Louis was a good boy today and did well with his breathing. He is on 2 hours of CPAP follwed by 6 of nasal cannula. He is off the bilirubin lights and his numbers stayed the same overnight so he probably won't have to go back under the lights. He is getting almost an ounce of breastmilk per feeding. He is having some spitting up and reflux with some of his feedings but we are trying to feed him really slowly to prevent this and it seems to be working. He even got to try nursing for the first time! Not terribly interested yet- he prefers to sleep when he is real close to mom during kangaroo time! Mom is not quite sure what to do yet either but she will be very happy to feed him the old fashioned way someday. The pump is starting to lose it's charm!

Louis got a visit from the occupational therapist and a physical therapist. We are not quite sure what his occupation is yet but we are hoping for Nobel prize winner. Since Louis came out early, his bones are not as dense as term babies, since babies in utero are kicking against some resistance (the amniotic fluid and the uterus). So we need to simulate weight bearing exercise by doing range of motion exercises and joint compression exercises to keep his bones strong. This is what the picture will show if we can get it posted. Soon he will look like Schwarzenegger! The occupational therapist also showed us how to keep his head from changing shape too much with some different postions ( the bones in his skull are softer than term babies and thus can get flatter more easily). We also learned about "nesting"-building a snug little bed with four taller sides to simulate the womb and make it less "stressful" for him.

Mom also had a good day-she can fit into her pre-pregnancy SHOES! After several months of one normal sized foot and one giant Fred Flintstone foot, she is happy to get back into her Danskos and out of her Crocs! Now if we could just get into those pre-preggo jeans....................