A Chihuahua/Fur Scarf

We had all four boys out this evening, and covered the girl with them.  Now that they have their eyes open, they are starting to be a lot more fun.  And after playing for a while, they all crawled up to her neck and settled in for a nap – which, of course, sent the girl into the giggles.

Natalia isn’t big enough to come out to play with her brothers (two of whom are four times her size).  It’s been a very stressful few days with her, as we haven’t been sure if she’d make it or not… and, to be quite honest, we’re still not sure.  She’s a little fighter though, and we’re doing everything we can to see her through.

As of this morning Natalia is now weighing in at 2.6 ounces, up from 2.4 a few days ago.  She had held steady at 2.2 and then 2.3 ounces for the longest time – so we are delighted to see a gain of 0.2 in the last couple of days.  It’s definitely encouraging.

The boys all range in size from 7.75 to 10.3 ounces – which is absolutely perfect for boys their age…  not too big and not too small.  Healthy, strong, curious, but mostly hungry and sleepy.  LOL  They are all used to being handled, and have already had their first nail trim – not that they needed it, but I start doing them really early so that it never has a chance to become an issue as they get older.  This way, nails are just something they’ve always had done and so don’t ever have to learn to tolerate.  It’s just normal.

We are enjoying watching their little faces develop, and loving the daily changes in pigment on their noses and toeses.  They are such a treat.  I’m making sure we spend time every day with the little boys as it’s so easy to get completely wrapped up in tiny Natalia’s care.  Tube feedings every two hours can take a lot out of you, and wear you out physically and mentally…  so it’s good to take time to enjoy her brothers and remind yourself of the joy.

From left to right: Rogers, Thor, Lily-Ann, Tony, and Bruce.