Day 8

Thank God for another day of progress for Blair!  She is still off of all breathing assistance and responding well to bottle and breast feeding.  That was a huge answer to prayer because it is the last major hurdle between us and getting her home.  The nurses said that she needs to be able to feed from a bottle (without needing any additional nutrition from a feeding tube) for an entire day before they will release her.  This morning, Blair breast fed for 10-15 minutes straight, which was a giant step forward for her.  The nurses say they cannot use breastfeeding as a factor when considering release because they cannot tell how much she has eaten.  So when Natalie came back, Blair was eager to start feeding and took 15 mL from the bottle on her own.  The problem is that she needs to eat 55 mL every 3 hours, so she still has some work to do...

Holding our sweet girl!!!

 All cuddled up in her new cradle!

 All dressed up in her jammies!  She didn't get the double chin from me...

 She's so sweet!!!

In other good news, Blair has graduated from the UV light because her jaundice has been taken care of! Her last major improvement is that she is not longer in an enclosed isolette, she is now in a open-topped cradle. All in all she's making great strides in her development/recovery and we can't thank you all enough for your prayers, constant encouragement and help.  Just today my dad came over to help with the pool, lights, sprinklers, etc. My mom helped around the kitchen, Natalie's mom delivered groceries, one of Natalie's friends had lunch delivered, and one of my friends helps put together shelves in the new garage.  Every day we have had generous amounts of help and we really could not function right now without it.

Blair is so blessed to have you all praying for her health, with your continued prayers and her continued improvement she will be home in no time!

-Matt