Answered Prayer!

We finally have wonderful news! Colton weighed in at 8lbs7oz this morning! That means he gained 5oz since Monday when we last saw the doctor. He is supposed to gain 1/2oz per day and he gained almost 1oz per day. I knew my son would be an overachiever eventually :) At 7 weeks old, he is now 1lb heavier than his birth weight. We were very pleased to see that this special formula is working. We will continue with the formula but add back in breastfeeding and we will return to the doctor on Thursday at 12pm to make sure he has continued to gain weight. One concern is that, every time we start a new regimen, he starts to gain and then stops eating and loses weight again. Very frustrating!! So we'll see what happens this week. We are very hopeful that he will continue to gain. We really appreciate all your prayers and emails and comments of support. Here are some cutie pie pictures of my guy. This top one is our fetus-like picture. This is exactly the way he was in the womb but now he is on Clark's chest.
Baby blues!
My handsome boy - he looks so much older to me. I can almost imagine what he will look like as a little boy running around. Oh, he just makes my heart melt!

My 7 week old newborn

So...I have decided that I have a 7 week old newborn. After all, he is the size of many newborns. He isn't sleeping through the night at all and often wants to eat every 2-2.5 hours like a newborn. We don't have any kind of schedule and when people ask "what kind of baby is he?" "is he a good baby?" or "does he sleep through the night?" I really have no good answer. In many ways I feel like I still don't know him that well. This is probably because we have changed his food like a million times and the poor guy can't get on a good schedule. Yes, poor mommy and daddy too. Today, for instance, I was not able to eat, pump, take a shower or brush my teeth until about 1pm. The shower actually didn't come until about 4pm. I'm very tired but I'm glad it is the weekend! Of course, I look at this face and I can't be too unhappy - he is so cute!
These onesies were made by - guess who - my niece, Alicia. Colton is wearing them proudly and seems to agree with what they say!
I'm sure my sister slyly had Alicia make this one! There were others too "If you think I'm cute, you should see my dad" "future surf stud", etc. They were very cute and something to treasure! Thanks, Alicia!

It's all Relative!

Today we had another weigh in for Colton. The good news is that he gained weight but the bad news is that it just wasn't quite enough - should be 1/2oz per day. The goal was 8lbs2.5oz and he was 8lbs1.5oz. Our pediatrician is still optimistic though. He thinks little Colton's tummy just doesn't seem to be taking in the milk/formula and digesting it well. He has gone back to having too many bowel movements even with the lactaid drops. So...the new plan is to give him a special (even more special!) formula alone for one week and see how he does. This formula is still milk-based but it is pre-digested and therefore does not have enzymes in it, etc. It's pretty fancy and expensive but it is definitely worth it if we can beef up our boy! This will make the 4th type of formula we've tried and we're hoping its a winner. I'm supposed to continue to pump this week in case we go back to nursing + formula or some other derivation after this week. We are disappointed that he is not in the clear but we have an amazing pediatrician and we trust him to closely monitor our little guy. We know the Lord is watching over him and will help us figure out how to help him gain weight and be healthy.


On to more exciting things and the reason for my creative title! Below is a picture of Colton with his new little buddy, Jackson Bankhead. Jackson is the offspring of our dear friends, Sue and Todd. We had an opportunity make another short trip last week to visit them and meet Jackson. Jackson is about a week old in this picture and he is a tiny guy at 5lbs (Colton is 5.5 weeks). So you see, it's all relative! Jackson makes Colt look like a giant! Although with Sue and Todd as parents, this may be the last time Colton is bigger than Jackson. Jackson is a future pro footballer if you ask his dad but right now he is about the size of the football! What a sweetheart he is.
Me and Sue with our boys! Doesn't she look great for having a week old baby! By the way, in case you need a little help, we are holding each other's kids, not our own...It was great to see them and know that this will be a friend Colton has for life! We love this family!

Monkeying Around

We took a day trip to the central coast to introduce Colton to his great grandparents. We had a lovely time and Colton seemed to really enjoy being held by his Great Grandma Cake (aptly named because she always has a homemade cake ready whenever the grandkids are around). Here are Colton and Clark having some quality time (with the monkey).
So one day I put all of Colt's stuffed animals around him in his crib. At first he seemed to be interested in one tall giraffe like fellow. However, after a few minutes it seemed quite clear that the monkey is the only one he had eyes for. Because he chose to stare at monkey for so long, we have tried to bring him along wherever we go. Colton never fails to stare at him. (hopefully it is because he likes the monkey and not because he's scared of him or something - its hard to tell what he's thinking!)
Handsome just like his dad!
Well, hello, Mr. Monkey! Look at that smile! (Colton's not the monkey's)

The Littlest Gainer

Colton made his weight! (That is a wrestling phrase borrowed from his dad's high school wrestling days). Colton weighed in at 7lbs 15.5 oz - 1/2 oz more than his goal. We are very excited and encouraged. Doc says we aren't completely out of the woods yet and we need to keep monitoring it but it looks good. So we go back Monday for another weigh in and the goal is 8lbs 2.5oz. (in other words, he should be gaining 1/2oz per day). Dr. Saul says to continue things exactly as we have been (but we can let him sleep an extra hour at night - hallelujah for mom and dad!)

Praise God for fattening up our kid! We appreciate your calls and prayers. We love you! Here is a picture of Colt from his first Easter and his first trip to church. He had a great time and seemed to like the singing.

Wee One

I'm borrowing the term "wee one" from my friend, Holly (currently living in Scotland where that word seems to be used liberally)! We had another appointment with the pediatrician on Friday. Colton weighed in at 13.75 oz. Last time we were at the doc's office (last Monday), he weighed 7lbs13oz when the nurse weighed him. Then the doctor calibrated the scale and in between Colton had a small bowel movement. When the doctor weighed him, he said his weight went down even more but did not tell me exactly what it was. He didn't make a huge deal out of it so I assumed it went down an ounce or less. Well, apparently Colton weighed 7lbs9oz! That is only 2oz more than his birth weight. Okay, I learned my lesson - always ask! So it is difficult to know what Colton's true weight was last Monday so therefore it is difficult to know how much he actually gained.

Our impression from the doc is that we need to continue to monitor Colton's weight but we shouldn't worry too much yet. We are to continue doing all that we have been doing (formula supplement after every other breastfeed and lactaid drops before each feeding) and return on Tuesday for another weigh in. It's like we're on that show "Biggest Loser" but instead, it is "Littlest Gainer" we're shooting for! The doctor is very hopeful that Colton is on his way to getting on track but he says Colt only has until Tuesday's appointment to prove he is gaining enough. The good news is that the lactaid drops seem to be helping a lot. He's had less gas and fewer bowel movements (so he's retaining more of the nutrients from his feedings).

After that appointment, if Colton isn't weighing at least 7lbs15oz, we will need to do a barium X-ray and see if there is anything more serious going on internally. We are praying that we will not have to do that so our poor little guy can be at peace! We appreciate your prayers too and we will definitely keep you updated after Tuesday's appointment (at 2pm).

Is That a Smile?

This face was made while he was wide awake and without any gas being emitted! Therefore we think it is a smile. It happened a few days ago and hasn't happened much since. But I'm glad I was able to capture it in a picture!

Here is the latest on little Colton based on Monday's one month check up. When I say "little" Colton, I mean it! Unfortunately our little guy is not beefing up the way he needs to. In fact, he was born 7lbs7oz and he is now only 7lbs13oz after 4.5 weeks of life. Our pediatrician says he should be gaining 1 oz a day at this point and he only gained 6 oz in 19 days. Colton is in the 4th percentile for weight for a baby of his age. (That means only 4% of kids his age weigh less than him). He is in the 25th percentile for height, having grown only .25 inches. He is in the 6th percentile for his head circumference.

For the past two weeks, Colton has been breastfeeding really "well" but it has been tough because he will try to feed for 1.5 hours or more and he is constantly "rooting" for food. He often chokes or needs a break because he is gasping for air. Mealtimes are not the most fun! Doc says Colton's lazy voicebox or narrow trachea are not allowing him to suck efficiently enough to get all the food he needs. Also, he is having too many bowel movements and seems to be losing the nourishment as soon as he takes it in. Doc thinks he may be lactose intolerant.

So we are now supplementing every other feeding with soy formula and giving him lactaid drops before each feeding. We will return for a special visit this Friday to check on his weight. Our goal is for him to gain 2 oz by Friday. A tall order for our little guy! Please keep him in your prayers, we need to get to the bottom of this very soon. It's very puzzling and it's like I told Colton - "Your parents don't have any trouble gaining weight...where did you get this trait?" We are confident in our pediatrician's ability to monitor and care for Colton so we aren't too worried yet, but we feel bad for our son (who is probably hungry all the time!)

This last picture shows how he is growing older. Do you notice it? We do, but then again, we are with him all the time.