minimal news is good news

i haven't had a lot to report lately-- which we're counting as a good thing! Kyren is steadily (albeit slowly) gaining ounces, as his milk intake increases (he's up to 20mL per feeding). He isn't 2lbs yet, but we're hoping by next week he'll hit that mark. Not that that's a huge achievement, but it might make us feel like he's hit some kind of small milestone. He's been doing rather well, aside from some e-coli in his trachea, which is being treated preemptively with i.v. antibiotics. We are still hoping and praying that as he and his little lungs grow and mature, he'll be able to get that ventilator out of his trachea/lungs, and be free from the threats that imposes. I got to hold him for the third time the other night, and it was really sweet. Every time the nurse or doctor would talk too "loudly" or adjust his wires and tubes, his levels would drop as if he were distressed or annoyed. When they stopped, his levels would rise back up. They said that he didn't like them fussing with him, and he was much happier just being left alone with Mommy. Whether or not that's true, it made me feel good. They still remark every time we're there at how feisty he is.

Christian is marveling us with his daily absorbency of vocab. and his emerging creativity. He's taken to dragging his blanket(s) around the house and falling down on them (accidentally and on purpose) in the hallway for a snuggle. yesterday, as he was delighting in the fuzzy cuddle-bility of "Red Blanky", he buried his face in it and started gently shaking his head back and forth, saying, "ugga mugga", which is the term we use for affectionately rubbing noses/Eskimo Kisses (coined by Mister Rogers' Lady Aberlin in the Land of Make Believe). I love how his imagination is already taking off, but his sensitive side is also developing. This morning he was reading to himself out of his favorite "Frank the Firefighter" book, and he got to the part where the girl has a 'bump' on her head that Frank helped bandage/make 'all better'. he stood up, walked over to the kitchen cabinet closest to him, bumped his own head against it, went back to the book, bent over and put his head on the page and said, "Frank...Kiss...". When i reacted with 'awwww's', he then walked over to his other 'best friend', the big yellow Tonka loader, bent over, put his head against it, and said "Loader...Kiss". Nothin like a firefighter and a loader to make a little boy's head feel better. Not to stereotype, but i'm pretty sure i've never seen a little girl run to a construction vehicle for comfort. he cracks us up! Can't wait till both our boys are able to run around together...