Adoring Eyes

Elli is just a bit sleepy in this picture, but it shows the sweet gaze she has when she is looking up at her big brother. She just loves him! She starts looking for him as soon as she hears his voice. If she is fussy at all when she should be eating I will have him come over and talk to her softly. She will calm right down and start eating. Bradley and Elli have a very strong and special bond, it is remarkable to watch.

Here is an update on Elli:

She now weighs 9 lbs. 6 oz. Her weight gain is slow, which concerns the doctor a little. We are hoping the her appetite and stamina will improve soon. But all in all she is still doing well. Most babies born as early as Elli go home with their feeding tube, so just the fact that she eats at all is wonderful. She has grown in length a bit too. She left the hospital at just over 18" long, and she is now almost 22".

We could have done our over night study this weekend on her oxygen which would allow her to come off of it if she did well. What they do is turn off the oxygen over night, but keep the apnea monitor on as well as an oxygen saturation monitor. If she can stay above 88% on her saturation, then she no longer needs her oxygen. I'm just a little nervous not to have the apnea monitor. As much as it's a pain to lug around the house, it's also a big comfort. But the day is not far now. So, hurray for Elli! She will actually appreciate not having tape and hoses on her face. She is starting to discover her ears and nose and really likes to pull the nasal cannula out of her nose. She will also appreciate not getting a shot of water in her nose every so often. There is humidity pumped into the hose as well so that her nose doesn't dry out too much, but sometimes drops of water come through and are shot right into her nose. It sends her into a sneezing fit that can make her sneeze 6 or 7 times in a row. So, it is a little scary not to have the safety of the monitor and oxygen, but her progress is exciting. We really didn't know what to plan on. Some kids end up staying on their oxygen for up to a year. We are at 2 months right not. Not too bad!!

Elli is also making eye contact a lot more, as well as recognizing us when she sees us. She gave me a huge grin the other day when I sat down next to her to change her diaper. She still loves her diaper change, her bath up until the moment we take her out, and tummy time. We will hopefully be able to add eating to that list eventually. She is a pretty content little girl, and loves to cuddle with anyone that is willing. She makes the cutest little noises awake and asleep. She is just so much fun!!!