Long overdue updates!

While I have every intention to blog all the time, our days can sometimes seem to run together and I have forgotten. While we have almost been in the NICU for a month now, it seems like just yesterday we started this journey. The schedule here makes the days seem to fly by. By the time I'm done pumping it's time for her care, by the time her care is done it's time to try and breast feed, you get the idea.  Anyways, this isn't about me, this is about our girl. Here are the most recent updates on Eleanor.

• She currently weighs 4lbs 11oz as of last night. Hoping for more weight gain tonight! Because she is starting to breast feed, her weight could fluctuate up and down because when she is getting straight breast milk, she is not getting the fortification (extra calories) that they mix into the feeding tube milk.
• Breast feeding is going well. She's getting the idea of it, just still having a hard time remember to suck, swallow and breathe at the same time is tricky and takes a lot out of her. She will feed for about 10-15 minutes before she is back asleep. We weigh her before and after feeding so we can get an idea of how much she is getting from me. She is averaging 6-10 mls which is a great start! Our nurse told us with preemies a light bulb will eventually just go off and you will be amazed at what she can do!
• She is also learning how to take a bottle. One of her at-home plans for once she is at home with us is to continue to give her fortified milk. Obviously I don't have fortified milk in me, so she will have to be supplemented with that by bottle feeds. She had her first bottle feed last night at did REALLY well! She consumed about 18mls. WHOOP WHOOP. They will only be bottle feeding her when I am not here and she is giving "cues" that she is hungry. All of these are great steps to ween her off of her feeding tube.
• She is becoming so much more alert. She will go for minutes now just starting at us. Talk about heart melting.. She is just the best. 
• We are still on the nose cannula. We tried to drop her extra air flow yesterday, but it was just a little too much for her to handle with learning how to suck and swallow and breathe with eating. Slow and steady wins the race, right?!
• Our favorite times of the day with our girl are the snuggle sessions, bath nights, learning how to eat and her weigh ins every night. Basically, the whole day, who are we kidding.....
• Ben and I are starting to feel a lot more comfortable with taking over lots of her care. We are champs at temperature taking, diapers (She loves to surprise us with poop everywhere....), changing her pulse oxygen on her foot, swaddling, and changing her outfits with all the cords attached.
• Each day here is one day closer to bringing her home. Her doctors are pleased with the growth she is making
   
  
  
  
  
  

We might have a different "normal" than most, but it's our "normal" and I feel like we are adjusting the best we can. We have our nights of tears and meltdowns, we are exhausted traveling back at forth to the hospital but at the end of the day, we wouldn't do anything differently. Eleanor has been the best thing that has happened to us. We are so in love.