Two weeks old!

Max is now two weeks old! I can't believe how much he has already changed. He weighs over six pounds now! It makes me a little sad that he has grown so much- it makes me feel like I have missed a lot while he has been in the NICU. He is now "nipple feeding" (drinking from a bottle) every other feed, which is a big improvement. He has to be doing all feeds from a bottlefor 24 hours before he can come home though.

Max had a great Valentine's day! He brought cookies to the NICU nurses and gave Valentines to the other babies. He is quite the ladies' man! But mom is still his #1 Valentine!

A couple days ago we gave Max a bath and it was quite an experience. First he scared us by letting out the loudest girliest little scream! Then, he hooked his heel onto the edge of his bowl of warm water and dumped it everywhere. After we got it all cleaned up, we were washing his back while he was on his side. He started sneezing and we realized he had yanked is NG feeding tube out of his nose! What a little trouble maker. He is just like his dad!

We are getting pretty tired of life at the hospital. Keep him in your prayers so he can come home soon! We can't wait.

1 week old!!!

We can't believe Max is already a week old. He is so sweet and he is changing so much (even though he isn't any bigger). We are so in love with him and we can't seem to get enough time with him- or enough pictures! We gave him a bath last night and it was so much fun. Max is such an easy going baby- he didn't even cry! He is still in the NICU, but he is done with his phototherapy treatments for his jaundice- which is great because we can have him out of the incubater for much longer. He is slowly making some progress on feeding from a bottle, but most of his feedings are still through a tube. Thankfully, I have a great milk supply, so I am a slave to my pump and he never has to have formula. Here are a few more of my favorite pictures of him. What can I say- I'm obsessed with him!

Yesterday I finally got to come home from the hospital, unfortunately without Max. It has been very hard to be separated from him, but we know he is better off in the NICU for now. He is so cute! We love every minute we get to spend with him. We have changed his diaper three times, and he has either pooped or peed on us each time! He takes after his dad I think. =) He is so sweet and I love just cuddling him. If you look at the pictures, notice he has Danny's chin and my lips. He is starting to learn how to drink from a bottle, so hopefully he will catch on fast and come home soon.

...but you can call me Max!

Day 2 of the hospital stay had very promising results. Jessica's blood pressure became more stable this afternoon and she was able to see the baby and hold him in the NICU for about 20 minutes. Another big accomplishment was made when Danny and Jessica held the baby together and TINY, BABY, HE, IT, BOY, SON, GRANDSON, COUSIN, or whatever he's been called up to now was given a name. He is named after a very special person and also a fun name that his parents really like. Jon Maxwell Kettle will be his full name "but you can call me Max"

More TINY pics

Surprise Surprise 5 1/2 weeks early

Our still nameless baby decided to give us a happy scare when Jessica's water broke at the happiest place on earth (Disneyland). The water broke on Thursday night at about 6:45pm. It was a challenge getting to the car because of the Disney Parade that was just starting. The Disneyland staff was very helpful and escorted us to our car for the short ride to Saddleback Hospital in Laguna Hills. Mommy and Baby began to be very uncomfortable around midnight. Mommy received an epidural at 3:30am which was an awesome. She was able to sleep on and off for a few hours. Jessica did awesome in the delivery. She was very strong and quiet (no grunting or screaming). 6 quick contractions and Tiny was born. Tiny (as he is know right now) was born at 9:08am on February 2, 2007. He weighs 5 lbs 12 ozs and is 19 inches long. The doctors left him in our room for about 10 minutes and then took him to the NICU to monitor everything. They fed him with a tube one time and he's been comfortable resting ever since. Currently he looks very peaceful and is a beautiful baby(as you can see:) He does have an IV and several other monitors hooked up to him in some of the pictures but don't be alarmed he's doing very well. Mommy on the other hand is not as comfortable. She has had some high blood pressure and the doctors have put her on medication for that and she is confined to her bed and very restricted on eating or drinking. Jessica is still in good spirits and anxiously waiting to be healthy enough to be with baby Tiny. Thanks to everyone for all your loving support and prayers. We really appreciate it. We will write and post more soon so check in a few minutes. More pics are on the way.

Love

Danny, Jess, and TINY Kettle