2 Kilos

Veronica hit another milestone this week by reaching 2 kilograms.  The NICU keeps track of her weight in grams and of course we keep track in pounds and ounces - but we enjoy celebrating the milestones in both measurement forms.  As of last night, Veronica weighed 4 lbs, 8 oz so Liesl will need to start working on the 5 lb sign in the near future.  But just for the record, weight is not going to be a determining factor in Veronica's discharge. The weight part she seems to have under control, along with the her temperature regulation.  It's the breathing part that she still needs to work on.

Veronica continues to trial off CPAP daily but has yet to last beyond her record of two hours. Most days she is only able tolerate 15 minutes before she desats and needs to be put back on. We know she would much prefer to be done with CPAP altogether - she tells us each time the nurse puts the prongs back in her nose. But the reality is that she is just not ready yet and nobody can really tell us when she will be ready. So she will continue to trial off everyday and hopefully the time she is off will begin to increase. Once she is finally off of CPAP, she will need to remain completely off for two weeks before any consideration is given to her coming home. She will also need to be stable with oral feeds which she hasn't even started yet since the docs were hoping she would be off of CPAP by now. But now they have said that CPAP or no CPAP, she will start feeding by mouth this week.  That will be a big step for her.

We are about three and a half weeks from Veronica's due date and at this point it feels unlikely that she will be home by then. But at least we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. To think that she could be home in 4 or 5 weeks seems like no time at all considering she has already been in the NICU for 12 weeks. She has come so far in those 12 weeks and we are so grateful for how well she has done. We are reminded every day that her journey could have played out so very differently. She is no longer the smallest baby in the NICU and it's been weeks since she was the most vulnerable. It's difficult to see some of the other babies who are not doing as well.  Our prayers are with them and their families.  We thank God every day and pray that he continues to bless our family with Veronica's progress.

Here are some pictures from this week:

Notice the "V" in the corner of the crib - Liesl made that for Veronica.

I think those cheeks are getting chubby.

Theodore

Sebastian - reluctant to visit the NICU but all smiles once he got there.

Liesl made this pillow for Veronica's crib.

Proud big brother Linus.