What a Ride

Ah, the roller-coaster of the nicu.  Both kids are doing great today.

Olivia had a great day.  Her stomach is soft, meaning that the swelling problem that caused so much concern two nights ago continues to improve.  Her temperature remains in the right range.  Her breathing is very  strong.  In fact, after they kept her at 25% oxygen yesterday to make sure she had an easy day, she was upgraded to 21%, room air, today because she was doing so well.  And, most importantly, she has been very feisty.  They tell us a tired baby is the most concerning sign of infection, and Olivia is anything but tired.  She's been poked and prodded a lot in the last couple days, and she continues to remind her lovely caregivers that she would prefer they leave her alone.  This afternoon, mom called to check up on her, and the nurse says little Olivia is doing so well that she has now taken, like her brother, to trying to pull off her cpap.  If memory serves, that was Lucas's trick right before he went off the cpap, so that must be a good sign.  If Olivia has proved anything in her first six weeks of life, it is that she is tough, and she is a fighter.

Lucas also had a great day.  He is now back down to regular cannula, and, more importantly, his breathing looks comfortable.  He enjoyed some time nursing with mom in the morning, and he impressed again in his second session of physical therapy.  Last night, he even survived mom and dad's first bath with him.  We had already scheduled with ourselves at the beginning of the week that we would go Wednesday night to give the kids a bath, and it was a great way to bring some good energy to what had been a challenging week.  My favorite part, when we bathed him we removed his leads.  If it wasn't for his nasal cannula, he would have had no wires or tubes connected to him.  So, for a few minutes on a quiet night in the nursery, things felt very normal.  Here's a few shots from Lucas's bath: