3 weeks old

Our little man is three weeks old today! He is still as precious as can be, and he is still sleeping very well!

Mommy, on the other hand, is having to make lots of sacrifices. I have eliminated several (of my favorite) things from my diet including dairy products, caffeine, spicy foods, and leafy foods. That means no cereal, no Oreos and milk, no big glasses of chocolate milk, none of Ozie's homemade pimento and cheese, no sweet tea, nothing! But for this child, I'll do anything! Knox has been having a lot of gas pains, and it just breaks our hearts to see him hurting. The only solution the nurse offered was for me to eliminate those things. Hopefully this will help him.

In other news, Knox's circumcision ring finally fell off. Daddy found it in his diaper early Sunday morning. *Oh, Daddy has gotten peed on several times too! But since the ring is gone, neither one of us are getting peed on quite as much.
His belly button is almost completely cleared up. He still has a little scab on it, but other than that, it's looking great.

Knox is now eating a little over 3 ounces (90 ml) per feeding. I can tell he is definitely putting on some weight. His little chicken legs are starting to get some meat on them, and his face is definitely filling out. He even has a double chin like Mommy!

And for the record, yes - I am spoiling him. His daddy is just as guilty. But what can we say? This little fellow has us wrapped around his tiny fingers!

This Week in Black & White

Laid back with Uncle Jack

Hanging out with Daddy

Easton, Daddy, Knox, and Luke

Mommy is obsessed with Knox's feet

Knox & Easton

Knox & Luke

Knox & Aunt Trish

Knox & Aunt Erin

Reed, Aunt Erin, and Knox

Mommy is obsessed with Knox's legs, too

Check out those long toes!

Mommy LOVES her baby boy

And just one in color...

Pucker up!

Looking Back - Cravings

Looking Back - Baby Showers

Because our precious son arrived sooner than we expected, there were a few things that I never got posted - which includes pictures from our fabulous baby showers...

Click photos to enlarge

2 Weeks Old

Our little man is two weeks old today!

Knox enjoys:

• Sleeping - it doesn't matter where or when. He sleeps in his bouncer, in his Pack & Play, in our bed, on Mommy or Daddy's chest, or in anyone's arms. *He slept in his Pack & Play all night last night. Daddy bought an egg crate that made it much more comfortable. We think that did the trick.
• Eating - this child loves to eat. Knox was requiring a bottle every 2 hours or less, and it almost wore Mommy out, so we upped his feeding today. We're now at a whopping 70 ml per bottle. I have a feeling we'll be increasing it even more within the next day or two. If he's hungry, we feed him. And if we feed him, he eats.
• Staring - when he is awake, he will just stare at whoever is holding him. It melts my heart when he looks at me.
• Pooping - I'm not sure if he enjoys this, but he sure does it alot. He never likes the beginning stages of having his diaper changed, but once you reach a certain point, he relaxes and lets you finish with ease. I loved changing his diaper so I can see those little chicken legs. He stays cuddled up in blankets or balled up in his gowns, so changing his diaper is about the only time I get to see his legs. They are so funny looking.
• Peeing on Mommy - I'm not sure if he enjoys doing this either, but he does it a lot, too. We are currently averaging one time a day.
• Expelling gas - again, I don't know if he enjoys this, but he does it a lot, too. He's definitely letting the world know he is a Houston & proud of it.
• Being held - it doesn't matter if he's asleep or awake, he always relaxes when he's being held. He's such a good cuddler, too. Sometimes his tummy hurts, but being held seems to help cure the bellyache. Right now he's asleep in Daddy's arms & is one happy camper!

Doing what he does best

Mommy ALMOST caught a grin

Soaking up everything Aunt Brooke was saying

Knox's First Checkup

Knox had his first doctor's appointment today, and I have been rejoicing ever since we left! Knox got a GREAT report, and we are so proud!
The best part of our visit was when the doctor told us, "If I had not looked at his chart, I would have had no idea he was ever in the NICU." That made us feel so good!

When Knox was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, February 11, he weighed 7 pounds & 2 ounces and was 20.25 inches long.
Today he weighed 7 pounds & 11 ounces and was 20 inches long.

Daddy and I are proud of his weight gain, but we're slightly confused about his length.
At his birth, he was 18.25 inches - one week later he was 20.25 inches - and then five days later he was 20 inches. Needless to say, we're fully aware of the fact that everyone measures Knox a little differently. : )

Daddy and I brought up several concerns we had, but the doctor assured us Knox was just fine, and there was nothing to worry about. Although neither one of us had stressed about anything, we were still both relieved to hear that.

I was a nervous wreck in the waiting room. Sounds were amplified while we were there, and all I could hear was cough, cough, sniffle, sniffle. Daddy was holding Knox, and I told him to cover him up because I didn't want all those germs on him. Peyton probably thinks I've completely lost my mind. We have made sure our visitors washed their hands before holding Knox, and we ask anyone with any kind of sickness to please refrain from visiting since Knox's immune system is still not good. And then today we were at the doctor's office, and it seemed like we exposed him to everything. And yes, I teared up thinking about it. This parenting thing is tough stuff! : )

I have thoroughly been enjoying spending time with Knox. I still catch myself just staring at him in amazement. I love this child so much, and I love his daddy even more than I did before Knox was born. I had no idea I could love so much!

Knox strapped in ready to go to the doctor

Knox was cold, so we put his clothes ON him at the doctor's office

Pop & Nani spent Sunday afternoon with us

Daddy sleeping on the job ; )

Daddy holding Knox & his friend, Hayden Martin

And last, but definitely not least, Knox taking a bath. We PROMISE he actually liked it after he figured out what was going on - and we REALLY PROMISE the camera angle is horrible & Daddy is NOT choking him - nor is Daddy's hand really as big as Knox - but the picture was too funny not to share...

First Day Home

Being home together is absolutely wonderful. Daddy and I spent the day oohing and aahing over him. Daddy picked Big Brother up from school, and Knox got LOTS of attention after that. Peyton just couldn't get enough of Knox. He covered him with lots and lots of kisses. It was so sweet seeing them together.

Ain't nothing like sweet loving from Daddy

Our first night at home went very well. Knox got up every three hours to eat. I must admit that I'm still a little nervous. I catch myself checking on him to make sure he's still breathing well. I'm sure most moms do the same thing, but after our scare, I just won't let myself stop.

He's also starting to master "crying." It's still the sweetest sound I've ever heard -which I know one day I won't think that. But for the time being, I love to hear him trying.

Knox slept in his Pack N' Play at the foot of our bed. His daddy wants everyone to know that Knox did NOT sleep there the entire night. Yes, he ended up in the bed with us, but I promise to do better. The little fellow has stolen Mom's heart.

He's really cute when he has gas...

Knox is now getting lots of loving from his grandparents - and his uncle Jack, too. : )

Welcome Home, Knox!

We are FINALLY at home with our precious son!

When I called to check on Knox yesterday, all of his reports were great. Towards the end of our conversation, the nurse told me to go ahead and pack our bags. We were uncertain whether we would actually get to stay or not, but I packed our bags just in case. I was so excited! I had to get Nana to help me because I couldn't even think straight.
Daddy, Peyton, Nana, and I took an infant CPR class, and afterwards we spoke with the nurse would confirmed we would stay the night. However, she could not guarantee when we would get to bring him home.
They brought him to our room around 9:00 p.m. It was such a joy being able to hold him and reconnect with him, without nurses and doctors all around.
We had a great, great night! Knox did very well, and his parents weren't too bad, either. : ) He was circumcised this morning, and afterwards they brought him to us again. We were discharged shortly thereafter.

We are now at home, and doing well. Knox is sleeping so peacefully. We are enjoying our time together as a family once again.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. We really, really appreciate it. We are so thankful to have our baby boy home with us!

In Our Arms Once Again

Knox had a FANTASTIC day today!!!

• His bilirubin levels were down this morning, so they turned off the lamps and removed the blanket from under him. He has been off of them all day. They will test him again around 4 a.m. to see if his levels have gone back up. Obviously we're hoping they are not up again. While he looked so precious with his little purple shades on, it was wonderful seeing his precious eyes open.
  
• He got the cord removed from his umbilical cord. What a relief! Each day that passes, another wire or cord is removed - and with each one, that is a little more comforting for Mommy & Daddy. It was so hard seeing him hooked up to everything.


• They have lowered his oxygen level again. He is now down to 1 liter. We are so proud of him!
  
• He has taken bottles all day today. And he is doing very well digesting all of his food.
  

And the best part - - - -

We got to hold him!!!

Words just cannot describe how we felt being able to hold our son once again! I cry now just thinking about it. He is so precious! I love him more and more each day. Holding him and feeding him just adds icing on the cake. I'm so ready to bring him home, but I'm just thankful now that he is improving so much and so quickly. He is our little champion that we are so dearly proud of!

Knox Update - 2/8/09

Our little man is still continuously doing better! We are so proud of how far he has already come. He finally got off the antibiotic today. They have again increased his feedings, as well as reduced his oxygen level again.
His bilirubin level increased this morning to 14.8, so he is now under 2 lamps and on a blanket. So that means he's still hanging out in his little purple sunshades.
Keep praying for him. He's doing great, and we are looking forward to the day we get to bring him home!

Knox Update - 2/7/09 p.m.

We had such a great day today! Our visits with Knox were absolutely wonderful!

It was so good to see Knox off the ventilator. He was resting so peacefully. He's still got tubes and wires going everywhere, but there's no comparison to seeing him on the ventilator.

Big Brother Peyton went with us today. He is not allowed in the NICU, so he stands outside in front of the window. Knox is too far away for anyone to really see him, but one of the nurses picked him up this afternoon for Peyton (and Tiffany & Amber). Peyton was tickled to see him, but Knox was NOT happy about being picked up!

I reported this morning that they have increased Knox's amount of feeding, and we were delighted to hear that Knox is digesting everything well!

Knox looked soooo adorable hanging out in his sunshades getting him a tan. : ) We couldn't help but giggle at him chillin' in his purple shades. He is too cute!

Tonight, the nurse told us they sometimes turn off the lamps to give the babies (and their eyes) a rest. Several minutes after she removed Knox's shades, he opened his eyes!!!! Oh what a precious moment we had! He would just look at me and Daddy, and it warmed both of our hearts! I even stepped out so Poppy could come in and see Knox with his eyes open. Daddy borrowed Granny's camera & he took several pictures. Hopefully I can post a few of those soon. We'd been visiting for a while, but Daddy and I just could not stand the thought of leaving Knox with his eyes open. I rubbed his little head & Daddy held his hand until he drifted off to sleep. Joy, joy, joy! It's so hard to believe how much we love Knox!

Knox Update - 2/7/09 a.m.

Mom is back & doing better and better each day! Daddy and I got home around 11 last night. It feels so good to finally be home, but I'll never be able to explain how hard it was to leave Knox at the hospital. I KNOW he is much better off there, but I cannot wait until I can hold him again. I get very emotional, very easily, so I am still not ready to share "our story" or go into any details. However, I am very happy to report that Knox is still making a lot of progress. Daddy and I are so proud of him!
At 10:00 last night, the ventilator was giving him 15 breaths per minute. He had gradually been reduced from 25 to 20, so we were proud of those 15. But we were ecstatic to find out this morning KNOX HAS BEEN TAKEN OFF THE VENTILATOR! We can't wait to go see him today!
A few other things...
They weighed him around 1:00 a.m. He now weighs 7 pounds and 7.8 ounces. The nurse said that was not bad at all.
As of 9 a.m. they have increased his feeding, even though he is not digesting all of his "food." This is also not uncommon.
Knox's bilirubin level was 13.7. The limit is 13, so he's under the lamp now. (Daddy and I were fully expecting this.)

We are so proud of how far Knox has come! I will post some pictures later this evening, and I hope to update the blog often. Please keep our little man in your prayers!

Lots of love,
Knox's Mom

P.S. Please email any pictures you have of Knox to tina_houston4@bellsouth.net

Knox and Tina Update-Friday 2/6

Update on Knox:
When we updated the blog on Thursday, Knox was in NICU with just oxygen to assist bringing his oxygen levels back to normal. On Thursday afternoon, the doctor placed a ventilator on Knox to give him some help with his breathing. He was working very hard with his breathing which was very sad to see. Even though it's difficult seeing him with all the tubes and lines coming from him, he is not working as hard to maintain his breathing. That gave us a little more encouragement knowing he was not having to struggle near as much.
On Friday morning, we checked on Knox and he has PROGRESSED overnight. The ventilator assistance has been turned down and the expectation is he'll be breathing "room air" sometime today. We see improvement between visits which is very encouraging to us. Please continue praying for our little champ for we know he is in the best of hands with God and all the good people at the hospital.

Update on Tina:
Tina had a much better day on Thursday. Her IV was removed and began taking medicine orally. She was thrilled to be able to move around without the hassle of the IV pole and lines everywhere. She had a restful night and is in great spirits on Friday. Dr. Kennedy came in this morning and has decided to release her from the hospital late on Friday afternoon. We are still deciding on what we're going to do about staying with Knox. We will have that decision made by the time we leave the hospital this afternoon.

Tina and Knox Update

Update on Knox:
The doctors have moved Knox to the NICU on Thursday morning. His oxygen levels were not where they were supposed to be so they admitted him to the unit for further observation. The doctor (O'Mara-fantastic) performed an ultrasound on Knox to look at his heart and lungs. Good news is his heart is great. The not so good news is his lungs are not completely developed or could have an infection. He was borderline being pre-mature and it seems his lungs lacked just a little bit getting developed. The treatment for this is to increase his oxygen intake and put him on an antibiotic to avoid infection. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being a sick baby, Knox is a 2. Dr. O'Mara said he's not well enough to be in the well baby nursery but is not a sick baby. Looks like Knox will be in the hospital for a few days, not a few weeks (per Dr. O'Mara). We understand this is just part of the process and God is in control, but please pray for Knox and his continued health.
Update on Tina:
Tina is doing much better but is still in a little bit of pain. She is having back spasms but is not in the constant pain she was experiencing prior to Knox's birth. We are still a little uncertain of what has caused all of this, however the treatment now is an antibiotic through an IV. We'll see how her body responds to this treatment to understand the next course of action. The good news is, we've been transferred from the high risk room to a regular room (Room 25). The direct phone number to the room is 377-4825. Please continue praying for Tina for she has been outstanding through this last few days. I am very proud of her!

Knox is here!

Knox made his grand entrance into the world

this morning at 11:05 a.m.

Both Momma and Knox are doing great!

He is the sweetest baby boy!

Daddy telling everyone the good news.

Big Brother Peyton arriving at the hospital.

Running to meet his baby brother.

Holding his baby brother.

Grandaddy and Nana holding Knox.

Poppy admiring his beautiful grandson.

Pop loving on Knox.

Check out the size of his feet!

Grandma holding Knox, while Uncle Jack takes

a picture for his cell phone.

Peyton wanted to be the first one to give Knox

money, but he had to borrow some from Daddy first!

What a beautiful family!

"So, you are the little guy that's been kicking me!"

He had a full head of hair too!

Telling Uncle Chris "My...what big feet he has!"

We did good; didn't we?

One of the male nurses telling everyone that

Knox weighs 7 lbs. 14 ozs. and is 18.25 inches long.

What a sweet baby boy!

Benjamin Knox Houston

a.k.a Junior

Hey Everyone, this is Erin updating the blog.

Tina will add a lot more to this post soon.

Tina was a trooper and is doing great!

Thanks for all the prayers!

God is so good!