Aiden is already six weeks old (37 gestational weeks)! These 6 weeks that he has been in the NICU have been a rollercoaster ride to say the least. Neither of us ever imagined that this would happen to us or that we would even be able to handle this kind of situation. Luckily Aiden is very healthy, but we have both been so scared by this whole process. Leaving him in the hospital has been the hardest experience we could imagine as parents. Fortunately I have been able to stay here and visit Aiden everyday, but Andy works a few days each week and visits us on the weekends. I have gotten into a routine where pretty much all I do is pump my milk and spend time with Aiden. As he is more alert and has more energy I have been able to spend more time with him, but it still isn't easy having to leave him in someone else's care. The guilty feelings can sometimes be overwhelming, as well as many other emotions that both Andy and I have to experience daily. We know that he is where he needs to be, but it seems so unnatural as parents not to have your child in your care. Luckily this hospital experience is almost behind us!

We've been anxiously awaiting Aiden's discharge all weekend only to find out that his doctor is out of town. Today we found out that she won't be back until Wednesday, so we're just waiting to talk with her to see if we can take him home. She's not one to send babies home quickly, even though the nurses think he's ready. He's eating all of his feedings except usually one at night, where he will usually eat about half. Today he ripped his tube out so the nurse left it out since he wasn't really needing it anymore except for that one night feeding. Then they decided that instead of being fed every three hours like all of the other babies, they would try feeding him only when he wants to be fed, unless he still hasn't woken up after 4 hours. So far today he's woken up for all feedings! They will track his weight for the next couple of days and as long as he maintains/gains weight then he should be ready. Just one step closer to going home! Tonight he weighed 7 pounds 5.1 ounces and his double chin was more noticeable than ever!