New Years 2011

Just 4 days after her birth, Lexie spent the majority of New Year's eve catching some rays under the Phototherapy lights. Because she was 3 weeks early her liver was still developing and not yet able to remove all the bilirubin from her blood (aka Jaundice). Her body was storing this in her skin and the whites of her eyes. I found it interesting to learn that bilirubin is very similar to a pigment used by certain algae to capture light energy, and to the pigment phytochrome used by plants to sense light. So my little "flower" just needed some light to keep everything working well. Her jaundice required 3 weeks of going back and forth to the hospital every day or two to test her blood levels. I was happy when she finally got her "clean bill of health".

While Lexie was under the lights I got to leave the hospital for a couple of hours and enjoy dinner with my family. We ended up at a great Italian restaurant. Later, Ted and the girls did sparklers at home while Lexie and I watched the fireworks from our hospital window and listened to the church bells ring. Happy 2011 !!!