 |
| Aunt Anna & Baby Toler |
On a snowy frigid day in Denver, Mom, Dad, and Aunt Anna held up most of the day in hospital spending quality time with Toler.
Despite the inclement weather Toler had quite the day today including but not limited to the following:
- Let Aunt Anna hold him
- Met cousins June and Ava (via skype)
- Passed his next physical assessment
- Took his second bottle (Dad's first ever given)
Aunt Anna and Toler
Aunt Anna couldn't travel 1710 miles cross country and not love on sweet Toler. Her soothing voice put a wide-eyed baby to sleep before she could finish Baby Angles. Anna's pretty much an expert with babies and made sure Mom and Dad looked ready for parenthood.
 |
| Toler loves his Aunt Anna |
Toler and the Caldwell Cousins
Also thanks to smartphones, we've been able to skype family and friends to show them Toler when he is awake and alert. Today Toler was surprised to meet June and Ava Caldwell via skype.
 |
| "I can tell that we are gonna be friends..." |
Toler's Continued Growth
On the health front, Toler had another physical assessment today where the nurse practitioner looked for several things from muscle tone, muscle elasticity, body and head symmetry, reflexes, and general growth and development for a 34 week preemie. Toler did amazingly well and was very cooperative with the nurse and was showing all positive signs of normal healthy development.
Finally, as promised, our little man is now able to take a bottle (or attempt a bottle) once a shift (or twice daily). This is a HUGE milestone as just last week Toler was testing the waters, but tonight we gave it a real go and our hungry fella didn't let us down. Dad was given the privilege of trying his rookie hand at feeding Toler. Our nurse Emily (they do this to keep it simple on the Dad's) provided excellent instruction and guidance for Dad.
 |
| Tastes great, less filling |
As you can see, Toler is swaddled about a tight as can be and held upright to ensure he can breath while eating. This of course is a major hurdle and Toler did amazing well for only his second time and was able to pace himself with breaths while eating (not always a given). Toler is now up to 45 cc's each feed and was able to successfully take 16 cc's via bottle and let out a couple of surprisingly loud burps (excellent genetics from Dad).
What a big day for our little man, but we are very excited to see him grow each day (literally) and cannot wait to take him home soon enough.
Love,
Steve, Emily, and our busy boy Toler
Oh, I am so thankful! Each day, my little "Pray for Toler Smith" outlook reminder goes off, and I've been praying for increased weight and development, and that he would go home with you soon. Praise God and well done, Mom and Dad! I hope for you all the best and continued blessings.
ReplyDeleteDon't know who is the most content - Toler or Aunt Anna.Glad eveything continues to go well.
ReplyDelete