I'm Too Sexy for My Onesy

Zachary has done very well over the weekend.  He even set a new personal record by sleeping for 8 and a half hours last night! Friday night the Cochran's came by to visit and have some time spent holding Zach.  Saturday was a bit of a crazy day for Mommy and Zach.  He didn't sleep so well for her during the day, and when Daddy arrived home from refereeing, Mommy was more than happy to have some alone time and run some errands.  Being the little angel he is he proceeded to sleep the entire time Mommy was gone, then wake up when it was time for Daddy to leave for Chili's, leaving Mommy with the hungry beast once again!

Today we had  a very busy afternoon.  The whole family went to the mall to pick out some pictures of Zachary, then it was off to Sam's Club, home for a few hours, then off once again for church in the evening.  Zach didn't really take advantage of any of hat time to get in a quality nap, so we're hoping he's pooped out and will sleep very well for us tonight, so far , so good.  Tomorrow he will have new casts put on once again, and he has couple more ultrasounds scheduled for this Thursday (kidneys and head).  We hope you all enjoy the pictures and the short video above, he's so handsome!  We just thought he looked funny during his bath tonight with his onesey pulled down over his chest, thus today's posting title!  Thank You All, and God Bless - Brian + Kimmie 

Who Wants To Visit?

Zachary has been doing really well the past few days.  He has continued his healthy eating and sleeping, and got his new cast put on Monday (red ones this week!).  Nicole stopped by Monday evening and delivered some wonderful gifts that Mommy and Daddy can use to track Zachary's growth and development. On Wednesday Zach had three visitors, first of whom was Pat from Sanchez (Mommy's school), who brought by some gifts from all the wonderful staff, and some well wishes from the students! Last night Ron and Yvonne came by and brought dinner for Mommy and Daddy.  They were fortunate enough to catch Zach just after his evening nap and were able to spend some time with him while he was awake, which sems to be a rare occurence for visitors!

Overall, Zachary's health continues to improve.  He seems to be a little fussy on Monday nights and Tuesday mornings, but we're figuring he must be a little sore from his new casts, and having his feet repositioned.  He had an appointment with Dr. Handler today and everything checked out wonderfully.  His incision looked great, his head circumference is perfect, and he weighed in at 9lbs. 15oz, albeit with his casts and clothes on.  We're guessing he is closer to 9lbs. even.  He has a head ultrasound scheduled for two weeks out, and until then we continue to  pray for his full healing, and enjoy all the fun moments we are having with our "normal" baby boy.  Zachary sends out lots of hugs and kisses to you all!  - Brian + Kimmie

My Buddy and Me

The last few days have been going very well for Zachary.  His incision on his back is almost completely healed.  The only areas left are scabbed over and it looks fantastic!  Praise God for his quick healing.  The sooner that is completely healed, the sooner we can give him a "real" bath.  We have been sponge bathing him for the time being, and it's working pretty well, but there's nothing like a full bath to get him clean.

He has established a pretty reliable schedule that we're sticking to as best we can.  The best part of it is that he has slept for 7 hours each of the last 4 nights.  Mommy and Daddy could not ask for more than that right now, so we just hope he continues to stick to the schedule.  

Zachary has had a few visitors recently with Elizabeth stopping by on Thursday, and Rachel and Sophie coming over to visit today.  He has become the expert at sleeping through visitors, not matter what time they arrive!  

The weather has been rather warm here the past few days (high 50's, low 60's), so Mommy decided to take Zach for a walk on Friday.... bad idea.  Although Mommy was very excited that 

Zach looked so cute in his outfit, the walk got him off of his schedule and made him a bit of a bear for most of the afternoon and early evening.  Mommy also ended up paying the price with the soreness she was experiencing the past few days from the exertion of pushing the stroller.  It seems the stroller had a bent front wheel, so it was not the easiest thing to push around.  Daddy played metal shop and "persuaded" the wheel back into place and was able to fix the stroller.  

Zach has his usual Monday cast changes tomorrow, then it's off to see Dr. Handler on Thursday for his first neurosurgery check-up since leaving the NICU. We pray he continues to progress, and both of his appointments bring blessings of good news.  Thank You All, and Pray for Zachary's continued healing! - Brian + Kimmie

Mr. Grumpy

Zachary has had a good couple of days.  Yesterday was a fairly "quiet" day, no visitors, no appointments, and doing a pretty good job of sticking to his routine.  He did have one milestone during the day, his cord finally fell off!  We were beginning to think it would never fall off. Now Mommy and Daddy have it a little easier when they change Zach's diaper, not having to fold down the front any more.  

Today was a "crazy" day for Zachary, in Mommy's words.  He seemed a little off this morning, waking up to feed earlier than he usually does, then not really getting in a quality nap for most of the day.  This afternoon Zachary had a couple of visitors, Cheryl and Haley stopped by to say hello.  Haley is the first baby (only 4 months older than Zach) to visit Zach at home, unfortunately he was not in a very friendly mood and was pretty fussy for a majority of their stay.  You can see the two of them in the photo above, Haley looks a bit surprised by Zach's actions!  

This evening Zachary settled into his routine and was much more calm.  Hopefully he will continue to eat and feed on schedule and sleep through the night again. He had his first sponge bath sans umbilical cord, and seems to dislike having his hair washed, but enjoys the rest of his body being cleaned!  Overall, Zachary has been progressing well, his incision looks great, and should hopefully be fully healed in the next week of so.  He doesn't seems to be bothered by his casts, and loves to move his legs and casts quite often.  Tomorrow he has more visitors on the way and hopefully will be in a better mood by then.  God Bless - Brian + Kimmie

Sneezy McGee

Zachary had a great day today. He slept for 7 hours last night, and Mommy was able to wake him up and feed him at 7 this morning.  He slept for a good portion of the day, then he and Mommy headed off to the mall to get his picture taken to celebrate his one month birthday today.  Keeping with his habits, he slept through the picture session (the pictures are still very cute though), and then it was off to have his new casts put on and he slept through that as well.  The PA who put on the casts mentioned that she had never seen a baby sleep through an entire casting in all her years at the hospital. Zachary seems to be very easy going.  Put on casts, manipulate his feet, change his dressings, he is as calm as could be.  If you change his diaper, or take his temperature though, watch out, he is not happy.

Zach had a short visit this evening from Elle and Roger.  They were kind enough to bring by some dinner for Mommy and Daddy as well (Thank You for that).  We hope you enjoy the little video above of our little sneezer.  Sorry it's sideways, you'll just have to flip your monitors!  Tomorrow should be a relaxing day for Zach and Mommy, no big plans, just time spent together.  Enjoy the pictures and video.  Our Love to You All - Brian + Kimmie

The Karate Kid

Here's a little video of our own Ralph Macchio.  It's fun to watch him hold his hands back, then "chop" them out like a karate punch.  

Zachary had an eventful weekend.  Dan, Barb, and Nonni stopped by on Saturday and had the chance to see Zach awake and feeding in the afternoon.  He had a bit of a late night, not really getting any real sleep until Daddy returned home from Chili's (after midnight).  Today Zachary got a later start to the day, but got plenty of rest.  By not falling asleep until late, he slept for quite some time, then arose later in the morning.  Our little fighter is definitely growing, and his appetite has grown accordingly.  He breast feeds now for a rather lengthy time, and some times he still needs a small bottle to satisfy his needs.  No matter how much he eats, we're happy he is feeding so well, and sleeping for rather lengthy times as well.  He's really a good baby, and we're happy with both his progress and his overall pleasant demeanor.  

This evening Zachary made his first trip with Mommy and Daddy to church.  After all the thoughts, and prayers he was finally able to enter the house of the Lord.  Mommy and Daddy were more than happy to offer our thanks and praise to God for answering so many of our prayers, and praying for continued healing.  He did very well throughout mass, only letting out a couple brief screams, and sleeping for a majority of the time (kinda like Daddy, who many say didn't stay awake for an entire mass until he was 6 years old).  After mass he made his first trip to dinner out with Mommy and Daddy, and is now in the process of trying to wind down after all of the hustle and bustle and attempting to fall back to sleep.

Tomorrow, we are off to have his new casts put on and celebrating Zachary's 1 month birthday.  It's hard to believe that much time has already passed, but we are thankful for every moment so far, and looking forward to the wonderful memories ahead.  With Thanks and Praise - Brian + Kimmie

Did You Miss Me?

Sorry about not sending a message yesterday, Mommy and Daddy were very busy, and the days have been very similar with not a whole lot of new events to report.  Zachary has been doing a wonderful job of sleeping for most of the night.  Last night he slept for 6 1/2 hours, and has been feeding less and less from the bottle, making his feedings at breast with Mommy all the more special.  Zach hasn't shown any ill effects from his casts, and seems to barely notice them.  Mommy and Daddy think Zach will definitely be a singer with all the squeaking, groaning, and recently the high pitched humming he does when he's falling asleep, or stirring in bed.  Once he starts to speak, there may be no stopping him!

Today Zachary had three visitors.  Amanda came by in the afternoon, and spent some quality time visiting and helping Mommy feed Zach.  This evening Doris & Steven stopped by and were treated to Zachary being awake for 2 whole hours!  Doris had some wonderful stories to tell Zach, and he stayed awake to hear them all the way through. 

After one entire week at home, Zachary is doing great.  He's healing wonderfully, and continues to amaze us with each new day.  We thank God for that, and pray for continued blessings.  Thank You to All of You - Brian + Kimmie