No More Tube!

This could mean no more boob tube for the parents as they continue to travel the loop from home to work to the hospital and back home but in this case, it means no more oxygen tube. Kate is on room air. This time, it looks like it might last. By doctor's order, the nurses took Kate off of low flow oxygen and also removed her pulse ox (oximeter). So unless her heart rate drops or if the nurses or doctors notice a need, Kate will stay on room air. Hooray!! We feel very fortunate that Kate has reached this milestone. I feel guilty for being too excited because some babies that are older still need oxygen. All we can do is be thankful for our blessings and pray for the health of the other babies.

Kate's feedings are up to 25 cc and her weight is 2 pounds and 14 ounces. She has been gaining about 1 ounce per day.

Kate's first eye exam is tomorrow morning (April 29). We will learn more about eye exams and eye development tomorrow.

Please say a prayer for Stefanie. She has been very sick (coughing and sinus pressure) and has only held Kate once in the past week. I hope she gets well soon.

We still manage to watch a little TV before bed. A funny story about watching TV is that we have been watching True Grit (John Wayne version) in small chunks of time over the past few days and we still have another 20 minutes of movie to watch.

For those of you in Billings, don't forget the March of Dimes walk at Pioneer Park on Saturday, April 30. They are huge support for the health and care of all babies (preemies and full term). They have a very positive presence in the St. Vincent NICU.