Eli's Biggest Leap Yet

After three failed attempts over the past month, Eli's doctors successfully removed his breathing tube this week. Eli reacted with a bit of fussiness but nothing resembling the distress he showed during the previous tries. Breathing tubes, as we've learned, are life-sustaining for premature babies, but they're also damaging to their narrow and delicate airways. Having Eli's removed is a huge relief!

Eli has become the talk of the NICU. The 11 weeks he's spent there gives him the longest tenure of any baby currently in the unit. The nurses all know him by now, and many stopped by in the last few days to watch him breathe without a ventilator and to cheer him on. "You're such a big boy, Eli!" they'll say. Or, "See, Daddy? All he needed was time."

Eli now breathes with the barest assistance of a nasal cannula. Initially, doctors gave him a more cumbersome nasal device known as CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure)—and he hated it. It had a bulky crossbar, it scrunched up his nose and the entire apparatus had to be Velcroed to a hat on his head. But that lasted only a few days. Eli quickly showed he was ready for the least intrusive breathing aid of all.

As if all this weren't enough, Eli (with help from his wonderful nurse Gisela) had one more trick in store: He began bottle feeding. Just a few sucks at a time, not a whole bottle at once. He still does most of his eating through an oral tube. For now.