounds and voices. He makes lots and lots of baby noises and grunts all night long.

This bib looks ridiculously big lol!

 Joshua is doing really well with his feeds. When he was at the pediatrician today, he weighed 5 pounds 14 ounces and was 18 3/4 inches long. He loves to hold onto his bottle or the hand that is feeding him, I think it makes him feel in control and comfortable. If we swaddle him while he is eating, he can't focus on anything other than trying to get his hands out of his blanket.

Grabbing daddy's finger

Cute little puppy bottom!

Joshua has lots of appointments in the weeks to come. He has another eye appointment, its more of a follow up to make sure his eyes are still developing normally. Joshua has an appointment with a surgery clinic because of a possible hernia that may not have healed itself. Hernias are also very common in preemies, and while they usually clear on their own, Joshua's has not done so yet, so the pediatrician wants us to see a specialist about it. Our third appointment is with a developmental clinic which will go through a series of routine tests to see how Joshua is developing and what, if anything, we need to work on with him. In the NICU, the nurses favor the right side of the crib so Joshua also has a preference for sleeping with his head turned to the right. When we move it to the left, it is very stiff and he doesn't like it so he may need physical therapy to work out that stiffness.

As always, please continue to keep baby Joshua in your prayers. Although he is home now, he still has a long journey ahead of him in terms of development. We pray that God will continue to watch over him and his healthy development and our exciting journey as a new family. God is great! Much love and more updates to come! But for now... a little sleep for the new mom and dad =)