25 mL to go...

Cohen continues to improve a little each day.  His respiration is averaging around 64 breaths per minute; so thankful that he is under that 70 mark. The only thing holding him up now is his eating. He has to take all of his feedings by mouth for 24 hours before he will be released to come home. Yesterday he would take every other feeding by bottle, but would only take around 50 mL. Due to his "big boy" status (i.e. his weight), he has to take 75 mL. Nora had to take 60 mL...it just depends on the child's weight. He doesn't wake up for his feedings because he is so tired from eating. Last night, Brad and I ALMOST had him take a full bottle, but he fell 5 mL short. We did EVERYTHING we could to keep him awake; we even sang "Eye of the Tiger" from Rocky, to encourage him to stay awake and eat....it didn't work :(  When I talked to the nurse earlier she said last night he would take about 50 mL and then pass out asleep, which means she had to tube feed him the last 25 mL.

This doesn't really surprise me...everyone in the medical field calls white boys, "wimpy white boys". For some reason, they have a harder time catching up if something goes wrong early on (i.e. born premature, respiratory distress, etc.). I keep telling Cohen he is going to have to "man up"; all the little girls in the NICU are getting discharged before him. We still don't know a date on him coming home. It all depends on his eating. A new doctor starts today, Dr. Bass. He was one of Nora's neonatologists as well, and we are very comfortable with him. Brad is at work this week and is going to take off two weeks once Cohen gets to come home. I know he is ready for a "vacation", if you can call time at home with a newborn that :)

Nora started a new day care today that is located 7 minutes from our house!!!! I was driving 60 miles a day to and from Sevierville to take her to her school each day. While it was hard leaving Hilltop Child Development (they have been like a second family to Nora), it was something we had to do. Brad can now take her and pick her up without having to drive an hour out of the way to get to work. He and I dropped her off this morning and she didn't even cry! Praying she has a good day at her new school!!  Nora got to see her brother for the first time yesterday (through the glass that is). She was cute looking at him! 

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

~ Romans 2:2-5