Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy ever . . . Brad and Peter love their time together. I thought this was just the sweetest little picture of their hands together holding the coveted pacifier. These two guys are just totally smitten with one another . . . we're headed to the hospital this morning since Brad doesn't have to work . . . he is happy to spend the day with his little buddy.On Friday, the doctors tried to wean Peter down to 3 liters on his nasal cannula flow. Peter wasn't ready as he had several episodes of fast breathing. So, he was moved back up to 4 liters yesterday. He is breathing calmly and without struggle now. They did give him a tiny dose of lasix to help him eliminate some of the fluid he was retaining (a possible cause of the difficult breathing). Dr Thurin assured us that one day, Peter will just "get it" and his calm breathing function will kick into gear. We are eager for that day, but understand this is a process. Peter is only 34 weeks old from a gestational standpoint . . . he should still be in the womb . . . so, the progress he has made is remarkable.
He continues to gain weight on a steady schedule. As of last night, Peter is up to 4 lbs, 3 oz. He actually lost an ounce from Friday night due to the Lasix (and, according to the nurse, two impressively large poops!) They were actually hoping for this loss as it means he is eliminating some excess fluid. He is such a big boy . . . those of you who saw Peter in person the first few days of his life won't even recognize him!
As Peter is now full feed (yay), his food intake is adjusted each day based on his weight. If he gains, the volume is increased. If he stays the same or loses, nothing is changed (he doesn't get less food). So, he is up to 36 ml, 8 times a day. Peter is a 9,12,3,6 baby . . . this means he has his assessments and feedings are at those times of day. We are encouraged that our little man has started waking up and fussing about 20 minutes before each assessment . . . a great indication that he is getting hungry and understands what he needs to do to let us know . . . "hey, I'm hungry, feed me!"
Peter still has the broviac iv in place (grrrr). The surgeon has been bogged down and unable to make it in to complete this 3 minute procedure (did I mention . . . grrrr). Anyway, it worked out well that the iv was still in yesterday so they could administer the lasix. Had it not been in, they would have simply administered an oral version . . so, nevermind . . . we want that silly thing OUT!
Peter is a strong little guy which is evidenced by the fact that he can scoot himself around his isolette. Yesterday, we positioned him on his tummy, near the bottom of the isolette . . . about 15 minutes later, we found him curled up at the top of his bedding, having scooted himself up several inches. This is very good . . . and alarming all at the same time . . . I'm afraid we've got a little monkey on our hands!
One of Peter's favorite things is the swabs of breastmilk he gets with each feeding. We call them his suckers. Yesterday, he grabbed on to the swab and attempted to administer it himself! 
