Her first bottle

After months of being unable to bottle feed (due to her need for constant air pressure), Arabella had her first bottle today. Her first bottle! Nearly 5 months after birth. Talk about a buildup, huh?

Getting rid of the CPAP mask and going on 'low flow' meant that we could slowly introduce bottle feeding, so this was her first real test. It was a big one...

She did absolutely fantastic! 😃

She's a natural, and she impressed the entire staff. Arabella took nearly half of her feed (by bottle) on 3 separate occasions throughout the day - with no spit ups. 

Bella finally got to enjoy a decent meal by mouth. She was loving it, and we were smiling from ear to ear watching her enjoy it. All of the practicing really payed off. She was a rock-star today. 

Kiera and I are so thrilled and proud of her accomplishment. It's such a leap ahead. After all of the set-backs in the past, this is one we're going to relish. We need to enjoy this moment. 

Leading up to this, we were somewhat anxious about how she would do. Typically, preemies with chronic lung disease don't bottle feed very well. Everyone was warning us about it, and it scared us because Arabella's lungs are still very damaged. 

The odds weren't in her favour, but somehow she managed to surprise us yet again. It's what she does best 😊

Earlier today she had a heart echo to follow up on her pulmonary hypertension. The Diazoxide really complicated her situation in the past, but now she's completely off the drug and her sugars have still been stable. Hopefully things continue along this positive trajectory. 

Everything should gradually get better over time. And it will. 

Meanwhile, God continues to be gracious. 

Arabella has done so amazing lately.

Hallelujah.