Dad gets a cuddle in

Yesterday was a really good day. Autumn's oxygen stayed off and she has now been breathing room air for almost 36 hours. Her pediatrician says that the next area of focus is going to be feeding now that her breathing is under control. We tried nursing as well with success...Little squirrel really knows what she's doing. It's amazing that after a week of separation, her instincts are still intact. She knows her way around the boob ;) So that was a huge highlight for me yesterday.
Super special time with Daddy was also had yesterday. Autumn got over an hour of snuggles out of her poppa. He was ready with his snappy down shirt...

"Hello nurse Evelyn, I'm here for my skin-to-skin." hehehehehe ;)
The best part about this photo is the fact that Autumn's pediatrician, Dr. Hadad, came around the corner and witnessed it. He had a good giggle.

I wonder if he'll ever be able to say no to her...Not likely.

Today, we start a nursing schedule and the nurses will try to supplement with bottles in between. When you have a nicu baby, they offer you the option of donor milk or formula for supplementation. We have opted to top her up with donor milk so that she never gets used to formula. I am bound and determined to feed this child! :) Anyway, squirrel will be weighed before and after nursing to see how much she actually gets from me and then they will use milk that I have pumped and finally donor milk to supplement what she isn't getting. Once she gets really talented at nursing, they will shift the focus to getting her used to air outside of her incubator. She has lived in 31 degree heat for the last week inside the gerbil cage...Not typical Canadian climate by any stretch. Once she is ready to breathe, eat and stay warm outside, we can take her home! We're almost there!