2 Steps Forward

Today was a pretty big day for the girls. Claire has graduated from her nasal cannula and is breathing completely on her own now. Actually, they decided to take her off of it last night after Joe held her for a while. She's done great without it since. Lily tried to go off of hers for a short while, but they decided to put her back on. Hopefully she decides to forgo hers soon too!

Tonight Joe and I will give Lily her first bath. She is on full feeds for her size now, so they were able to remove her IV. They put an IV in the other day because they had to remove her PICC because it wasn't looking well. I'm so glad to see both go, and I'm sure she's feeling more comfortable now. Once Claire gets to full feeds her PICC can be removed, but she has a few days before that will happen. Lily is on 5 ml/hr of breast milk and Claire is now on 3 ml/hr. Every day they have increased feeds and both have responded well-- which is why they can continue to slowly increase them until they reach full feedings. Since Claire is not on full feeds and because they want her to gain weight, they add in extra calories.

Last night Joe and I were able to hold both girls at the same time. It was so great to have them both out at once. The nurse said that once they get rid of a couple of lines, I will be able to hold them both at the same time... I can't wait to see how they respond when they are close together again-- its going to be a very special moment.