Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed

By now, we're all seeing how much spirit Elizabeth has. She also has one heck of a grip.

No, Lizzy. Don't pull out your stomach tube.

 

It's there to help you, don't pull it out!

*Sigh* Fine, Mom.

We both got some more skin to skin time or "Kangaroo Care" as they call it. This picture was just too cute to pass up, though we found out later, we're not supposed to fall asleep while holding her. Though the nurse conceded too that it's dang hard not to with the lights down low and a warm, sleeping baby on your chest. It's so relaxing. 

We then had an appointment with my OB in Safford and right as we really needed to head out, this happened.

Hello world. Hello eyes! It was the longest I'd ever seen her eyes open and she was just looking around, taking everything in. It broke my heart to leave her at that point when I felt like she was getting a good look at us. But go we did to the appointment and then home to Morenci to check on the house and get a few more things. I called the NICU that afternoon and got more news than I bargained for.

The surgeons had come by and looked at her stomach tube, telling her nurse not to change anything, UNLESS she pulled her tube out again. Well, as you can see above, it's no surprise... she pulled that sucker right out. (Ha! Punny.) So the nurse got to take it all off and try letting her go without for a little while and she did great! No distended tummy or spit up. So they put a smaller tube down her nose that works using gravity and will pull stuff out if needs be. It also gives her a better chance of passing gas and poop which is what we want. She'll stay on that tube for a day or two while they monitor how she handles it. If all goes well, she'll come off it completely and I'm guessing they'll then try breast milk again.

I was also happy to hear this meant it was a lot easier for her to keep a hold of her binkie so she was pretty quiet all afternoon, sucking away at that thing. That's our little fighter. :)