Roscoe's First Stroll

Since it looks like Roscoe will stay at the hospital for a little while longer, Alisha asked for permission for us to take him out on a walk once a day. The stroll will give him new sights and sounds (trees, birds, fresh air) to keep him mentally stimulated, plus it's just fun for us to take him out like a normal baby. We got permission to do the walks yesterday, so here's how the first walk went:

First we got Roscoe ready. This involved putting his carseat into the stroller, putting him into the carseat, putting the portable oxygen tank underneath the stroller, hooking up a portable oximeter/heart rate monitor, and switching his air supply from the hospital wall to the portable tank. He was rather awake and intrigued for the entire process.

Then the unthinkable happened. Just before we got ready to stroll him out of the room, down the hallway, and out the door he started falling asleep. Down the main hallway in the NICU he was pretty much out, so we didn't get to see much of a first reaction to the real outside world. While we walked and bumped around, he stayed asleep so we couldn't help but laugh at the irony:

He stayed sleeping for probably another 10-15 minutes while we did a few laps around the hospital:

Then finally on the last 1-2 laps he started waking up and seeing the sights around him. Near the end of the walk we stopped underneath some trees so he could see the trees and hear the birds nearby.

We ran low on oxygen in the portable tank. The tank was the same one we used overnight with him in our hospital room stay. When we realized the tank was low, we headed back inside:

Never forget to thank God for all of the beauty you pass by, the fresh air you breathe, and the sounds you hear as you walk amidst his creation. We get so used to the blessings he's given us that many times we walk right past them without acknowledging the creator who put them here for our benefit. Just like Roscoe, sometimes we have trouble keeping our eyes open. Once we open them, it is wonderful.