Today is the day

Today, June 20th, was my due date... CRAZY how much has happened before I finally got to this day:) Broden is 8 lbs and 8 weeks old tomorrow!  He was supposed to come after mother's day and father's day, but we got to enjoy him on both! Greatest gift ever to have a healthy baby boy!

Broden loves...

 To sleep in his chair!

To play with these 3 cute kids!!!

 To fall asleep with dad!

To sleep in warm cozy blankets! 

Bath time and his bath robe!

OLD School STYLE

Steve on his first day of school!!
Wearing...
-cleats
-pegged pants
-neon orange/yellow sun glasses with cool yellow neck holder
-hair parted and combed with some natural wave
-missing front tooth

He was a cutie!!

Photo Shoot

 This one is my favorite! He is 6 weeks and 6 lbs 4oz in these pics!

 I'm a pirate!

 This hat used to be SO baggy on him, but now it fits!!

 He fit in Steve's fire helmet! We had to use a blanket so the plastic part didn't hut him, but it was so cute!

My friends Jen and Melinda had an awesome baby shower for Broden and me... Thanks everyone for coming! It was SO fun!!

 Jen made these...seriously impressive and SO CUTE!!

Thanks everyone!! LOVE you all!

This Rumor is TRUE...

I think this picture says it all...

Broden born at 3 lbs 10 oz...

Broden leaving the NBICU at 1 mo. and 2 days (36 weeks) at 5 lbs 13 oz....

Angie was one of his primary nurses that took care of him a lot! She was SO awesome and I know Broden misses her!!! She was so sweet to him!

Broden graduated from the NICU Saturday!! Way to go Broden Bug...you did it!! Because he is doing so good now it would be easy forget... It was a scary situation at the beginning and the doctors prepared us for him possibly having complications, but I will never forget the hand of God in our journey. I was able to carry him 1 more week, which was literally huge. My baby was born breathing room air, which is not common for how early he was born. It took some time, but he grew a little every day and now look at him! I am grateful for all of my blessings and my baby boy!! I will never forget.

We are home and LOVING it! We still have to go back weekly for his eye exams. They are not fully developed yet so we go for checkups to make sure that happens.

The goal is to keep him healthy now that we are home because I am NOT going back:)... So if you don't see me for a while you know why!!... and I will be a washing hands Natzi so I am preparing you now!

PARTY in Room 8

Sunday we got moved to a new room... It is SO much quieter and I LOVE it!!!! Our last area was right in the thick of everything, but now we have much more peace and quiet.

Remember these photos?...

This is my little man now.... He is 1 month today (or 36 weeks...that's what they go by here)

His hand size has doubled...crazy what 2 lbs more will do:)

 I love the sleepy look after a full belly

He weighs 5 lbs 10 oz!!! Yeah crazy I know:)!! He is exactly 2 lbs more than when he was born and is turning into such a newborn baby instead of a preemie. He really has started to seem like a "real baby" :) His little personality is showing more and more and I love love love it!! He has the best temperament and is SO loving and patient. He is the best cuddle bug ever and his mommy LOVES it!!

There is a little girl next to him that weighs 3 lbs 10 oz (that's how much he weighed when he was born) and she is so tiny! I am with Broden every day so I don't notice him getting bigger as easily, but looking at her and then him you can really tell the difference. He is 2 lbs more than her...you wouldn't think 2 lbs is that much, but when they are that little it is a lot.

He is consistently eating 4 to 5 bottles out of 8 a day on his own. He has been doing that for 7 days now. The other feedings are put through his ng-tube still. To be able to go home he has to wake up every 3-4 hours to eat, then eat at least 75-90% of it, and keep gaining weight each night. This last hurdle has seemed to take forever:) but I need to keep being patient :) He is a champ and I can tell he is not quite ready, but he is sooo close!

We think we can go home earlier next week. He will be 37 weeks, which is considered full term and he doesn't have other issues holding him back, he just has to wake up more to eat and have the endurance to finish all his bottles. I told Broden to step it up a notch and really show off his skills so we can go home:)!  They don't tell you when they think you will go home:) and give you very little notice when they decide you can...so I am a dork and already packed for a quick get-away once that time comes... 5 weeks in Utah and counting:) Can you tell I'm just a little ready to go home:)!

Some other randomness...

 So clean after his bath

 LOVE this little baby face and his daddy!!!

This one was just too funny to me! He fell asleep and his arm was limp holding his binky in!! He is a smart little boy:)

I wish I had the before pics, but this preemie onesie used to be pretty baggy on him and now it fits perfect!

 I love his cheese smile!

Rubber Ducky You're the One...

You Make Bath Tome So Much Fun...

Broden got his very first bath Monday! It was SO fun and he was too cute. He absolutely loved it! I see a lot of babies cry here when they get baths, but he loved it! The nurses wait until they the babies are in a crib for a week before they give them a bath ( they sponge bathe them if they need it before then). They don't do it earlier because they babies can't regulate their own body temp. and it uses a lot of energy up that they need to use to grow.

They have you swaddle them up tight in a receiving blanket and then put them into the warm water. Then you go slow and wash one side and then the other. They say it is important for them to feel secure when they are this little and getting a bath. It's not good to have their limbs going all over :)

We started with him all wrapped up...

But later his limbs were all over the place:)! He loved it and was too excited and kicked his feet to splash. He always wiggles and gets out of the tightest swaddles. I will have to see when we get home if he can get out of Jen's master blanket burrito??!! It's on Broden!

 Broden after his bath...getting sleepy:)

5 minutes later he is almost out:)! Bath time made this baby sleepy!

They have started giving him bottles at night when I am not there. He has one or two a day because that is all he is waking up to eat on his own. He eats the whole thing though:) We are slowly getting there!

My little buddy

Isn't he handsome:) He weighs 4lbs 13 oz!!!!! He is doing great! Now just have to get the eating thing down:) He loves to sleep with his hands by his face. If you swaddle him up he always figures out how to wiggle his arms out so he can sleep like this!

He makes cute scrunch faces when he sleeps:)

His new crib...it's much bigger than he is!

This is one of the 'awesome chairs' I have there to sit in all day with my baby...there are better ones I also get to have (they go quickly as you can imagine). Someday I will donate rocking recliners and a breast pump for every bead side:) It would make things so much better.

Broden LOVES his binky!! I love my binky baby!

I can't believe I have been in Utah for 1 month now...crazy!