Day 45

Joshua's doing great today. He's eating tons. And we finally figured out the problem... the nipple on the bottle. I know - how simpel could it be?!?!?! We've been using the "newest" of the bottle nipples we had. I just assumed that would be best, because it was the cleanest. And it fits the top of the bottles that attach to my pump. I was talking to his Plunket (well-child) nurse and she suggested getting a preemie nipple with an easier flow so he didn't have to work so hard to eat. Dawn breaks over marble-head and I thought, "Wait, don't I have something like that?" I went rummaging through the bottle gear in the cupboard and found the Nuk nipple that I was giving by Livingston County's Social Services when Oceana was born.

I popped it on the bottle and gave Joshua an ounce of milk. 5 minutes later... the bottle was empty. WOW! So I gave him another 2 oz. 10 minutes later it was empty. And that's been the trend ever since I started using that nipple. He burps more (no duh, he's guzzling it down like a trucker at 7-11), but he's DRAINING his bottles. I'm impressed. The trend (like I said) was 8-9oz in a day. Yesterday was about 16oz, and only because I got some feedings messed up around dinner - it would have been closer to 18 or 20. I'm gonna aim for 18 today! That's the average for a baby his age! I'm so happy that he's doing better! Wow! If he keeps eating like this, we'll have him over 7lbs by the weekend! Woohoo!!!!

Does he look chunky yet? Well, he's still skinny - but he's over 19 1/2 inches long - which means I'm having to retire his preemie clothes because they're just way to short. In his footed-sleepers he's gotta keep his knees bent to stay in them! Haha. 19 1/2's still short for his age, but consider that his head is about 2 or 3 inches shorter than the average baby. We only measure to the top of his head, not the top of his cele.

In clarification to another poster: At present there aren't surgical options. We were offered a possibility after he was born that his doctors didn't expect him to survive through. We declined because we want him to pass away with us, not on some cold, sterile table. If there's a good option presented to us, we'll consider it. But a possibility that's prequiled by "We don't expect him to survive this surgery"... isn't an option in our books.

Oceana and I were playing with the camera on the way to Rotorua. Can you imagine being in the back seat of a small Nissan squished between two carseats? Yah. It's not fun. But I wanted to watch Joshua since they were bumpy and curvy roads. I just about fall out of the backseat when I get out.... "LAND AHOY". Ak!

I want to go running today. But juggling to babies between naps and feedings and then fighting off my desire to procastinate... I don't know if it's going to happen or not. Hope so...