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.

We survived our first night alone with the baby. Marcus and I even managed to get a few hours of sleep between feedings. Gabrielle got up every 3 and a half hours to eat. She is a little piggy taking 2 oz at a time. Today during the day she took 60 cc and then woke up an hour later and took 25 more. She will be 4 lbs before we know it. The visiting nurse came today and she weighted 3 lbs 15 oz. She had just eaten 2 oz before the nurse weighed her so that likely adds 2 oz to her weight.
Marcus and I basically spent the day resting and taking turns holding the baby. She still likes to fidget when she is not held. The nurses say this is common with preemies. She settles down immediately when she is picked up. Brie is also getting more vocal. She is pretty impatient when she is hungry. Mommy and daddy cannot change her diaper fast enough.
Today we also went for our first walk. It was a gorgeous day. The walk was brief, but nice to be out of the house.

Gabrielle is Home!

At 50 days old, Gabrielle is home at last. She made the short trip in her car seat at about 2pm today. The cat's not sure what to think of her, and she's generally keeping her distance. Gabrielle has a cardiac and respiratory monitor that has not sounded so far. We're expecting plenty of noisy false alarms, as well as the baby's normal grunting and babbling. In other words, we're not expecting too much sleep tonight. So far, however, the afternoon has been very quiet. The baby has adjusted nicely to her new environment. She's eating well and sleeping soundly. When I gave her a bath late last night and helped to weigh her, she was 3 lb 10.6 oz.

Today was a good day for Brie. She doubled her birth weight and is 3 lbs 8.4 oz. She only had one small episode of dropping her heart rate and the nurse said it was for about 10 seconds. So that is definitely an improvement. They also started her on Zantac today. I think it was to humor me, but I felt like we should try something. I hate seeing her arch her back and the milk come back up through her nose. They are also setting us up for a monitor at home. I think I will feel better having it here. Tomorrow I will spend the night with Gabrielle in the parents room. I will get a taste of getting up with her and feeding her with the nurse just down the hall. Hopefully she will be home by the end of the week.