3 months old today

I just love how everyone wants to come see Maximus now that he's home. I know he has been a fighter and a tough kiddo who has really survived a lot! I will never be able to thank everyone for their prayers and support, and so many people have been excited to come visit and meet him. Unfortunatly, Max isn't out of the woods just yet. He is, quite literally, under house arrest.

In the words of our pediatrician "Maximus is a micro-preemie, now 3 months old, with chronic lung disease of prematurity, Oxygen dependence, a CCAM--a lung tissue malformation, reflux disorder, and an inguinal hernia that will have to be surgically corrected. He is a very HIGH RISK infant and should not be in public....."

Which also means that the public can't come to him as well, a small cold can kill him. Even if you aren't sick yourself, you may have picked up germs at the grocery store, the gas station, church, or a million other places and while your immune system is strong enough to fight those germs off before you even know you have them, his is not. RSV season is coming and for a NICU baby like Max it is nightmarishly deadly, I hope and pray every day that it will be a very short season this year and that we qualify for Max to get the RSV injection every 28 days. I would much rather give him a shot every month, than have to go back to the hospital.

S and I both have to shower and/or change our clothes before holding him if we've been anywhere. E takes a bath as soon as she comes home, and we scrub her hands with a scrub brush frequently. My mom, who is willing to care for him while I am at work, also has to shower and changer her clothes before being with him.

Thankfully, this is not permanent. He will get better, he will get off the oxygen machine, he will recover from the CCAM, they can fix the hernia, and the bigger he gets the better his immune system and chronic lung disease of prematurity will be. He may have complications for a long time, or a short time we don't know yet, but in the meantime we will do everything we can to make sure he grows big enough and strong enough to meet anyone who wants to.



Thanks again for all the love, understanding, support, and prayers.