Day seventeen

The nurse says if Colin drinks his milk consistently and independently for two days, he can come home with me. We're waiting. For now, i feed him and carry him, and let him practise on the pacifier. The therapist says that sucking on the pacifier helps strengthen the muscles at the cheeks and throat, aiding with swallowing. Also it generates enzyme that help with digestion. You may take for granted that evey baby is born with the instinct to drink milk but baby Colin had skipped the stage when he was supposed to be sucking on his thumb while in my tummy. Therapist says that due to the missed phase, Colin is learning to suckle and we must be encouraging and patient.

We brought Kiki to see Colin yesterday, which was a bad idea.
She was traumatised. I think she thought that both Colin and i were captured and detained by aliens or something terrifying. Initially, she was okay viewing from outside the room, from the glass window. After five minutes, she became withdrawn. Thereafter she brawled. Tears streamed down her face and she dragged her daddy by the hand to the door at the ICU. Open! Open! Open the door! -- she screamed. She wanted either to join us or for us to join her, both options were not possible. She is too young to understand and it pained me seeing her screaming, crying, struggling to get out of the daddy's arms. We shouldn't have brought her there, what were we thinking!
She cried till her voice became hoarse. In the end, the daddy brought her along to his office, had dinner with her, bought toys from Toys'R us and let her play at the playground at the shopping mall. This little girl needs lots of assurance at this tender time. We hope she will soon forget this episode. (guilty parents).

Okay, i'm off to.....bathe? Ha. Herbal bath is a luxury i'd tell ya, everyone should try it sometimes.