Owen is doing better today. His hemoglobin is good. No solid explanation as to what was going on yesterday, but today he recovered well. He now weighs 1249 grams or 2lbs and 12 oz. He's a growing boy! His ventilator is now set at 24, and they're talking about taking him off when he gets to 20 to see how he does without. He would still have oxygen, but not the ventilator.
--We got to do kangaroo care tonight. It is such a beautiful experience!!

Owen has had a challenging day today. His ventilator is still down at 26 this evening, but they had to raise his oxygen some to help him breathe easier. They're going to test his blood in the morning. They believe his hemoglobin may be low and he may need some more blood. They do draw his blood at least one time per day to test his gases. Its likely that it is low. Its been awhile since they've given him blood.
He's hasn't been resting as well today, and of course when he's had a rough day, that means no kangaroo care :(
--Maybe tomorrow!

On a better note, he has gained more weight. He's up to 1230 grams, which is 2lbs and 11.75oz. He has also grown a half of an inch.
They raised his feed to 20ml from 19ml every 3 hrs today. He had his first reported spit up today. He also pooped so much that it came out of his diaper and soiled his cute little outfit. His digestive system is developing well.
We had two visits today. We sang songs together, and we talked about hopefully moving into our new home soon. We discussed the plans for the nursery and as always we focused on how exciting it will be when he gets to come home. Oh, the things we'll get to do!
It sure is hard for this mama to leave her baby. I guess I thought it would get easier. But the opposite is true. I suppose as your love for your baby doubles each day; so does the difficulty in parting ways.

Here are the St. Paddy's Day Pictures!

It's St. Patrick's Day! Owen is wearing his first outfit so far, and it has little green frogs on it.

He's regulating his temperature well enough now to have no heat in his incubator. His weight is up to 1180 grams, which is 2 lbs and 9.5 oz. He's gained a pound since birth! He keeps moving down on his ventilator. He's at a rate of 28 right now, and they're trying to move it down a little every other day as long as his gases are good.
He is tolerating his feeds well. They have started fortifying the breastmilk with special care formula to add the extra calories that he needs.
He is looking healthy and well. He is resting better and looking more peaceful when he's sleeping. When he's awake, he looks much more alert. His little eyes look to focus and follow. They will be doing an eye test this week.
He's been doing much better this past week. Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

We're going to add more pictures and videos as soon as possible. And we may work a little at a time to add the 'in between' info from his birth day until the present. But time is hard to come by these days, so no promises on how soon that will happen.

Owen Bruce Lodge

Born: 2-5-2012 (Super Bowl Sunday) at 11:26 AM

He was 1 pound 9 ounces at birth 

This is the first picture taken of Owen as he was wheeled out of surgery and into the NICU. There will be many more pictures to come and a little explanation of our journey to this point. Thank you to everyone for all the prayers and support. We feel so rich and blessed to have such wonderful friends and family.

This is the actual size of his feet. So cute!