Today we had an appointment with the lactation consultant. Gabrielle did very well nursing today. She took over an ounce, which is wonderful. She still took a bottle afterwards, but hopefully she will continue to do well and we can get rid of the bottles when we are home. Her weight today was 5 lbs 4.3 oz. The lactation consultant will do weight checks for me so if we are unable to get the visiting nurse to come I will likely go there once a week to make sure she is gaining well.

Our little peanut is continuing to grow. Yesterday she was 5lbs 2 oz when the visiting nurse came to see us. I am hoping that we can get more visits so I can make sure she is gaining. We don't go back to the pediatrician until July so I really want to make sure she is getting bigger. She is defiantly getting longer. Many of her preemie outfits are getting short on her. I think she still has a few more weeks in them though. She has also been very gassy lately. We have been trying to give her mylicon drops, but I don't see much of a change. I have been trying to watch my diet, but no matter what I eat it does not seem make things any better. We originally thought that it was the formula, but she has not had any in a few days and the gas continues. Hopefully she will grow out of this and the reflux. She still arches her back and refluxes milk back up through her nose 1-2 times per day.

Brie continues to get bigger. Today at the doctor she was 5 lbs!!! She has been gaining very well at home. She gained almost an inch in her head circumference in ten days. She is growing quickly. Today she got another shot and an oral vaccine. She did very well with it, although she has been a little fussy today.
We also had alot of visitors today. Aunt Shelley, Aunt Cindy, and Gramma and Grandpa Myers came today. They were very excited to get to hold Brie. I think she really enjoyed the visit. The weather is so beautiful today that we will be going for a walk a little later to get some fresh air.

Gabrielle has nursed very successfully for the first time today. Jen estimates that she got about 20cc on two separate occassions today. This is a big step that could save Jen significant time and energy in the future. Once Gabrielle tires of nursing she usually takes about another 60cc by bottle at this time. Since the weather was so pleasant this evening, we took the baby for a short walk in Jen's wrap-around cloth carrier . Afterward, I gave the baby a bath. Prior to this, I spent a good portion of my day in my car as I always do on Sundays. As well as commuting round trip to my current site in the NYC environs, I stopped in Morrisville PA to look at apartments. Although not overly impressed by any of the numerous apartments in our price range, we'll probably move to this area in June. I'll commute into Manhattan from the Trenton NJ train station, right across the river.

Gabrielle continues to do well. She will not be weighed again until Monday, but she has been eating like a champ. She is taking about 2 oz every 3 hours. When she first came home she was taking that much every 4 hours, but now she is waking up more frequently. Her cries are getting louder and she is making her wishes known. She loves to be held and complains when she is put down. She is finally fitting into her preemie clothes and I am sure will soon outgrow them. Mom and dad are exhausted from all of the frequent feedings, but are delighted to finally have her home.

Jen took Gabrielle to the pediatrician's office today. As well as giving a couple of vaccines, the staff took careful measurements of the baby that help to quantify her progress. Born at 1 lb 12 oz, she is now 4 lb 2 oz (3hrs after a feeding.) Her length has grown from 13 1/3 inches to 16 inches. Her head circumference has increased from 9 in to 12 1/4 in. With the size and frequency of her feedings, she'll continue to grow rapidly. Although she looks big to us, Gabrielle is still a tiny baby, however. Jen's sister Jessie gave birth to baby Brandon last night at approx 9pm at a weight of 6 lb 12 oz. We're glad to hear that Gabrielle's cousin is doing great.

Gabrielle is doing great. She's eating and sleeping well. She loves to be held. In fact, she frequently expresses her desire to be held. Once snuggled on your chest, she settles immediately. When she's fussing, Jen and I have each independently discovered that she responds well to a mobile...even with her eyes closed. That's right, we're pretty certain that she can hear the mobile's musical tune. In other news, the nurse visited this morning and weighed Gabrielle at 4 lb 1.5 oz. Again, this weight is somewhat inflated since she had just taken almost 2 oz of milk. Previously at the NICU, precise weights were taken nude at about 3hrs after eating, immediately after a diaper change. By the time this blog is being written tonight, however, I think it is safe to say that Gabrielle has crossed the 4 lb mark. She'll be weighed again tomorrow at her first visit to the pediatrician.