"This is discharge talk"

That's what the Doctor said to me today while doing her rounds! Carter has done SO well feeding the last few days that he is now up to 4 bottle/breastfeeds a day! That's halfway there! He is also back in the crib, and will be starting some vitamins (that he will continue to be on when he is discharged).

At the 12pm feed, Carter started off very slow, but ended up eating VERY well (for about a half hour!). I attempted to give him a little bottle to make sure he had eaten enough, but he wanted nothing to do with it, just sleep. I left for about 1/2 an hour, and when I came back he was screaming. I picked him up and immediately he was quiet. We decided to give him just a little more bottle - and sure enough after a "snack" of 10ml, he was right back to sleep. I'm afraid we have another Justin here...eats a little at meal time, but as soon as the meal is over he wants a snack! Unfortunately when I returned to the NICU a bit later, I was told that he only slept about 10 minutes after I left...so he was VERY tired for the 3pm feeding and really didn't do much.

However - after sleeping most of the evening, Carter was a superstar at the 9pm feeding! I might call in a bit to see if he ended up sleeping through, because we only gave him 10ml of formula after he finished breastfeeding. I wouldn't be surprised if the doctor decides to increase his feedings to EVERY feeding depending on his altertness (i.e. if he's wide awake, we try to bottle/breastfeed, but if he's super tired then they just use the feeding tube).

So Big!!

Measurement time - 18inches!

Wearing his preemie clothes before he outgrows them!

Mike starts his new job tomorrow - so it'll be interesting to see what our schedule is like for the rest of the week. My goal is for Carter to come home next Sunday - what an awesome first anniversary present that would be! Of course, if he needs more time than that...it's ok!