Isabelle turned 3 weeks old today! She is doing great, her NICU team is pleased with her progress and it’s starting to feel like we are turning a corner. Sorry it has been so long since the last update, I know many of you were asking about her, but the truth is she is boring and there wasn’t too much to update; watching a baby grow just takes a little patience. 
It is an exciting day for Isabelle for another reason, today she made her first friend. A baby octopus, provided by the NICU, is now sharing her incubator and is a wonderful cuddler. If you are asking, why an octopus? Read more at the link below. (I realize Martha Stewart might not be the most reliable health and wellness expert, but I read a few articles and that one had the most information and links.)
https://www.marthastewart.com/1511402/you-can-crochet-octopus-toy-help-comfort-premature-babies
Earlier in the week, Isabelle was starting to look pale and her hematocrit levels (ratio of red and white blood cells to the volume of total blood) were starting to drop. This made it a little harder to keep her oxygen saturation levels up and she wasn’t quite acting like herself. This is common for preemies because their bone marrow is not yet producing blood cells so over time the levels naturally trend down. The doctors decided to do a blood transfusion to boost her blood cell counts and bring her back into the normal range. By Wednesday morning she was looking much better and was very active in the incubator and when Susan held her.
She gained another wonderful book for her collection when Mike and Erica came for a visit. (Sorry we didn’t take your photo for the blog) And this weekend she is getting ready for her first Mother’s day with a visit from her CT grandparents! I wonder if Isabelle got a gift for her mom… one of us probably should…
I’ll leave you with a cool new karate move she mastered overnight. Talk soon.
Meet Isabelle 
We love your new signature move Izzy! ❤️
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