Mother’s Day and More!

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My first Mother's Day was perfect… it really was! I told Jamie that he and Max set the bar a little high, but who am I to complain? I was awakened by Jamie with 2 gifts; Jamie got me the ridiculously overpriced designer diaper bag I've been eyeballing since forever, and Max got me a gift certificate for a massage at Watercourse Way, a fancy spa in Palo Alto.
It's only appropriate I got that from Max, since he's the reason I've been dreaming (and talking! LOL) about a massage for the last 3 or 4 months!
We headed over to Wendy's house for breakfast/brunch, where Toby made Eggs Benedict with crab cakes instead of canadian bacon… sooooo stinkin' good! We spent some time with Jamie's family at Wendy's and then headed up to see Max. Jamie's brother David surprised me with my first bead… he does blown glass and makes the most amazing little works of art… you can see mine in the photo of me with Max.
The NICU was jammed with moms… it was really the busiest I've ever seen it, people-wise! I got a whole hour (and a bit!) of Max cuddling, and then we headed over to Katie's house for dinner.
Jas made ribs, Jamie made artichokes and my dad did the salad. The boys took care of our every need; bringing drinks and pie and serving dinner… seriously good stuff!
Just a really nice way to spend the day… my first Mother's Day!

Yesterday, I went to see Max during lunchtime, like I've been doing every day… he got another blood transfusion on Sunday night, so his color was greatly improved from when we saw him on Sunday… I was just looking at him, admiring him (as I am prone to do) and I mentioned to his nurse that he looked “exceptionally cute” and I wasn't sure what was different… and then I realized what it was! Here's basically what I saw:

See the difference?
They removed his nasal canula! He's been breathing totally on his own, with no assistance for, as I write this, 23 hours! It was the first time I'd seen his whole face! I nearly cried as I made this realization, and couldn't wait to call and tell Jamie the exciting news! Additionally, he's up to ELEVEN mLs per feeding! He'll finish his antibiotics today and just keeps on growing! When he was weighed yesterday morning, he was a “whopping” 2lbs 11oz! He'll most likely hit 3lbs before the week is out!
Good stuff, right?
We tried something new last night… just holding Max in a more traditional way, instead of doing Kangaroo Care… it's nice to be able to actually *watch* what he's doing, making interaction much easier… Jamie got the first try, since he gave up his “turn” so I could cuddle on Sunday for Mother's Day… I can't wait until I get to hold him like this as well!


So sleepy! It's hard work, being this cute all the time!

The amazing thing about this photo (to me) is that he looks like he could be a full-sized baby! If I were to Photoshop out the IV tube, you wouldn't even be able to tell he's anything other than a gorgeous little boy!