There is light at the end of the tunnel. And it's not a train....

Here's a little video of Brielle...

On Monday Teagan and Rianne pulled their feeding tubes out so we decided to see if they could eat a bottle every 3-4 hours. Rianne is still going strong and has been eating all by mouth for three full days.

Teagan got a little worn out and had a tube put back in late Tuesday night. Since then Teagan has slowly been building up her stamina and starting to eat by bottle again every 3 hours.

Brielle has done a much better job eating the past couple days.  She now remembers to to breathe before she turns blue.  She is eating 5-6 out of 8 bottles a day by mouth.  She doesn't want to be left in her sisters' dust.

Feeding a preemie is not the same as feeding a term baby.  They have to be held on their side so the milk pools in their cheek so they can better control the amount and rate that they swallow.  We have to help pace them as they often forget to breathe.  We have to make sure we watch their coloring.  If they start to get dusky or blue we have to stop feeding, stimulate them, and see if we can feel them taking breaths.

With all that said it is important that people who will be helping us out come to the hospital and get the proper training from the nurses.  My mom, dad, step-mom, sister who lives with us, and the nanny have all taken their first course.

My mom and dad each were given a bit of a scare from Rianne, our "training preemie" and I think they finally realized that these babies require special care and we aren't crazy for not letting them hold or care for them yet.

It's like this, but with three!

 This was the first time for anyone other than Tony, the nurses, and I to hold the girls.

Craig having a good discussion with Ri about breathing!

Angie helping out as well...

Joy with excellent technique

Mom having a heart-to-heart about scaring her grandparents

Teagan finishing her whole bottle!

Tomorrow is the next room air challenge and we've set some encouraging lyrics for them!

Risin' up, back on the bottle
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance, now I'm back in my swaddle
Just a preemie and her will to thrive

Face to face, out of the incubator
Hangin' tough, stayin' hungry
They stack the odds 'til we take to the street
For we eat with the skill to thrive

It's the eye of the tiger, it's the cream of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known preemie stalks her prey in the night
And she's watchin' us all in the eye of the tiger

If Rianne and Teagan don't pass (hopefully they will!) they will be sent home on oxygen.  Brielle is not as close to coming home so they will give her a little more time before they make the final decision on her which will hopefully be next week.

The girls stats:
Rianne 5 pounds 1 ounce
Teagan 4 pounds 8.8 ounces
Brielle 4 pounds 4.4 ounces.

Here's a pictorial preview of what it will look like if they come home soon...

And a little bit later...