Avi took a pacifier for the first time during the afternoon. I think it's the smallest pacifier I've ever seen (although it still looks a bit big for her!). She even seems to be sucking on it and when it's not in her mouth, she's been sucking on the feeding tube that's going down her throat! The nurses like giving them these early as it helps with her sucking as well as they prevent them from swallowing additional air. We even think we got a couple of smiles from her tonight!
Deacon's blood gas levels (specifically his carbon dioxide) were pretty stable. They like to try and leave him alone so he can get as much sleep as possible and save his energy. He continues to open his big brown eyes when we're by his bedside. It's still tough seeing him hooked up to so many tubes and IV's.
When we were in the NICU tonight, Deacon had a nurse that we hadn't yet met. She had told me that the NICU referred to me as the "ticking time bomb" when I was on bedrest in the antipartum unit. She said that the incubators had been waiting for both Avi and Deacon from the day I was admitted. For the first time since their birth, I felt like I did something for the kiddos. I was able to hold out 5 days from when my labor started! A big accomplishment since the doctors told us I would be delivering the night I was admitted.