March 18, 10

Since I last blogged: Peyton weighs 6# 8.5oz. and is 19.75" long, Kendall is 4# 15oz. and 17" long, and Chase is 5# 5oz and 18" long. As you can see, all girls are growing well. Everybody has increased their feedings and are taking approx. 1.5 - 2 ounces of formula, which is what a newborn would typically take. The girls celebrated their 6 week birthday today! I took the video camera in for the first time to record this special day! All girls are now in open incubators and Peyton no longer has her feeding tube and is eating every 4 hours instead of every 3. I don't expect the other two to be far behind, but for now they still need to be tube fed every so often. The biggest news to report is that as of tomorrow the girls are moving to the Pediatric Specialty Hospital inside the Children's Home built by the Leximeux Foundation. Most people refer to it as TIC (Transitional Infant Care). Basically, it's a step between the NICU and home. The facility is amazing (I toured it last week), and the same neonatologists that care for the girls at West Penn care for them at TIC. The make their rounds there once a day. The benefit of moving them is that developmentally they need the most peaceful sleep they can get and the most serene environment possible, without all the noises and disturbances of the NICU. They will have mostly natural light, so they'll start to learn the difference between day and night, too. The doctors have been encouraging us to move them, but it took us a little while to get on board. ;) Dr.Lanieri, one of my favorites, is rounding there all next week, so that makes me feel even better about the transition. It's tough to leave the comfort of the care and nurses of the NICU. I've grown so accustom to the routine and have shared the first weeks of their lives with the people there, so although I know it's time, it's also with a heavy heart that the girls and I have to leave them. Having said that, I couldn't be happier with their progress, and am so glad we are one step closer to home!!!