Update for Wednesday, April 13

Our beautiful baby girl is 2 months old today! Katie continues to grow, and with a weight of 5 pounds, 7 ounces, she's beginning to look and feel more like a full-term newborn. She had another eye exam this morning that continues to show no indication of Retinopathy Of Prematurity (ROP). The eye doctor did say that she's going to have blue eyes though! Katherine is doing well these days with taking her feedings out of a bottle - for about half of her feedings she can finish her meal without falling asleep. The breathing events have really slowed down too - only one every other day or so. Katie has now done two of the four things that she needs to go home: she can maintain her own body temperature in an open crib, and she is off the oxygen. Now the only things left are to take all of her food through a bottle while continuing to gain weight, and have no breathing events for 5 days in a row. Since Katie is progressing so well, the nurses are getting Paul and I ready to go home too. It's hard to imagine taking care of Katherine without the monitors and nurse supervision after so long. We're tenatively guessing that ALL of the McDermotts will be home in Monroe in about two weeks!