Iain update

I'll post some more pictures soon, but in the meantime, I just wanted to post a quick update on how Iain is doing.

He was admitted to the NICU on Friday, 2/1/08 for a low body temp and high bilirubin. He remained in the hospital until Tuesday when they decided that his temp was manageable enough for him to come back home. We are keeping him well bundled and call him various names like "my little burrito" etc. His jaundice has been around 11/12 since he's been home, adding another name to the list, "my little sweet potato." Fortunately, today his color seems somewhat improved. :)

He had his first well-child appointment with his pediatrician this past Thursday, where his length, weight and head circ. were charted in comparison to full-term babies. This is how he stands:

Length: 75%
Weight: 30%
Head circ.: 15%

The small head circ. is totally normal for a preemie baby his age, but it certainly looks funny next to his length!

Iain's been doing really well at home, and each day seems to bring further improvement. His temperature is getting easier to maintain and he's eating like a champ. Thursday night, Mark got a good idea for exactly how well Iain is eating when Mark was thoroughly drenched in yellow goo in the middle of a diaper change. He has since been quite wary about volunteering to change
diapers!

Since his birth, as predicted, we have recieved innumerable questions about the spelling and pronounciation of Iain's name. It has been spelled correctly and incorrectly as follows: Iain, Ian and Iaian. To help clear up the confusion, it is in fact spelled I-A-I-N and pronounced the same as Ian. Iain is the proper Scottish spelling and is in fact the Scottish form of John. Iain is named, spelling and all, after his paternal grandfather who, surprise, surprise, is Scottish and resides in Scotland. :)

Iain's middle name, Paul, is after St Paul, Mark's favorite saint. For those of you interested in names, read on. I was profoundly touched, this past Advent, by the fact that I was Elizabeth, carrying a John - and in fact the day the Mass readings mentioned Elizabeth "in her sixth month", I too was in my sixth month. Over and over, the Holy Spirit made it abundantely clear that this little boy was to be named after John the Baptist. Additionally, Iain Paul is a form of John Paul. Our son has the footsteps of great men to follow in, and we pray that by the grace of God, he will! :)

Thank you all for your continued prayers. We have been so, so blessed by the grace that has showered down upon us during all the various adjustments to life as new parents of a pre-term not-so-little guy.