Pretty Baby

I can't believe how quickly the good days fly by! If only I could stretch them out and make them last longer! We've had another fairly stable day today. His oxygen levels this afternoon are all over the place - but part of that is because Samuel will absolutely not stay still. He's been looking around, kicking his feet, moving his arms.....he's a wild man. Ordinarily I would feel that this is a good thing - but the extra movement causes him not to rest and get well. It also causes him to burn calories (counter-productive to gaining weight like he needs.)
Today we are just a hair lower on the oxygen - 33%. I know I'm driving the nurse crazy by asking her the same questions over and over again. How does Samuel ever recover from all of these lung issues if the ventilator causes a lot of damage? How does he ever come off the ventilator? How do we get him lower on the settings? I keep getting told that it's up to Samuel when he comes off. When he gets bigger and his body matures, he should be able to make the transition. The doctor who is on call this week is also considering giving him some steroids to help his lungs mature a little quicker.
The nurses are still thrilled with his poopy diapers. They really feel that it is a good sign and think that feeding him is on the horizon. They are waiting for the antibiotics to finish before they try it though. That means at least 6 more days....
Samuel's color is so much better today. He looks like a baby...that's a little weird to say....but in the past he's either looked grey (from being so sick) or red (from the blood transfusions.)
I was able to put my hands around him today to help him calm down. It was great to be able to hold him....not in my arms.....but to be able to touch him. He is so very sensitive that I can't do it often, but it's a good sign that he is getting better at tolerating stimulation.
The doctor on call is very cautious about moving forward too quickly - which is good and bad. I wish we could just get to the next step but it's also good that we don't' rush him when he isn't ready. The doctor is very sweet and takes a lot of time to explain things to me (did I tell you that I'm now an expert at neonatology?)
Praying for a restful night tonight for Samuel. Calming down is very important at the moment. If we can get him oxygenating better, they can turn down one of his ventilator settings (since his lungs are still over expanded.)