Hello -

Claire weighs two pounds eleven ounces!  She is tolerating her feeds for two days now which is a great sign of her recovery.  The doctor will advance the feedings to correspond with her weight gain.  It will be a gradual process but hopefully the slower pace will agree with Claire and we won't have any additional problems with her tummy.

Alan was able to hold her skin to skin and enjoyed the time with Claire.  We changed her diaper and took her temperature too.  She still needs to be in the isolette to monitor her temperature and the other monitors continue to measure her heart rate and respiratory status.  Because she is a premie, she is still learning how to monitor her breathing and temperature.  The monitors are necessary to keep her stable and notify the Rn's of any change in her status.  This is a slow process but we know the hospital is exactly where Claire needs to be.  It is difficult to leave her but we know that she will come home when she is strong and safe to start life with us.

The NICU was very busy today.  I think the baby count was 9 which included the triplets which were transferred into the NICU when we were visiting.  There was a lot of staff present from MD's to RT's - a very busy place to take care of the littlest ones as they start life!

We remain positive and know that Claire will continue to thrive.  The nursery furniture was delivered today, the bassinette should be delivered by the end of the week, and we ordered the car seat and stroller today. We are slowly getting the house ready for Claire's arrival.  In that sense, it is a good thing that she isn't ready to come home because we don't have everything in place quite yet.  Of course we would make do if she was able to come home before we were ready. :)

Again, thank you for all of the good wishes.  Your support means so much to us!

More soon,
xo
D