Austin's Eye Exam

Austin’s eye exam went really well! The doctor said that as of right now there are no signs of any damage to his eyes. He will have another exam in about two weeks as a follow up since his eyes and blood vessels will be more mature. Even though today’s exam was not a final result it is an excellent sign that his eyes should be ok.

Austin is continuing to improve in other areas as well. His weight is up to 3lbs 10oz as of January 1st. The more weight he puts on the more he is able to keep his own body temperature up which is an important step towards being able to come home. Tonight the nurses switched the settings on his isolette so instead of regulating itself up or down based on Austin’s temperature it is kept at a constant setting. This will allow them to gradually lower the temperature down until he is at room temperature. Since he is able to keep his body temperature up they decided it was ok to try out little teeny tiny baby clothes!!! They are starting him with a onesie to see how he does with it before adding more on him. He looks SO cute with his tiny little onesie on!! Since Austin has been gaining weight he’s starting to fill out and he just looks so precious with clothes on! He even has teeny tiny chubby cheeks now! (They compliment his double chin well…) They are also slowly weaning him off of the CPAP. He was only on the kenula for 3 hours at a time just a few days ago but now he is up to six hours. So as of right now he is on the CPAP for six hours and then the kenula for six hours and he rotates them throughout the day. He does very well when he’s on the kenula which shows that his lungs are getting stronger. Because it’s not such a struggle for him to breathe like it used to be, his little body isn’t as exhausted anymore. He’s more alert and is able to open his eyes and look around more. It’s so cute to watch him look around trying to focus on everything!
Ryan and I were able to change his diaper today for the first time too. That was an interesting experience! Not to toot my own horn or anything but after years of babysitting in high school I feel pretty confident in my diaper changing abilities. The whole game is changed when you’re looking through a plastic lid with your arms stuck through portholes working from the side instead of at the feet. So Ryan and I teamed up and each took a side to make sure he could be handled delicately. I was in charge of lifting up his legs while Ryan was supposed to slide the diaper underneath him. As soon as I lifted up his legs, Austin let out a stream of solid waste directly onto Ryan’s hand! Oh man, it was absolutely hilarious! (Mostly because it didn’t happen to me!) Ryan got himself washed up and we finished changing his diaper together. Although even preemie poop smells too it was really nice to actually take care of him.