21 March

(Pictures are of Austin and then Aiden)  This was quite a day!  Mom held Austin for a long time and he was determined to open his eyes which he did numerous times.  Aiden also opened his eyes a bunch and was very comfortably resting on his tummy.  It's like they are gradually getting used to the dim light which must seem bright to them.  Aiden is still on continuous feed at 11ml every hour, and Austin is still on the IV but the doctors say that the odds of him (or Aiden) having NEC is very low now.  The X-Rays of their intestines are both good showing much better gas patterns now and that the gases are subsiding.  Austin's blood tests came back (testing for bacteria in the blood due to NEC), and are negative.  So that is good.  However, another jarring turn on this rollercoaster ride is that other blood tests on Austin indicate that he is trending toward being anemic.  They plan to run one more test tomorrow and will need to do a blood transfusion of 10ml per kg of body weight if the trend continues.  If the numbers go in the other direction, they will simply continue to monitor his levels.  Aiden is getting meds for some reflux he is having with his feeds.  The meds don't actually stop the reflux; they just make it more comfortable for him to experience it without causing him to have apnea and bradycardia episodes in conjunction with the reflux.  Good night sweet boys!  We love you!