Nearly 5 weeks old

On Wednesday Max turned 1 month old! He weighed in at 3 lbs and 3oz and the graduated him up to 20 mL of food every 4 hours. They took him off the ventilator on April 20th and put him on a high flow CPAP for 2 days, then switched him to a bronchotron which is similar to the oscillating ventilator except in his nose instead of being intubated.

Max has also made a lot of progress in other areas, he is doing so well and getting better every day. PCMC has done a fantastic job of not only making him stable, but also helping him make great progress. I am grateful everyday for McKay-Dee and Primary Childrens for helping our son grow healthier every day.

Max no longer has Acidosis and his sepsis is cleared up (he no longer needs cortisol which means he is no longer swollen and puffy!) 
his hematocrit or 'crit' levels are great again
He hasn't had any additional problems with jaundice, he hasn't even been close to it.
Brain ultrasounds are completly clear and stable so far
His PDA still hasn't closed all the way, but it is no longer causing any problems or complications.

Maximus had a few rough days last week, throwing up what he was eating and loosing some weight. They gave him an IV and tried to find out what had happened as his oxygen needs went up, up, up. He was almost at 100% at one point, I was so upset he was going to need to get re intubated after he had done so well the first few days. His nurse had suggested she thought he had air in his belly, and there was just no room for his foods. She asked me what I thought about putting a second OG (feeding) tube into his stomach which would mean that it could vent air out of one while food could go down the other. I thought it was a great idea, but the Nurse Practitioner decided not to at first and just adjusted his settings on the bronchotron, which put him at the highest settings it would go. The next day they put in a second feeding tube and things started to improve. That night around 2:00am my little stinker grabbed hold of the bronchotron cannula and pulled it almost off his face, he only had 1 part of it still in his nose...but the amazing thing is that he didn't dsat when it happened. Slowly but surely things were looking a little better. It was a rollercoaster few days, not knowing if when I left at night he would be reintubated overnight. Friday they decided to try a different type of tubbing arrangement using a anderson tube to get the air out of his belly. I sat by his isolette and cheered and encouraged him as he slowly decreased his oxygen levels a little bit at a time. By the time shift change happened and they closed the NICU for visitors he had been as low as 23% and no higher than 30% (for frame of reference 21% is room air) Max had been practicing his swallowing, which is what he would be doing if I was still pregnant. Unfortunately, instead of swallowing amniotic fluid which helps him learn proper swallowing skills Max was swallowing air, which was filling up his belly. While I am so extremely proud of Max for practicing his swallowing and sucking (he has been sucking on a binkie lately too) he was filling his belly up so much he couldn't eat or breathe (his stomach full of air was also smashing his lungs--thus the increase in oxygen needs) The anderson tube has been the perfect thing to help him.

Today Ms. E and I went to the playroom while S went in to see Max, when he came to switch me he told me that Max had a surprise for me. I asked him if it was a poopy diaper that he had saved for me to change....and figured it was when he didn't answer me.
When I walked in the room I instantly noticed a huge difference. THE BRONCHOTRON IS GONE
My sweet boy was on only a nasal cannula and his oxygen levels haven't gone above 35% today. He was calm and resting for the day, he wasn't pulling at his wires or tubes, he hasn't thrown up nor had any breathing problems. I haven't quit smiling since that moment.

Prayers are working, every single one of them.