Yaaay Dad! Miller had a great day and tonight he got to spend about an hour and fifteen minutes on his daddy's chest. His breathing was really strong and seemed very comfortable curled up in his dad's big hands. It was a very encouraging experience, particularly when compared to the circus that was last night's Kangaroo. It's amazing how much difference a really good nurse can make. Fortunately, at the Seton NICU, you can pretty much build your own team of nurses. We knew early on that we wanted Beth as our primary, or lead nurse. She's very experienced and patient. Her positivity is catching, as well. Tonight, we met Davika. She's a little younger and has a more progressive approach to Kangaroo Care. We knew it was a match right away. We asked her to be on Team Miller and she accepted.

Miller is officially off phototherapy.( For now, anyway ). His bilirubin numbers are in the appropriate range and his color looks great. The nurses plan to resume his feedings tomorrow and we'll know a little more about how well his tummy is tolerating things tomorrow evening.

Mom and dad are still watching the home improvement channel. We don't think real TV will happen anytime this week and dinner with friends (one of our favorite pastimes) is probably a little ways off. Every night we talk about our plan for the next day and, as you might imagine, it's all geared around when we think Miller will be up for a Kangaroo. But, dad did pick up the guitar tonight, so at least there were some familiar sounds around the house ( some of them were even in tune!).

So, Miller had a good day. And mom and dad are hanging in there. Days like this are gifts for us. We know there will be some difficult spots ahead, but we'll deal with them as they come. Your thoughts and prayers keep us going. Thank you.

Love,
Danny and Stephanie