When weight gain is a good thing.

Apparently Mom's milk plus the added fortifiers is doing the trick....Austin is up to 4 lbs, 9 oz as of last night!  This is a big milestone since he's blown past the 2 kg mark and is now 'eligible' to have his ET tube removed.  We are meeting with the ear, nose, and throat doctor tomorrow to discuss the game plan and have some questions answered.  Austin is tentatively scheduled to be extubated Wednesday evening unless something changes.  He's been grabbing at the tube quite a bit recently so this can't come soon enough.  We are obviously excited to see him without his face tape for more than a few minutes. 

Austin is still doing very well in general.  He's taking full feeds (36 ml's every 3 hours) and digesting them well (obviously).  He's also doing a fantastic job of stinking up his isolette, so much so that it needs to be aired out periodically.  God help the NICU nurses when he's moved to a crib.  The nurses are working with his fingers during his care and his range of motion is improving.  He can straighten his pointer fingers on both hands all the way and the other fingers aren't too far behind.  We've been able to hold Austin in a rocking chair the past few days since his temperature is stable.  This is key because Jamie and I can both hold him in the same night and it's much easier to stare at him. 

That's it for tonight...hopefully we'll have some good news to share as well as new pictures later this week.