Summer Daze

What a wild summer it has been. Gus' coming home has definitely changed our lives a lot - much for the better. Doctors appointments have gone well - Gus' eyes are now completely healed from surgery and he only needs to go back in once a quarter for checkups. He will be going in for an eye exam with a pediatric opthomologist - he may need "baby glasses" but we are unsure as of yet. The last visit to the pulmonologist went well too. Gus no longer needs caffeine or diurel. He is still on the reflux medication, Prevacid. We can now have Gus off the monitor during his waking hours. The pulmonologist hopes to remove the monitor completely at our next visit in September.

Gus is really starting to smile and giggle a lot. Here he is giving a little glance to his sister Anna. He was so taken with the other kids and misses them a lot now that they aren't around.

Here are all the kids - Anna, Josiah, Gus and Zoe.

Good friends Mark and Susan from Minneapolis sent Gus a huge stuffed kitty and a cool Daddy Diaper bag! Gus loves the textures and softness of the big kitty. Its perfect for rolling around and "tummy time."

Gus has passed the 10 lb mark now - he is probably close to 10.5 lb at this time as he gains almost an ounce a day! He sometimes sleeps a lot and other times not so much... Last night he had one eight hour stretch of sleep which we really appreciated. Everyone is definitely growing into a new phase of life - the summer has flown by in a daze. I'm starting up with a new church in September and have definitely really my time home with Gus and the other kids. Jill continues to work from home and has had a little travel while appreciating the flexibility.

Blessings,
Gregg, Jill and Gus

Gus is 5 months! Post #100!

It's been a while since we've posted an update and as you can imagine life is bold and full with our big guy home! It's my turn (Jill) to update, a first for me on the blog. Gus is just like a regular 7 week old baby (corrected age from his original due date) at this point. We've changed many diapers, quickly cleaned up baby throw-up off of various pieces of furniture and ourselves, logged many miles in the rocking chair and melted thousands of times in his embrace.Gus has discovered his fingers and almost has it worked out to get his thumb into his mouth! His eyes are inquisitive and he loves to kick and GIGGLE when he listens to music. His senses are really tuning into shapes, colors, sounds and textures. He's very loving and enjoys snuggles, giving lots of smiles and cooing. We can't wait for you all to meet this miracle and sweet boy in person!

Gus loved meeting his Aunt Melissa (Missy) this past week - as you can see. The two of them logged many hours cuddling and smiling together. Aunt Missy gave Gregg and I a big present by staying with Gus and his siblings one night so we could have a "date". It was good to step out for dinner and enjoy each other for a few hours knowing, all were in the most loving of care. And yes, Gregg and I still know how to talk about things other than baby body functions - it was great!

Another recent highlight has been Gus' introduction to his big brother Josiah and sisters Zoe and Anna. As you can see, the "guys" in the family are pretty taken with each other. It's a beautiful thing to see big brother rocking Gus to sleep. Zoe and Anna are also big helps and love their baby brother. Being the "big" sister is a new thing for Anna and she loves the role which includes entertaining - something we all enjoy.

Gus loves to explore and is starting to push himself up on his arms. We learned early in his life that he has a strong will - it's great to see it come through in his play and discovery!

This is another shot where we were coaxing a smile out of the big guy. One day I came down from my office and Gregg and Gus were staring at each other and giggling. As Gus giggled, Gregg giggled harder, then Gus giggled more...Yes, he does not lack for love!

Last week at his 5 month checkup Gus weighed in at 9 lb. 3 oz and was 22 inches long. We know he's gone through a big growth spell this week and will drink 3.5 to 5 oz of formula or breastmilk at each feeding so we're guessing he's just under 10 lbs today. We're down to one doctor appointment a week and he is no longer on Oxygen. His eyes are getting better and we visit with this doctor every 2 weeks. He is doing so well - we are blessed by the love and care of so many to be at this point with him. Another great thing for us is that good friend Ellen has agreed to care for Gus in our home starting in September when Gregg starts officially with his church. He is one lucky little man!

Smiling...in our hearts,
Gregg, Jill and Gus