Happy John Henry Days

Wow-- its been a long time since I've posted. I got a call last night from a friend concerned that things might be wrong since I hadn't posted so long. Let me assure you-- it would be hard for life to be better for us. Madeleine continues to progress at a great pace and we're busy being "normal" parents, working hard and playing hard with Madeleine.

In any case, I hope you all have big plans for the holiday weekend as I'm sure you're aware that this weekend is John Henry Days here in Talcott, West Virginia. Kirsten and I decided to make the trek out to our cabin last night with Madeleine. If you're a long time reader of this blog with a good memory, you'll remember that a year ago, we brought Madeleine out here for the big celebration and she was just a few days removed from the NICU. (click here for a link to the post last year.)

I'll try to post a bunch more this weekend as I have lots to update (including pictures_) but here's a quick run-down of accomplishments over the past few weeks:

- Kirsten and I spent a weekend away from Madeleine for our fifth wedding anniversary. (can't believe she's put up with me that long.) The weekend was possible as Kirsten's parents took over parent duty for Saturday and Sunday. They did a great job and while excited about it, they were ecstatic when we showed up on Sunday to take over. Despite Madeleine's great strides, she's still a complicated little girl.
- Madeleine is doing great being weaned from the vent. We're officially at the point where she is off the vent for two three hour periods. While that sounds good in theory, we don't live life by the clock so we're rapidly approaching the point where we have her off the vent when she's awake and happy. When she's tired and/or cranky, we put her back off the vent. By August, we're confident that she'll be off the vent all of the time when she's awake. (We're not far off now.)
- Madeleine is still getting all of her nutrition through her feeding tube but we're giving her daily "tastes" in her mouth. Michiganders reading the blog will be happy to hear that Madeleine is a big fan of Vernors but she doesn't seem to like apple juice much. If you've ever had Vernors, you should be shocked-- I love it but its ginger ale on steroids. We're going to try out a few other flavors this weekend. We don't give her much fluid-- usually just have her lick a clean wash cloth. The goal is to get her comfortable with taste in her mouth.

Okay-- that's all for now. The river is calling my name. Check back later for lots of pictures and hopefully some good updates from John Henry Days.