Looking strong

If you didn't know something was wrong with Nathaniel, you'd think he was a regular little baby right now. The only serious differences are that he doesn't seem to cry as much as a regular baby (but that's a good thing, most parents would say), and he's not quite as pink as a regular baby.

Otherwise, he's fussing and grabbing fingers and peeing and pooping and sleeping a lot, just like a regular baby does. But he's still living in a cadiac intensive care unit for now.

Amanda got to feed him a little yesterday. It was really great for all of us. Amanda had barely had a chance to hold him after he was born, and that had really taken a toll on her and, once removed, on me. Seeing her so lovingly leaning over the intensive care "bed," cradling his head and back and putting the bottle in his mouth, she just seemed so happy. And that made me so happy, as well. And Nathaniel seemed to love it as well. Of course, he also loved spitting some of it back up, then sticking his hand in it and wiping it all around. He seems easily pleased by things.

The doctors say surgery is likely to take place Tuesday morning. After that, another father in the CICU warns, he's not going to look nearly as strong as he does today. We're going to have to be ready for that. The other father's baby just had the same surgery our baby is about to have, and his baby is doing quite well. He was taken out of the CICU and moved to a less intensive care space yesterday. It was wonderful news for them. I hope we get similar news in another week.

I'll try to post pictures when I can, but I can't use this public computer for uploading. We have some great shots from Saturday (when we had planned to bring him home). They let us put a Steelers hat on little Nathaniel, just as we had planned to do. We won't get to watch the Super Bowl together today, but I already have plans to watch next year's game with him. I'm looking forward to it like you wouldn't believe.