Cooper's Coming Home

I apologize for not posting sooner, but we've been very busy getting everything ready for Cooper to come home!  After 77 days in the NICU, Cooper is scheduled to come home tomorrow (Tuesday).  They took him off of his caffeine last Monday and he has done great.  He is taking all of his bottles very well, and most of the time wants more after he's finished.  We are very excited to have him home, but we also have some mixed emotions as it will be hard to leave Kinley "by herself"and figure out how to split our time.  Cooper will be able to go up to the hospital with me, but obviously, we won't be able to make daily trips.  Unfortunately, we will be unable to have very many visitors for a while.  The doctors have been very clear that for a while, we need to limit his contact with too many people, especially since he has already gotten so sick and we are now in cold and flu season.  While we are eager to show him off and see our friends, we do not want a repeat of what happened a few weeks ago!  It is very surreal to think about him coming home.  We have definitely settled into a routine, and we are a little nervous about how we will function without our wonderful NICU nurses and doctors.  We know it will all be ok, but are still a little anxious as we get ready to make this transition.

Kinley is still doing well, though we still don't know when she will get to come home.  She is now 4 pounds, 12 ounces.  She still doesn't love to bottle feed, and is a bit inconsistent...sometimes she will take almost the whole bottle, sometimes half, and sometimes just a few swallows.  She also still has stridor, a "singing sound" that she sometimes makes when she breathes.  Our doctor for this month, Dr. Moise, is soon going to consult with an ENT to see if she may have some kind of throat or airway issues going on.  She has also been retaining quite a bit of fluid lately, which we've been told is common in preemies, especially those with chronic lung problems. To help with this, they now have her on a daily dose of Lasix, a diuretic.  We are hopeful that she will soon "turn a corner" and really start to take off.

As always, thank you for all of your prayers and positive thoughts.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we bring Cooper home and adjust to our new schedule as well as for Kinley to continue getting bigger and healthier so she can join us soon!