Update for Monday, April 25

Well, the going home countdown has begun! Miss Katie has been without her feeding tube since Friday, and has been on demand feeding since then. She now sleeps and wakes according to her own body schedule, and she's been eating as much (or as little) as she wants. The test, therefore has been for Katie to eat enough food to gain weight, and with a 4 gram weight gain on Friday night, 7 gram weight gain on Saturday night, and 71 gram weight gain last night, her results have met the doctor's criteria for going home. Katherine's breathing has also been good enough to be discharged. It seems like once every two days or so, Katherine kinda forgets to breathe while she's taking her bottle, but she always picks it up again on her own. Since these are feeding time breathing events, the doctors don't count them against her. We've fed Katie at the hospital a few times when she's forgotten to breathe, so we're familiar with the signs that she displays when she's zoning out. I'm sure it's going to be scary when it happens at home, but the older she gets, the less these events will occur.

So, the bottom line: Katie will be coming home either tomorrow or Wednesday!

Additionally, Katie weighs now 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and has begun to outgrow her smallest preemie clothes.

We couldn't sign-off without sharing a wonderful photo with you. About a week ago, Katie's Grandpa came down from the frozen Alaskan tundra to see her. Apparantly, she tried to make herself Grandpa's favorite girl, but her Mommy cut their visit short before Grandpa figured it out.