We've had a fairly busy couple of days. On Friday, Henry weighed 14 lbs 13.5 ozs. My mom came mid-morning and stayed until 1PM, when Miriam (the massage therapist) and Tara (Henry's DDD coordinator and developmental specialist) arrived. As it was our first session with her, Miriam gave us a lecture on the importance of touch to infant development. Miriam grew up in a Kibbutz (an Israeli collective community) and later moved to the U.S. She's been doing infant massage since 1986. She showed us a lot of massage techniques. She had a doll in front of her. I had Henry in front of me. She showed us a technique on the doll, then I would try to do the same thing to Henry. She told us that babies often get incredibly hungry after they've had a massage. Turned out to be the case with Henry. She also said that they sleep and grow better. According to the research, NICU babies who were given regular massages gained 47% more weight than babies who weren't given the massages. They also had greater bone density than the non-massaged babies. Make one wonder why all NICUs don't hire one on staff. A small expense early could translate into thousands of dollars saved down the road. The massage's effect on Henry? Well, he slept 11 hours straight that night. Wow.
On Saturday, Henry weighed 14 lbs 13 ozs. Jeff gave Henry the massage. Henry enjoyed it. He also managed to spray us a couple of times. He again got very hungry after it. He had a good afternoon. We went on a fantastic walk in the evening. The sunset was amazing. The colors were very dynamic and kept changing every few minutes. Rather than putting a second layer of clothing on Henry, Jeff used his jacket around them both. It's our new form of kangaroo care! Grandma and Grandpa brought dinner in the evening. Henry slept well.
On Sunday, Henry weighed 14 lbs 14 ozs. We spent the day at the grand parents' house. Grandma and Grandpa took care of Henry, while Jeff and I organized a bunch of papers that we had brought over. Grandpa said that Henry roller over onto his stomach while on the Jungle mat but then got perplexed when he realized he was on his tummy. We went home earlier than usual for a Sunday night as Grandma and Grandpa went to the theater. Jeff and I decided it was best not to use our theater tickets this season (because of the germ factor). Henry had a much needed bath in the evening. He got to play with his new rubber duck toy that Sharon Collins had given him. Very cool duck. It quacks and lights up when it touches water.
On Saturday, Henry weighed 14 lbs 13 ozs. Jeff gave Henry the massage. Henry enjoyed it. He also managed to spray us a couple of times. He again got very hungry after it. He had a good afternoon. We went on a fantastic walk in the evening. The sunset was amazing. The colors were very dynamic and kept changing every few minutes. Rather than putting a second layer of clothing on Henry, Jeff used his jacket around them both. It's our new form of kangaroo care! Grandma and Grandpa brought dinner in the evening. Henry slept well.
On Sunday, Henry weighed 14 lbs 14 ozs. We spent the day at the grand parents' house. Grandma and Grandpa took care of Henry, while Jeff and I organized a bunch of papers that we had brought over. Grandpa said that Henry roller over onto his stomach while on the Jungle mat but then got perplexed when he realized he was on his tummy. We went home earlier than usual for a Sunday night as Grandma and Grandpa went to the theater. Jeff and I decided it was best not to use our theater tickets this season (because of the germ factor). Henry had a much needed bath in the evening. He got to play with his new rubber duck toy that Sharon Collins had given him. Very cool duck. It quacks and lights up when it touches water.
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