Got Milk?

Check out this stash! If you look closely you might find a frozen turkey, a few foil dinners, a box of frozen pizzas...and, of course ALOT of milk :P

Summer was moved Monday night to her new suite in the Giraffe section of the hospital. She is in a full size crib and shares a room. Her new surroundings make her look even tinier than she is.

I met one of Summer's new doctors on Tues. As you know, it has been the great debate whether or not she would be able to take breast milk. The formula they have been giving her is broken down and therefore easier for her short gut to process. I asked the doc if and when Summer could start trying breast milk through her feeding tube....she said sure, how about today? Okay, that was easy! I could hear my freezer singing her praises...."hallelujah, I can get rid of some of this milk!" They began by mixing the breast milk with the formula just to make sure her gut would take it....she did great! They gave me some milk to dip her binky in...she seemed to love it :)

Mmmmmmm, Summer loved tasting the milk for the first time!

By Thurs. they switched over to straight milk in her feeding tube and started on a binky trainer (a binky with a small tube running through the middle and attached at the other end to a syringe full of milk) I got to help her use this the first time and Summer did well. She needs to figure out how to eat and breathe at the same time, but she took to it like a pro :) She seemed very content after eating just 5 cc's (about 1 tsp.) and fell asleep....she does a lot of that!

In her new room, the parents are in charge...I got to give her a sponge bath and change her clothes. It is really nice to do things with her that I normally would. We can pick her up and cuddle her whenever we want, change her diaper when it needs it, and whatever else she needs....wow, she really is ours now!

A full tummy makes Summer happy :)...

...too bad she can't have more yet.

Today I took Morgan to visit for the 3rd time in Summer's new room. She has been doing great with the new location. She can watch movies and eat snacks. Today she wasn't real thrilled with me holding Summer, but my parents came and took her home so I could stay and visit with Tom.

I was able to do the binky trainer with Summer twice today and she loves it. She is doing very well and they have her on a 4 times a day schedule. She gets 7 cc's every 3 hours, 4 times during the day and gets hooked up to the feeding tube during the night. The doctor popped in and told me they are very happy with how she is doing with her feeds and has taken to the oral feedings quite well too :) Tom held Summer for a while after I fed her and then we tucked her in and kissed her goodnight. It is hard leaving her there, especially now. She is getting so close to coming home, it is hard to walk away and leave her in that big bed and big room all by herself. It is definitely a different environment than the NICU...no nurse constantly looking in on her and keeping her company. I would really like to spend more time with her when I can...deep breath again...we are getting close to bringing her home!

Summer has been a little more awake when I visit...maybe we can fix her backward schedule before she comes home after all!

Summer loves the binky trainer...Motgan loves mommy and wishes she was in my lap instead :)