The Fairy and the Mermaid

We were able to hold both girls tonight! They have moved to the stage were they can be held once a day. Being able to finally hold our girls is a blessing.

Cora is still breathing room air. They are monitoring her progress constantly to make sure she is not getting too tired. Her feedings have increased from a continuous feeding of .7 cc an hour to 1.5 cc every three hours. These feedings will increase until she can have a bottle, the ultimate goal. She has also started rooting (trying to breastfeed) when you are holding her. The nurses continued to reassure us her cranial ultrasound should not be anything to worry about. They see it all the time and Cora is progressing right on schedule with her developmental age. The next ultrasound will be at the end of the week. She is also making more sounds, sneezing, crying, cooing, and looking around.

Hazel is off the CPAP! She is now on a nasal cannula (tube with small prongs in her nose). They let her breath room air for a couple of minutes before they gave her the cannula. Her face is a little squished with all the tape to hold her tube in place and from the CPAP. It should straighten out by the end of the day tomorrow. She looks very comfortable and relaxed. The CPAP was very uncomfortable for her. Hazel's feedings have also increased. She is now eating 3 cc every three hours. She enjoyed being held tonight and only made a fuss when she was put back in bed. Hazel is also rooting, making more sounds, sneezing, crying and starting to look around.

The girls cries and sounds are very cute. Every sound they make reinforces how strong they are and how quickly they are growing. Both girls are also pooping on a regular basis. This is apparently a big deal and a point of pride with the nurses.