The weatherman was wrong

We had predicted that the end of last week was the calm before the storm.  Well, we were waiting for a really bad storm this week and it seems we just got a heavy rain shower.  You are still doing well on the Si-pap and in fact your rate has dropped from 30 to 20 bpm and they are talking about taking it down to 10 bpm possibly tomorrow.  Your O2 was 45% at the beginning of the week and now it is down to 34%!  That is HUGE! 

The bad thing is they found a UTI...your 3rd.  You are on antibiotics for it.  At the beginning of the week you had to have two more blood transfusions...transfusions #18 and 19.  But thankfully you never seemed too sick from the UTI.  They will get another urine sample tomorrow to check if the antibiotics are working.  Next week they will check your bilirubin levels to see if treating the infection brought those levels down.  You are still looking yellow though - not good.  Next week they are talking about bringing you downstairs to get tested for urinary reflux.  This will be a HUGE deal because you have never left your room.  Not even for your penrose drain procedures or your PDA ligation..  This will be a big journey for you and Mommy will be very nervous, but they must think you are strong enough to make the trip.  Also, your nose keeps getting sores from the Si-pap; you only get good breathing from the mask and not the prongs and they usually rotate between the two to prevent skin breakdown.  They had to call in the wound team to check out your sores, but now they seem to be getting better.  Overall most of the "storm" seemed to blow over which is good because I wasn't able to go in as much as I wanted to to see you.  Your brothers weren't feeling too well at home.

Another exciting thing...I saw you "root" today!  It was time for your tube feeding and you had the paci in your mouth but it popped out and tumbled down your cheek.  As soon as you had lost the paci your little mouth rooted to the side for it!  Maybe you were just wanting the paci back in your mouth, but your belly was hungry so Mommy likes to think you were rooting for milk.  It brought Mommy a lot of joy to see you do that very basic reflex for most newborns, but it is something that we cannot take for granted with a little one like you.  It gave me hope for your future too.  And now I hope you can get off this Si-pap soon so we can try some non-nutritive breast-feeding.  (As long as I can keep this milk supply up...this pumping thing is really wearing on me and my volumes are going down)

We haven't seen you this awake with your mask on!

Loving your new bigger paci -
especially when it has drops of milk on it!

Gotta keep this thing in my mouth!  I like it!