One Week and Caterpillars

Stratton- 7 days Old
Yesterday Stratton turned one week old! At his dr appt (at 6 days) he weighed in at 8 lbs (gained back his original birth weight and then some!) and was measured at 20.5 inches (a little longer than originally measured...I guess he is willing to stretch out a little more now). He checked out well and I was given the go-ahead to let him sleep as long as he wants! He slept for about 4 hours straight last night which was nice for me :) We had a bit of a scare yesterday morning, though when Stratton had a major spit-up/vomit episode...it was very forceful, a large amount and a suspicious color. So, I called the dr who asked that we be seen that same morning...even though his exam at the office was ok the dr wanted to be sure to absolutely rule out a pretty serious condition in newborns so he ordered an ultrasound for little Stratton. I couldn't feed him for 3 hours prior to the exam (which Stratton was NOT happy about) and once we got to the hospital and had the ultrasound (about an hour or so more of no eating for poor Stratton) the radiologist felt that he needed yet another test to definitively rule out an intestinal problem :( So....little Stratton got his first bottle yesterday...except it was filled with barium...YUCK! It was a cruel trick because he was so hungry at that point that he drank it right up. He was under a crazy looking xray machine that showed us the barium going thru his GI track live. THANKFULLY everything went where it was supposed to go and he passed the test! This ruled out any serious issues that might have caused the morning's event. WHEW! I felt so terrible for little Stratton but wouldn't have been able to live with myself had it been something more serious and I had ignored it. Wes kept Natalie occupied and my mom and dad were both at the hospital with me and Stratton. That was a huge blessing because it turned out to be a long afternoon there. We are praising the Lord that everything checked out fine and for the blessing of a healthy baby. I know that it is such a gift and miracle. Stratton has been such a joy and it seems like he has been here forever. I can't even explain how much I love this little guy even though we only met 7 days ago! God is certainly good!

Natalie continues to do well and seems to be growing at a rapid rate! She seems like such a big girl to me. She is learning her ABC's and got a wonderful package from Grandma and Grandpa Kent in Florida yesterday...an ABC caterpillar! This is the PERFECT gift because Natalie's two favorite things at the moment are bugs (caterpillars) and the alphabet song. Here she is playing with her new, ENORMOUS caterpillar...