We have begun breastfeeding!  It’s not easy.

I thought it would be instinct for him (and me), and we’d pick it up quickly. He had the most perplexed look on his face when we first started.  Like…what am I supposed to do?  He’s managed to latch on a few times over the past few days.  I mentioned previously about the suck, swallow and breathe coordination.  He hasn’t quite figured that out.  He also tires easily, so about 20 minutes in he falls asleep.

It’s hard to remember he’s only 36 weeks gestation.  He would still have one more month to develop.  I’m trying to be patient.  I think I’m putting too much pressure on this because I know it’s the last thing we need to master before we can go home.  Aiden still desats every now and then, so it’s clear his lungs need to continue to develop.  But we heard from doctors we could go home in the next 2 – 3 weeks.  (!!!!!)  I’m trying hard not to get too excited.  As we’ve learned, the NICU experience has its ups and downs.

Aiden celebrated Independence day with an adorable outfit from Lauren and Sven.  They flew to Vancouver Island for their baby moon, and stopped by to meet Aiden for the day.  It was so sweet to see her hold him.  She’ll be a mom herself very soon!  The NICU nurses also created this adorable sign to help him celebrate.

My cousin, Tanya, her husband and two young boys also visited us over the weekend from Portland.  They brought the cutest outfits for Aiden and we had lunch nearby.

Adien weighs 2,609 grams, or 5 pounds 11 ounces.  He’s such a big boy!

And finally, Aiden passed his hearing test.  Preemies can have hearing problems, we are thankful this isn’t something Aiden needs to worry about.