Jake Henry Armstrong

Sorry it's been awhile, but I've been rather preoccupied as Jake decided to arrive two months early. He was born November 8 weighing 4lb and 4oz. All is well, he is making great progress every day. He lost weight, as most babies do, and was down to 4lbs. Yesterday, he was 4lbs 7oz, so he is gaining now. He has gone from being intubated with IVs to assisted breathing and now he is breathing on his own and trying to suck from the bottle. Most of his feedings do come through a feeding tube in his nose. However, the sucking apparently isn't developed until 35 or 36 weeks, so we are hoping he will catch on in the next couple of weeks. He is now in a cot and out of the incubator and keeps everybody on their toes. He pulled out his oxygen tubes so since then, he has had socks taped on his hands. He has pulled out his feeding tube as well and puts up a good fight when they put it back in. We are hoping that with all the progress he will be home by Christmas, but the rule of thumb is not until their due date. Jessie cannot wait for her little brother to get home. She loves to hold him and really wants to help out.