Avocado

Now that Caleb is six months old, we are giving him some "real" food! He tried avocado for the first time on Saturday (April 27th). He didn't seem to love or hate it. He just let it sit in his mouth for a while, and I think he let "drool" out about as much as he swallowed. We'll feed him avocado for several more days, and then we'll introduce the next food. Any suggestions for what to try next?

OKC Marathon

On Sunday, we ran in the OKC Memorial Marathon. I ran the first leg (10k) of the marathon relay, Brad ran the second leg (5k), and some other friends ran the remaining three legs. My younger brother, Kyle, ran the half marathon. The weather was beautiful, and we all had fun.

Six month recap

Weight: 13lb, 3oz (5.98k) at his appointment a couple weeks ago

Length: 24.5" at his appointment a couple weeks ago

Clothing size: 3-6 month

Diaper size: size 2

Eating: Caleb is still drinking 27kcal/oz formula, and he takes 600-660mL each day. He usually takes 90-120mL (3-4oz) every 2.5-3 hours during the day. He eats either rice cereal or oat cereal most mornings, and we're going to start purees this weekend.

Sleeping: Caleb usually sleeps from 10:30pm until 7:00am. I think he'd sleep longer if we didn't have to give him medicine at night and in the morning. He usually takes a couple short naps during the day.

Highlights of the month: Caleb loves to stick his legs straight up the air and hold them there for a long time. He grabs his feet sometimes, but he's usually happy just staring at them. Caleb seems to really enjoy books now, too. He has started grasping at the corners of the pages, as if he's figuring out that's how to turn the page. He also loves "reading" books on the iPad.

Prayers for Cayden

My heart is heavy today as a mama says goodbye to her baby boy. Cayden Wells was born July 2, 2012 and went to Heaven on April 19, 2013. He had Down syndrome and an AV canal defect (same heart defect as Caleb). He was at the hospital in Dallas while we were there, but we never had the honor of meeting Cayden or his family. I've followed their story on Facebook for months now and was so sad when I learned of Cayden's passing on Friday. Please pray for the Wells family today and in the days to come.

https://www.facebook.com/PrayersForCayden

Weekend in Texas

The weekend before last, Caleb and I went to visit my parents. Both of my brothers were able to visit, too. It was nice to have all of the family together for a little bit. We haven't all been together since Caleb's surgery and haven't all been at my parents' house since Christmas. Brad wasn't able to join us, because he had to stay in OKC and work.

Uncle Chris & Uncle Kyle gave Caleb some new Texas Tech and Texas Rangers clothing/toys. Grandpa searched all over Wichita Falls for just the right wagon (several stores were sold out). Every five month old needs a Radio Flyer, right? We also walked to the nearby park to feed the ducks, but Caleb fell asleep in the carrier on our way.

Team Caleb and an update

Isn't Caleb adorable in his "Team Caleb" onesie? This is his version of the shirts the "Team Caleb" relay team will wear for the OKC Memorial Marathon later this month. Thanks to my college friend, J., for the design!

It's been 9.5 weeks since Caleb's heart surgery and 7.5 weeks since we returned home. Caleb's last cardiology appointment was in mid-March, and he doesn't go back until mid-May. Caleb's incision scar and chest tube scar are starting to get lighter. We can't even see where his pacing wires were. He's still on one medicine three times each day for his pulmonary hypertension, and he's still on 1/16 liter of oxygen. He's on oxygen at night and most of the time that we're at home. We go to appointments, therapy, church, and play dates without oxygen now, since he's fine to be off of it for a few hours at a time. I love not having to haul around those tanks. Even the tiny ones are a hassle.

It's been 3.5 weeks since Caleb removed his feeding tube. His goal has been to take 540-590mL each day, and he consistently meets/exceeds that goal now. Today, he took 615mL! Caleb sees his pediatrician on Wednesday, and we'll recalculate his calorie/volume goals based on his weight at that appointment.

Our new cousin - boy or girl?

My cousin and his wife are expecting a baby in August. They had an ultrasound and found out the gender today! Caleb and I sent this photo to them this morning and then anxiously awaited their big announcement.

It's a girl!!! 

Baby Zerah, we can't wait to meet you! 

* Caleb's extremely rosy cheek is because of the tape we use to hold his nasal cannula on. We move it around often, but sometimes his skin still gets irritated. We've tried several different types of tape, adhesive, and skin protectant, but nothing seems better than another. Poor guy.