Happy Birthday, Nina!

Happy Birthday, Nina! After a full day of living, Nina got the best one-day birthday present ever: no more CPAP machine! CPAP = Continuous Positive Airway Pressure... or something like that. Nina kept swinging her little fingers at the device - it was strapped to her nose and forehead like something Darth Vader, Jr. would wear. We know she's glad to be done with it. Yes, little Nina is breathing 100% on her own steam!

Nina's nurse took this photo at about 7am. This kind of skin-to-skin time with mom is called, "Kangaroo care", and apparently has a ton of benefits - medical and emotional - for premies. Dad changed a diaper (the littlest diaper you've ever seen!), and mom is starting to pump small amounts of milk.

THANK GOODNESS for our friends here in Vermont and for our friends who bolted up here yesterday from New York! It's a beautiful day today, and they're organizing a little picnic for us near the hospital. WE LOVE YOU!

And THANK YOU to all who have written, texted, and called asking to help. We will definitely need your help! However, we're not yet sure what kind of help we need. We don't really need clothes for Nina just yet (we already have a bunch, and she's well-swaddled here already), but we may need help with the logistics of keeping Dawning nearby once we're discharged from the hospital (Sunday evening). Brian will be here for the next 8 days at least, but after that we may need help getting Brian back and forth from NYC to Burlington. For those who think they may be able to come up to Burlington (Dawning will need help with meals and whatnot - eating in the cafeteria will get old quickly), just give us a call.

Thanks in advance, and love to you all!

Happy Birthday, Nina!