Hunter Charles Heinrich (aka Camo) Born: August 1st (4lb 7oz, 17 in long)

The past week has been an unexpected whirlwind, but in the midst of it all, an incredible gift and blessing in our lives. At 5:56AM, Hunter Charles Heinrich, came into the world at 32 weeks and 6days. First and foremost, I want to thank God for blessing us with our beautiful son and our friends and family for the many prayers over the past two months.

When Hunter was born, he was rushed to the NICU due to his prematurity and left ventricular aneurysm. Within the first day, he was intubated to help him breath, then we moved to a C-PAP for oxygen through the nose, and finally on day four he was breathing all on his on. Currently, he has a small feeding tube, several monitors, and one IR pic line (larger IV that goes through the arm for meds.) (all common for preemie babies) Everyday our little guy makes progress. For the 1st time today, he drank 7ml from a bottle, baby steps towards feeding on his own. As far as the heart, the function looks okay, despite the aneurysm. The cardiologist decided to start him on a couple meds as a precautionary measure, due to the concern for clotting. Over time, they see monitoring through echos and the use of medicines as his primary treatment.
Everyday, I see God's provision and strength through our son as he progresses. We have been so blessed by the outpouring of support through emails, phone calls, and visits. Your prayers are felt on a daily basis too, and we ask for continued prayers for continued positive progress for Hunter.
Below I placed several pictures, showing the progression of steps Hunter has made in just 6 days. Also, you'll see all the firsts, first bath, the first time Keith and I held him, and first bottle.
What a beautiful gift!...and he looks like his Dad for sure. :)

First Bottle Yeah! We can see his sweet face!

Sometimes I can even catch him smiling...

He's a great sleeper.

Big Sister, Hannah, comes for a visit and enjoys the playground at the hospital.

Look how small in comparison to Dad's hand.

1st time we held our son.

The first time I embraced him,

tears just rolled down my face...indescribable love.

Hunter had the C-PAP on his nose.

Right after birth...

Hunter's first bath

The first time we saw him together-day 1