GOOD NEWS!

At this very moment there are two men installing a NEW air conditioning unit in our apartment. It's turning out to be quite a big proccess so it will probably not be done until this evening. (crossing my fingers). I don't think we can handle an overnight without some relief!
This summer has been one of the hottest that I remember in a very long time. I do remember some pretty hot summers when I was little. My mom and sisters and I would lie in front of a fan and wait until it started to cool off. I also remember being so uncomfortably hot at night that we would put ice cubes in a sandwich bag and chew on them. Another way to beat the night heat was to wet towels and lay them on our foreheads turning them over every couple of minutes.
Ahhh... the memories of summers gone by. I have a feeling that this summer will have alot of fond memories for Chris and I as well.

These pictures are almost purely for the Grandparents benefit (Hi Eloise!). The top picture I labled "milk drunk" because when he's all done eating he ends up looking a little loopy and extremely satisfied.

It's 3:40 in the morning and I am trying to cool down after Ander's 3:00 feeding. The temp today was 104 and that was in the afternoon when things usually start cooling down here in So Cal. I don't think I have felt this hot and grumpy in a very long time. My dear husband Chris keeps trying to afirm my motherly efferts by patting my shoulder or holding my hand and I keep veering away because of the sticky heat that radiates off both of us.
The window air con in our apartment probably dates back to the Ford administration and at this moment I am sitting right in the line of cool air and I feel slight relief, but as soon as I move it's back to sweaty July heat.
O.K. I'm off to bed now. When I get up in two hours for the 6:00 bottle it hopefully will have cooled down a bit more.
Tomorrow may be a day to take Anders on a big field trip to the local Starbucks where mommy can sip a Venti iced green tea....

Here are a few pictures from today. Aunt Gretchen and Heather stopped by this morning to visit. I gave Anders his first real bath at home tonight instead of the wet wipe swipe that I do at night. He was a bit overwelmed by it all. The one thing he really enjoyed was getting his head washed. After it was all done I combed his hair with a very soft toothbrush. Quite a big day for him! We also had the home health care nurse come and do a check up on him. So far, since he's come home he has gained about 5 ounces. We were pretty relieved to hear that. All that milk is paying off!!

ANDERS CAME HOME TODAY!

The day finally (yet quickly) for us to take our little guy home. It was quite a day and we are pretty much tuckered out from all the excitement. He is doing really well and is sleeping on the couch at this very moment. So far he is showing himself to be a pretty mild mannered baby but I may eat my words later. Hopefully he'll stay mellow and easy for a while.... I mean I'm only asking that of him until he's 18.... that's not to much to ask for is it?
Anyways I'm off to get his next feeding ready. That usually takes a bit of time.

Well, Wednesday has come and will be over soon. We didn't take home Anders today due to the fact that he still needed to put on a few ounces. I talked to the doctor today and he seems to think that Saturday will possibly be the day we can break him out of the hospital.... We are considering using a room they have at the hospital to spend the night with him while having the nurses nearby. It's a bit intimidating to unhook him from all the moniters and drive away to fend for ourselves.
As of today he is 3 pounds 14 ounces and he may gain a couple more before Saturday. We will love to see him tip the scales at 4 pounds. =0)
In the mean time we are preparing his little bed and stocking up on diapers and wet wipes. Today Chris and I lost ourselves in the confusing labrinth called "Babies-R-Us" looking for little things that we may need. Of course there are way too many choices and everything is pretty pricey. We realized that the "baby needs industry" is quite a racket. We managed to get out of there with what we felt were just the bare necessities.... except for the very cozy looking snuggler blanket. (A velcro blanket that a you wrap the baby in and it velcros so they can't kick it off.) That was an impulse buy on my part.
We'll try to put up some pictures of Anders first day or days at home.

Quick Update

It looks like if all keeps going smoothly, that our little man may be coming home this coming Wednesday. He has graduated to sleeping in a crib as opposed to the incubator and he is doing a really good job eating and maintaining his temperature. All these things make it possible to send him home. The reason he is still being watched closely is because he had some little episodes that they call "D-stats" where his breathing slows down and because of that his heart slows down also. Most preemies have these and with Anders he corrects it on his own but whenever they have an episode like that the hospital has to keep them another week to make sure it doesn't happen again. His last one was on the 5th of July. We are now waiting and hoping that he's outgrown that and we will be able to get him home. We can hardly wait!

A couple of pictures from the weekend. One of our favorites is Anders looking like a little monkey. He makes such hilarious faces and we just sit there and wait to see what his face will do next. It's very amusing.
The feeding picture is a favorite of mine because I have been so challenged to make enough milk, bottle it and rush it to the nursery at the hospital every day. It has felt quite frantic and as of today I think that I have caught up enough so that there won't be a shortage for the next day or so. He doesn't do well with formula at all and will usually throw it up. He does REALLY well with my milk and we are hoping he will fatten up in no time.
Anyways, life is taking on a bit of a routine and Chris and I are beginning to feel a little more relaxed and rested. We even considered going to see the new Superman movie tonight.... we then reconsidered. But it was an option. We realize that we won't be running off to do spontanious things once Anders comes home. Even though it is hard having our little guy at the hospital we know he is in good hands and it is a blessing to be able to recoup a little before life gets even crazier having a little child with us every moment.
We really are looking forward to the day he is strong enough to join us at home. That will be a day to celebrate.