what a week

Let me start by saying, thank you, thank you, thank you for all the prayers that have been said on behalf of Pierce. We truly appreciate them and know that God is hearing them and is healing our little boy.

Quick recap: on Monday, Pierce went off the ventilator to CPAP. (We all thought that P would most likely wind back up on the vent at some point since his CPAP record was only 5 hours.) By Thursday night, Pierce was placed on the nasal cannula because he had been on the lowest CPAP setting since coming off on Monday! (Also, his head was starting to look a little funny because it was forming around the cpap mask/hat...not very attractive!) And today, some 5 days after saying goodbye to the vent, Pierce is still on the cannula, chugging along at only 21% o2! He hasn't had an IV since last Saturday, which is wonderful because it means that 1)he simply doesn't need it because he's not requiring any transfusions, TPN, etc and 2)it decreases his chance of infection. This past week has by far, consisted of the best day in Pierce's life! The medical team is shocked at how well our little guy is doing. We have rejoiced every step of the way, not taking one moment for granted and thanking God for the many miracles He has performed.

Because Pierce is only on the cannula, it is so much easier to hold him now. I totally took advantage of that and spent about two hours holding him last night. Here's a shot we snapped during that time:

Check out the cheeks on this kid! And to think, this is before they plan to start formula to fatten him up. Yikes.

Pierce is really starting to take on a little personality and we are discovering so much about our son already.

Here are a few things we've come to learn about Pierce:
1. He loves his tummy!
2. 90% of the time, he sleeps soundly with a quiet, determined spirit
3. the other 10% of the time, the times when he's a) not in his favorite position (tummy) or b)awake, he's generally MAD. And boy, when he's mad... It's hard to believe such a loud cry can come from something SO tiny. I think we will be in serious trouble when he comes home!
4. He has his favorite nurses (Lindsay, Jennifer, Laura, Ashley, Rachel...to name a few), and trust me, he knows if he doesn't have one of his favorites.
5. He is like his dad in more ways than one.
and finally
6. Pierce is definitely not a rule-follower. He does things his own way and loves to keep everyone guessing as to what he will do next.

I hope this gives you a little insight into Pierce's life. We wish that each of you could meet him and get to know him like we do.

How you can pray: Continue to pray for good days, that Pierce will remain healthy and strong. Also pray as they are going to start supplementing his feedings with a special preterm formula to beef him up. So far, Pierce has tolerated his feeds wonderfully and we're praying that this change won't make things any different. Also continue praying for Liam, Pierce's buddy. Liam is following Pierce's lead and defying the odds as well. Pray for continued healing for Liam.

Love to you all.
Lindsay