Day 8, 10:30 PM

We arranged for Jennifer to see the kids over dinner tonight which was fun for three of them. Jennifer really needed that time with them. I was able to spend a couple hours with Janie Grace as I'd spent most of the day back at work. She was smiling a ton tonight which is a great reminder of how worth-while all of this is and also a nice reminder that she'll never remember any of this past week.

By the time I was with her, she hadn't eaten for nearly 6 hours (the doctors decided to do 18 on and 6 off). I had the most success spoon feeding her. I probably got about a half-ounce in her after factoring the quantity lost down her cheeks & chin. Strangely, I had the most success when her fingers were in her mouth. The girl loves her fingers. She's never been able to secure a pacifier in her mouth, but her fingers soothe her like nothing else. Like our friend Ginger said, "if only we could attach a straw to her hand somehow!" I had the same thought this evening. You see, the motion we all take for granted is only evident for her when her fingers are in her mouth. It gave me some hope seeing that her mouth can make the correct motion. We just have to figure out how to get her do it with far greater efficiency. It was a little glimmer of hope that I needed today.

We're hoping that Wednesday is our day to all be home again. That'll be fun.