We walked into the NICU this aftenoon and were shocked to see that the isolation room Simon was in was completely empty. There was no isolette with a blanket covering it, no charts or IV stands, not even the picture one of the nurses drew of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh pouncing on the name 'Simon'. Even though we knew this day was coming, we still had a fleeting moment of anxiety before one of our nurses, Erin, rushed over to let us know Simon was moved into the common area.
He looked so crowded with his isolette jammed against a wall and his chest of drawers wheeled in right beside him. Although we know this is a step up for him, the luxury of privacy is gone. Now we have to Kangaroo and cuddle with Simon in the public area. It'll be a little different for us to have him out where people can peer into his little home as they walk by, or pass judgement while comparing their child's monitor readings with Simon's. I know we'll get used to it, but it just seems very abrupt.
Both Becca and I were able to hold Simon while sitting in a rocking chair today. Normally when we hold him, he is face down on our chests and we can't see his face very well. Holding him in this different position allows us to be face to face. There was a moment while I was holding him where our eyes locked and there was communication. I'm not exactly sure I had ever spoken such a pure language and there was but one word. Love.

From Simon Levi

I was officially inducted into motherhood this morning when Simon peed on me during kangaroo time. All the sudden I felt something warm and wet on my stomach and pulled away the warming blankets only to discover a very wet diaper! We're so glad that his mechanics work. Also- he is steadily gaining weight- as of today he weighs 3 lbs, and ALMOST 3 oz or 1420 grams. His sole nutrition now is my milk and he's tolerating 27 ml (2 Tbs.) every three hours. The milk is supplemented with Human Milk Fortifier for additional calories. He's still receiving the milk through a tube that runs through his nostril into his stomach and this will be the method for another 4 weeks, or until his gestational age is 34 weeks old. He's my superstar and I'm very proud of our dear boy! .

He's two weeks old!! I can't believe 19 days ago we came into the hospital for some mild abdominal pains and left being parents. What a whirlwind and a scary time, yet our son has continued to show us how he is strong and determined. Today he came off of his Picc line which is an IV tube that runs from the inside of his elbow, up an artery and near his heart to supply his blood with a balance of nutrients. Now that he is ingesting more natural nutrients from Mom's milk, he doesn't need the extra help.
He is also on a cannula which brings him a steady stream of oxygen into his nostrils without being bulky. You can barely see it in the pictures. He's getting anywhere from a 20 cc - 50 cc blend to help him absorb the oxygen without overworking his still slightly underdeveloped lungs. He's also starting to be more alert when it's time to change his diaper and feed. It might be the caffine shot they give him around noon. I don't think it's Starbucks, but it works pretty well.