Happy Valentine's Day

Henry has begun to vocalize.  His sounds aren't predictable and do not always have a clear purpose, but we are always happy to hear his voice.  He has had a couple of cries, though these only last for a few seconds.  

Henry has been on full oral feeds for five days (no NG tube!).  We're watching his weight and tracking his intake very carefully.  If we need to supplement his oral feeds, we will have to reinsert the tube.  However, we're hopeful that we will be tube-free from now on.  

Henry had lots of appointments this week, including with a physiatrist at Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.  She had many positive things to say about Henry.  She was happy that he moves his fingers and toes independently, is able to breast feed, and has a very robust appearance.  Her main concern is regarding the trouble that he often has tracking objects.  She had a toy with flashing lights and lots of noise, and Henry didn't even seem to notice it.  She assured us that we are getting the proper therapy for him and that drastic measures of any sort are not currently warranted.  At her suggestion, we may seek a specialist to teach us new ways to stimulate his vision.

Henry has a big appointment coming up on Tuesday.  He will endure his sixth EEG (other than having goo smeared all over his head, the test is not actually so bad).  We hope that this EEG will be clearer and that we can then begin to wean him from the phenobarbital.  

We got a new camera yesterday, so hopefully the indoor shots of Henry will be a bit sharper.  

Henry loves his tummy time:

He also loves hanging out with friends and family:

Henry has lots of toys:

Henry is very lucky to have such a beautiful Mom:

Diaper changes are so much fun:

And here are some other random shots of Henry: