Parents First Bath: A Big Thank You From Colin

Today, Mommy and Daddy got to give Colin a bath for the first time! The nurses, of course, give him baths periodically, but this was our turn. We were a little anxious, but excited none-the-less. To give him the bath, Colin was taken from his isolette and moved to an adjacent warming table with a scale so he wouldn't get cold and we'd get to weigh him. His nurse transferred him without difficulty, and our son lay there in all his glory sans diaper.
First came the weigh-in: 1 pound, 14.3 ounces! 2 pounds here we come! Next, came the bath. We had 2 containers of warm water: one with soap and one without. Using wash cloths, we started by wiping off his head using just water, then used soapy water to "sponge-bathe" his body. It was fun grabbing his little arms, making sure to get the pits (so what if he doesn't have B.O. at this age - I still felt compelled to get all the spots). After working down to the toes - what cute toes they are - we turned him over to get his backside too. Let's just say our son seems to lack a gluteus maximus. It's more like a gluteus minimus, but he's got time to fill out his jeans ;-) Funny, as we were commenting on his puny buns, he started squeezing the cheeks, already working them over. So cute, and great timing! After wiping him down, mom got lotion to rub all over his body so his skin wouldn't be so dry. He smelled so good afterward, and was so clean and precious. It was hard not to just kiss all over him. We finished rubbing him down, and literally as mom pulls her hand away, Colin thanked us by pooping all over the place! Colin! Mom jumped back; nervous that maybe his reaction was one of stress. Dad was in a state of wonder and amazement. Poop-shock, if you will. Thankfully, his nurse was right there to save the day by cleaning him and changing out his unfortunate bedding sheet which truly paid the price. So much for our little guy being spit-shine clean ;-) The nurse had a good laugh with it, and calmed us down by explaining that he was just behaving like any other baby. A little unexpected excitement, but we'll take it!
Otherwise, Colin had an okay day. For a moment they had to increase his oxygen a little more to 25% to calm his desat episodes, but only for a few minutes. He was on 23% oxygen for most of the day, but tonight was taken back down to room air (21%) and has been doing well since.
His feedings continue to go well. He's on the fast-track to maximum feedings, already at 8.4 cc's every 3 hours. At this rate, he should be off his hyperal and lipid IV in 2 days. By Tuesday, if all goes well, he might get his percutaneous line out! That will be a really, really big day for Colin, and us!
So, he continues to hang in there and do really well. He does just enough to get us nervous on occasion, but we continue to be amazed at his strength. He is stronger than both his mommy and daddy combined. He's an inspiration to us, for sure. Never did we imagine that such big things can come from such a small package.