3 Pound Hope!

It seems like so little... yet it is so much. Hope, who has been the larger of the two babies from the get go, weighed in at 3 pounds even today. I swear a good chunk of that has to be going to her face which is cheeky as ever. Even Nurse Shawnda commented about her cheeky disposition this evening. Perhaps in honor of now becoming a full "3 pounder" Hope rewarded her daddy with a full diaper when he did her cares. Jeni stood by watching (and perhaps chuckling a little) as daddy did his second "eventful change."

I held Hope for a half hour this evening, and nearly fell asleep rocking her. She had a few desats along the way, but overall continues to make progress each time she is held. One thing I've noticed about Hope is how she loves being in her comfort zone. Snuggle her up tight in her isolette with her blanket wrapped around her little arms and legs and she'll take deep breaths and be in room air or low oxygen. Mix up her routine a little and she'll get nervous and desaturate a bit. This is all normal according to the nurses. As we approach the one month mark in the NICU, and dealing with a lot of ups and downs so far, I have come to grips with the fact that these things just happen and are developmentally appropriate for preemies. I'm not too terribly worried.

Gracie Girl had an uneventful day. She laid on her back sleeping while we visited tonight. Hopefully tomorrow Jeni can hold her. She, too, has increased weight and feedings. She now clocks in at 2 pounds 10.5 ounces, and is starting to get cheeky (although not quite as much as her sister). She is now up to 7 ccs of milk and has small or trace residuals, so she's on the right track too. To think that her surgery was a week ago tomorrow, it is truly amazing how far Gracie has come in just 7 days.