Updates: January 21st - 19 days old

We are continuing to work with Mario on his bottle feeding skills. He didn't take a bottle at his midnight feeding. At 3am he took his entire bottle for his night nurse, Jill, and did it in about 18 minutes. After that, he wasn't really interested for his 6am or 9am feedings, but I did get him to take a little over half of it at both the noon and 3pm feedings. He snoozed for the 6pm feeding. I also worked with him again at his 9pm feeding. At that feeding we all thought he was doing very well, but his suck wasn't very productive and we stopped after a couple of bradies that required a little bit of stimulation and blow-by. So, overall, he is doing pretty well with the bottle feeding. Jill mentioned that they aren't as concerned with the brady episodes that happen with feedings because there is a known cause for them. After the 9pm feeding with his episodes, I held him while he got the rest of it via his tube (he gets whatever he doesn't take by bottle through his tube) and he was rooting around showing signs that he wanted to breastfeed. So, Dom and I stayed for the midnight feeding tonight and I breastfed him. He still prefers to breastfeed over the bottle, but we're working on mastering all nippling skills so we can progress toward coming home. We're also working with him on figuring out the burping routine.

Tonight his weight was up yet again and he now weighs 4lbs, 15.4oz. He also grew 1cm in length and is now at 17.25 inches and his head circumference was up another cm to 32cm. So, our little man continues to grow.

Tonight we brought in a bunch of the preemie clothes he's gotten as presents from the baby shower and visitors. He is definitely one well dressed little boy! We're taking pictures of him in his outfits, so keep an eye on the pictures to see him in his cute clothes.

Overall, the little man is doing very well. Things are starting to click for him and now he just needs to master the eating via bottle thing. I think as he masters that everything else will really click and he'll be busting out of there in no time. Of course, we don't say that too much, because we don't want to jinx anything!