More Than Just a Fashion Show

As my loyal readers can imagine, Christmas included some time in the NICU.



First order of business was getting Levi in some Christmas duds.  VFN's Editor-in-Chief selected the above Christmas monkey shirt, but it was kind of unexciting because Levi had already worn it before.





Levi's favorite nurse found some donated Christmas clothes and snagged a couple of other outfits for Levi.  This was the under layer.

Note to readers: We're not sure if the hat in the above picture was meant to be a beret or a chef's hat, but it matched the outfit, so we felt like we had to use it.  :)





A fleece Christmas sleeper went on top.  It was big enough that Levi will probably be able to wear it next Christmas...





But, the clothes were hardly the most exciting part about Christmas in the NICU.

It was also the first day Levi got to eat out of a bottle.





Preterm babies start bottle feeding on their sides so that the milk can pool in their cheeks instead of choking them if they forget to suck, swallow, and breathe at the same time.

Levi drank two whole milliters.  Which was about one twenty-fifth of his feeding.  So, not really a whole lot, but we'll take it.  He took the rest of his feeding through the tube in his nose.

We'll start feeding Levi with a bottle about every six hours.  In between he will still have his gavage feeds through his tube.

But, eating from a bottle wasn't even the most exciting thing that happened on Christmas...





Kaitlyn got to see her baby brother.

It was through a window, but she definitely recognized Mommy and that Mommy was holding a baby. We're pretty sure she has no idea that Levi is coming home with us someday, but at least she knows he exists.

Life will never be the same, Kaitlyn.  Life will never be the same.