A very fun day........

Mia and I had a very fun (and tiring!) day today. This first picture, however, is from yesterday. This is just one of Mia's Christmas outfits. She is in a sleeper now in her isolette--just like a big girl! Today, though, we had a lot of fun!! First she nursed for a bit (and she is doing very well with that--8 ccs!), then I let her sleep because at 1 I gave her a bath (which she REALLY needed! She was a little stinky!). She loved her bath again and the nurse showed me how to wash her back-without getting her face in the water--not easy. We really scrubbed her head for cradle cap and her skin was really flaky. The nurse showed me just how aggressive I could be and we got her all spic and span! She is of course VERY awake in this picture-fuzzy hair and all! I wanted to put on a onesie that I had bought for her and get a picture before she grew out of it. Then, we dressed her up in a Christmas outfit that the nurses provided. We propped her up and tried to pose her....but she was very relaxed from her bath and promptly fell asleep! But, she was really cute anyway! After all that, we still tried to give her a bottle (the first one I've been able to give her!) and she took in 13 ccs! Then we put the rest of her feeding in her tube and Mia and I rocked while the rest of her feeding went in. It was a very busy day, but a good day! She's up to 3 lbs., 7 ozs. and 30cc per feeding. She is offically a "feeder and grower". All she needs to do now is feed and grow! She's a little jaundice looking and her direct bilirubin is up to 4.1 (from 3.9 last week). Still not enough to worry about-they'll check it again in a week or so. She had another eye exam and has had some progression of abnormal blood cells in both eyes. They will repeat the exam next week and just watch things for now. It is still very possible that the ROP in her eyes will clear up completely. It's getting to be that VERY busy time of year so I will really try to keep up on the pictures and blogging. Thank you for all your prayers..........

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

And Mia is ready with her Santa hat. These pictures are from Saturday. Annemarie , my mom and I spent the afternoon with Mia. Annie helped give her a bath and the nurses had been busy with their Christmas crafts. Below is Mia's Christmas card--those are her footprints making up the branches of the tree! The nurses love to do crafty things for the babies.

Mia is in her own room in the transitional nursery. It's really only because I was the only mom in the nursery when they were moving babies-they asked if I'd like to have the only private room and I jumped on it! I'll have to take a picture to lend a little perspective..... Anyway, that's why it's so dark in the bath picture. We were able to turn all the lights down and the red glow is from the "french fry lamp" that keeps Mia warm during her baths. Annie got to help this time and I think she really liked it....as for today's (or more like this week's...sorry!) update--Mia is progressing well. She is up to 3 lbs., 6.5 ozs (and yes, that .5 ozs is important!). Today, we were able to nurse for the 10am and 1pm feedings. She took in 11cc at 10 and 6cc at 1! At first. it sounds like nothing, but the nurse, lactation consultant and doctor thought it was GREAT!! So, it is!! :-) It's amazing how quickly she's growing, too. There is one preemie sleeper that she has actually grown out of! But, I think that it's mostly because it's a hospital sleeper and has been washed a thousand times in hot water and has just shrunk! Her other preemie sleepers are still rather big! She got her 2 month immunizations this weekend and did great. A little fussy after, but nothing like we expected-no fever or anything. They took her pulse ox off (the monitor that measures the oxygen saturation in her blood) and discontinued her caffeine (which helped her brain remember to breathe). She was on a nontherapeutic dose of caffeine so it wasn't really doing much for her anyway! She has only had bradycardia spells (slow heart rate) so the only wires she has is her NG tube (feeding tube) and her EKG leads. It was nice to hold her without all the other wires! She's up to 29cc every 3 hours for her feeding-almost a full ounce! They will start doing one bottle feeding at least every shift including the nursing we do every morning. So, she should start packing it on! The temperature in her isollete is at 29.5 degrees and she just needs to get to 27 to move into an open crib....so not too much longer-we hope! Tomorrow she will be 35 weeks! Again, hard to believe. I hope we're getting to the end of this part of the journey. I know that we're far from the end, but if we can just get her home....! As always, thank you to everyone for your continued love, support and prayers. Our church observed the Lord's Supper for the first time last night. What an incredible service! It was awesome to come together and remember what Christ did by sacrificing His life to save each and every one of us. It was Annemarie's first time to participate-she had many questions, naturally, but seemed to at least understand the importance of the service. Thanks again and we love you all....... 

Update with an old pic.....

I found this picture that Sarah had sent me a few months ago. This is Annemarie and I as we are about to leave for Greg and Sarah's wedding (Greg is my cousin) in May 2004. Annemarie is 4, almost 5 and she looks so little! I can't believe that now she's 7! And so much taller...and sassier :-) Mia is doing WONDERFUL! She had her first bottle this morning at 1am and she took the entire 27cc! She even burped half-way thru. She had another bottle at 4pm and did perfect with that one too! She's up to 3 lbs., 3 oz. She's been gaining about 1/2 ounce per day. She also did GREAT nursing today. We started weighing her before and after we nurse. Each gram gained is equal to 1cc of breast milk. Today she took in 6cc--although we think it was more than that because she had a couple big spits with her tube feeding. They then subtract the cc's taken in during nursing from her 27cc feeding and give the rest thru her tube. Other than that, she's the same....which again, is GREAT!! She has her 2 month immunizations tomorrow... :-( They will be spacing them out over the next day or two, so pray for smooth sailing....I can't believe she'll be two months tomorrow. In some ways the time has gone by soooo slow! But in alot of ways it seems like it was just yesterday that I was going with mom to get the dresser in Baraboo and my water broke! The Lord has been so good...but please continue to pray for us. I think Scott and I have good days and bad days-it is actually getting harder to not have her home because she's doing so well. When she was sick, it just made sense for her to be in the hospital. It still does make sense because she's so small, but maybe it's just wearing on us. So, please remember us...we love each of you.

Christmas Program

This is the only picture we were able to get of Annemarie on stage at her Christmas program. It was dark and we were not allowed to take flash photography. But, we are able to see her playing with the sweater that she was supposed to be wearing (and not around her waist!)....and talking to the boy next to her.....yep. That's my daughter. But it was alot of fun to watch and she sang all the songs and had fun herself!

Breakfast with Santa

Each year, one of the restaurants hosts a Breakfast with Santa buffet. Annie, of course, was very excited about the buffet and seeing Santa. She ate her little white donuts, fruit, yogurt and french toast sticks very quickly so she could get right to talking with Santa. She asked him for a "two-wheeler scooter that is purple". She said that Santa told her she was on the good list...I think we would agree with that! If you look very close at the close-up pics, you may notice that Annemarie lost a tooth. At Karate last Wednesday, she fell on her face and knocked out an already wiggly baby tooth. She was very brave and didn't cry at all....until she saw me. Then it was drama, but she still showed a brave face as we were leaving.

Before and After

These first two pictures are the "befores" because Mia had her canulla removed today!!! She is breathing on her own with NO suplemental oxygen at all!! God is good! The doctors decided that Mia had been doing so well that they wanted to try it....and so far so good! Mia now weighs 3 lbs., 3 oz.! She hit 3 lbs. on Sunday. She is 34 weeks today, which means that she should start on a bottle today. The nursing is going ok...some days are better than others, but she just needs to stay awake long enough to eat....they've also checked her direct bilirubin again and there hasn't been any change, so they'll check it again next week. Mia had an eye exam last week that showed some areas of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). Like the name states, it is a common affect of prematurity. The blood vessels in her eyes are basically not forming correctly. There are 3 zones within the eyes and she has Stage 1 ROP in Zone 2. Stage 1 is best and Zone 3 is best, Zone 1 is worst, so Zone 2 is in the middle. She'll have another eye exam next week to check her progress. Mia will have her 2 month immunizations this Friday. Her doctors said to expect her to have some spells and be a little restless, but that she should be ok the next day. She is at full feedings and has continued to gain weight everyday. She is just doing great! YAH! No Canulla!!!

More "afters".....

And this is Mia without her canulla! One more wire we don't have to worry about when we take her out of her box! She looks so big with less stuff on her face!

OH MY! I'M AWAKE!!

Is this not the best one yet!?!? This one REALLY looks like my grandma!! She is so funny!

The long awaited update....

Yes, it has been a long time and for that I apologize. With the Christmas season not just approaching but beating me over the head, I have been running around like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off. And luckily, there is not a lot of news...which is a good thing I am learning. Mia is now up to 2 lbs., 13 oz and just today hit her goal for feedings! YAH! She now receives 21 cc every 3 hours. Her aspirates have gotten sooo much better! She has been at room air (21%) and has moved from 1 liter of flow to .04 on her nasal cannula! She is slowing being weaned from her isoplette-she's moved from 33 degrees Celsius to 31.5. She needs to be at 27 or 28 degrees to move to an open crib. She has had her first bath (see pictures below) and we're making slow but steady progress with the nursing! She is 33 weeks gestatitional age today, and next week they will start working with her on bottle feeding. She will come home on both a bottle and nursing--I would have to live with her at the hospital to be able to nurse her with every feeding. We're hoping that once she is home, we can wean her from the bottle to straight nursing, but we'll see. Whatever she needs to get big and strong.....Her direct bilirubin count came back this morning and it went up from 3.5 to 3.9. The doctors have decided to watch her and do another draw in 7-10 days. They said they would probably be more worried if she was sick at all, but she's not showing any symptoms of any problems, so they'd like to just watch her rather than putting her through a bunch of tests. So, I think that's it! Like I said, not alot, which is great! God is awesome and He has been holding Mia and all of us in His hands and I thank Him for that and also I thank Him for every single person who has been praying for us! Most of you may have read my sister's blog for an update on my granpa, but please continue to pray for him. He now has to have his carotid artery cleared (roto-rootered, as we call it) when he is a little bit more recovered from his surgery--which went very well! Thank you for the prayers for him and all of us....THANK YOU! 

My sister sent Mia this Christmas hat, which my mom and I decided to put on Mia for a few pictures. It's big (she has her regular hat on underneath the Christmas hat!), but, as always, she looks cute anyway! We tried to pinch it in the back to take up some fo the slack......... I found a website that makes preemie/NICU friendly tees and hats. So, I ordered Mia a few outfits so she could be in the spirit of the season and also so we woudl have some clothes of her own to show her some day! And, she has, once again, found her thumb!! She is getting very good at that! Mia will be modeling her new outfits over the next week or so, so look for new pictures!!

When I came to see Mia on Saturday, I lifted the flap on her isolette and this is what I found. (I removed the blanket to show her position a little bit better) She had scooched all the way over so she is almost horizontal when she should be vertical! 

Last week, while I was talking to one of Mia's nurses, we realized that she had not had a bath since she was born. Now that my sound gross (since she is 7 weeks old!) but she's not really doing alot to get dirty. And she is a little off track because she was sick for so long. But, now that she's back to her feisty self, BATHTIME!! Her tub is actually a Rubbermaid container with a mesh hammock for her to lay on while we wash her. She also has a bath swaddler that helps to keep her "contained" while she gets washed. I think they use that because most babies are not big fans of the bath. But, Mia LOVED hers! She let out one little peep when the warm water first hit her head and after that she just laid there and enjoyed! When we're all done with her bath, all her things go right inside the container and it sits by her bedside! Mia's nurses decorated her tub for her..... 

"Hey, lady, what are you doing to me!?!?!?"

"I think I may actually like this....."

 

So happy!!!

"Can I just lay here for awhile, please, Mom?" 

"Taking a bath makes me tired!" "I just want to sleep!" 

After her bath, Mia got dressed in a big girl onesie--actually a preemie outfit that was too big, but still cute! With each bathing, she has the stickers that hold the tape for her nasal cannula in place changed. Her nasal cannula is changed every other day (unless she needs it changed more often) and the tape that is used to hold the cannula firmly in place is not taped to her skin, but instead to little band- aid type stickers. This way, her skin is irritated as little as possible. But, to do this, she has to have the adhesive put on her cheeks and then we have to hold her head still for five minutes for the adhesive to dry and so her head doesn't roll over and get stuck to the balnket! That's why my hand is on top of her head.....but then the cannula that is still in her nose got stuck to her cheek! The nurse assured me that it happens all the time so I wouldn't feel too terrible! She did so well, though, not a peep!!  

All cuddly, after a nice bath!

Snuggling with dad, waiting for a little something to eat!

YAH! Food, a binkie and cuddling with Dad...it doesn't get much better!

OK, so maybe it does! All snuggled back in bed with a full tummy and feeling sooooo relaxed!