Jaden's Update - 6 Days Old

Wow! It has been a crazy 6 days! I am finally out of the hospital, which is both good and bad. It was nice to be just one floor below Jaden, but it's also nice to be able to sleep through the night without someone coming in to check my vitals (actually, I still have to get up twice during the night to pump, but I can handle that).
As far as Jaden goes, he is doing about as well as can be expected for someone of his size. He has gained a little weight and is now up to 1 pound 7 ounces, but we expected that because he had a blood transfusion. Don't get all concerned - it's perfectly normal for him to get a transfusion. In fact, he will probably get another one in a day or two. His bone marrow is just too young to do the job itself.
He was on the high dose of Bilirubin lights to help control his jaundice, and then he was weaned down to the lower light, and they said that his levels looked so good they are going to turn the light off completely today! Too bad, because I think the kid liked his tanning sessions: The light on the top is his Biliruben light. That is also why they cover his eyes - they are too sensitive for the light. Plus, one of his eyelids is still fused shut, so they will stay covered for awhile. The picture above is Jaden actually getting his name and a blessing. Not many babies get that when they are 4 days old, but it's more common for preemies. Plus, Jake is back at boot camp and wanted to give him a name and a blessing before he left. If you feel left out, don't worry. No one else was allowed in and you would have had to watch silently through a secure window. His official name, by the way, is Jaden Doggett Cuthbert. Kind of a mouthful for a little kid, but we like it.
He is on a ventilator to help him breath, but he is doing so well that they want to take him off the ventilator in the next day or so to see how he does on his own. He is also being weaned off his steroids, his antibiotics, and he has already been taken off his blood pressure meds. He is tolerating his feedings well and is pooping and peeing like a champ!
The nurses and doctors there always comment on how feisty he is! He is constantly moving and thrashing about, which is a good thing. He is stubborn and a fighter, and they like that about him. Hmm... I wonder where he gets that? This kid is definitely my child!
So all in all, he is doing as well as he could be. We know it will be 3 months full of up's and down's, and so far we haven't had a down, but we know it will come. He's a fighter, and so are we, so together we'll get through this!