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!

This is the little shirt that my mom made Mia......... and the matching blanket........ she's very happy now that I quit messing with her!

Sorry...

that there are no new, or old, pictures tonight. I'm going to try and take a picture of Mia's new digs because she stepped down!!! It's exciting! This means that Mia is now in the step down nursery of the NICU. This is the nursery on the other side of the nurse's station where the babies go once they are no longer on a vent or any IV's and are on full feedings. Also, the other room that Mia was in was getting VERY full and Mia was the healthiest of all the babies, so she got to step down. I realized today, and this may sound weird, that Mia will be actually coming home. Not like I doubted her coming home, but her home for over 6 weeks has been bed 3 in room 1 of the NICU. Now it's room 2, and while she's still in the NICU, it's just weird to see her in a different setting. She was always in exactly the same spot in room 1, and I guess it's just different and I think I'm rambling....sorry! Mia has not gained any weight since Saturday. She is now on 15 cc every 3 hours and the doctor said that he is not surprised that she is not gaining because she is probably not getting all the calories she needs to grow (she gets just enough tosupport her where she is now), but that they are holding her back a bit because she is not tolerating her feedings that well, again. She's still having some pretty big aspirates. He said that they will discuss possibly doing some tests to see if she has developed a stricture of her intestines where her NEC may have left scar tissue. But, he wanted to see how she did today on her own.... I failed to mention this before, but please pray for my grandpa, Harry Breckley. He is in Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. Tomorrow, he will be having (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) a double heart bypass and a heart valve replacement. He's 84 now, and I know that if the Lord is ready to take him, then grandpa will be ready to go. I just pray that we, as his family, will have the strength to travel the road that the Lord has planned out for us with love and grace.

Aww, Nicki-Poo-Poo

I had forgotten about this picture of my nephew, Nicholas. We're so proud... :-) But, really, we are. He is a very bright young man who is working hard, both at work and at school. I just like to embarrass him whenever I can because he loves to point out my grammatical errors....I love you, Bubba! Mia is doing well. She has had her feedings increased to every 3 hours, hopefully to give her some extra time to digest her food. She will now start having the amount increased to 21 cc, so she can still equal 7cc per hour. The doctor decided to check her bilirubin in a week, as long as she isn't having any other problems. He feels that the high level of direct bilirubin is due, mostly, to the TPN (the supplemental nutrition) she received for most of her life. He said that the TPN may just need a chance to completely clear her system and allow the bilirubin levels to come down. We were able to kangaroo for about 2 and a half hours. We also started nuzzling today. It was VERY exciting! Nuzzling is the first step in getting Mia to start nursing...and I'll just leave it at that! :-) I cried, of course, because it was so nice to feel like I did with Annemarie--just like a regular mom! No weight gain today, but no loss either! Thank you for your prayers, as always! Aubrey is being weaned off her ventilator after a VERY scary night last night. She is doing OK now, but I could tell that Melissa was very unnerved by everything! Please continue to pray for her, Corey and Aubrey....and for our little Mia--they are both gifts from God!

If it's going to be weird...

then it's going to happen to Mia! But first...the past two days have been relatively uneventful in Miss Mia's life. Scott and I went to Madison Saturday while Annemarie spent the day with her friend Bailey. We spent a few hours at the hospital and Scott and Mia kangarooed. She did great with very little aspirates or spells. Her weight Saturday was 2 lbs. 10 oz. Today, I went down and was able to kangaroo with Mia for 2 and a half hours. She had a little spit-up (reflux is very common in preemies), but otherwise did great! She's up to 2 lbs., 11 oz! She was even wearing a little onesie (which looked HUGE on her) and just looked great! WELL, tonight the doctor called....nothing bad, just something that they're just not sure about....Without grossing everyone out, Mia's nurse, MaryAnn, was concerned about the color of Mia's poop. They investigate and weigh each of her diapers becasue they can tell alot by the look, amount, consistency, etc. of her diaper contents. Well, they decided to test Mia's bilirubin and her level is high. Now, this is her direct bilirubin, not indirect bilirubin level, which is treated by phototherapy [UV lights] and is a symptom of jaundice. So, of course they don't see this very often at all and are not quite sure what they are going to do about it. The resident will consult with the attending and then let us know. The resident that called, though, made it very clear that it is not anything to be too concerned with right now, because Mia is very stable-tolerating her feedings very well, gaining weight, not spelling too much, etc.... She said that the high level may be a latent reaction to the Fluconazole that Mia was on for 4 wekks because of her fungal infection. It MAY also be a sign of some liver damage, but they're not sure. So, please pray that this will be just a slight hiccup...Please also pray for Mia's little nursery-mate, Aubrey, and her parents Melissa and Corey. We've had a chance to talk with them and we know that they are quite nervous about Aubrey's recovery from heart surgery (she had the hole in her heart closed Friday) and have asked that we pray from them all. They are very sweet and they said that they are just trying hard to leave it up to the Lord--I know they would appreciate the prayer. Thank you to everyone who continues to remember us in prayer--I still can't get over how wonderful it FEELS to know that so many are holding us up to God--He's awesome and I praise Him for all the blessings He's given us!

Thanksgiving in Wisconsin

I actually forgot about taking any pictures at Uncle Scott and Aunt Liz's house until we'd made dinner, eaten, cleaned up most everything and busted out the dessert! But, I'm glad I had my camera for this!! My dad made himself a wonderful dessert of warm blackberry pie with ice cream on the side. I believe (and please correct me if I'm wrong) he was getting a fork when his yummy pie and ice cream slid off of his plate and into the utensil drawer! The picture above shows dad, Greg and Eric attempting to clean up the mess. This is what was left in the drawer after dad (in cleaning up the mess) scooped most everything back onto his plate to eat...... and then tried to eat the few berries that were left out of the utensil tray itself!! It was nice to laugh so hard that I cried!! I love you, Dad! 

The (day after) Thanksgiving Day Update!

Well, it doesn't seem like a whole lot has happened since Tuesday, but then when I thought about what to blog, I guess alot has happened....Mia was put on a nasal cannula Wednesday morning and has stayed on it! She fluctuates between 21 and 28% oxygen and gets a little pressure every once in a while. She is having spells because she is having to work harder to breathe. But, the thing I have to keep reminding myself is that, as far as her body is concerned, she isn't even supposed to be breathing right now!! So, spells every once in awhile are expected! She is at her goal feeding-14 cc every 2 hours. She has had some large aspirates. Sometimes they waste it and give her a fresh feeding and sometimes they give it back to her to see what she does. It all depends on how her oxygen saturation is, what position she was laying in, etc... They have also started adding vitamin fortifier to the breast milk. This gives her iron, vitamins and extra calories. Her goal caloric intake per feeding is 24 calories. Right now she is at 23. Yesterday, she was at 21, so they're moving her along pretty quickly. I have a feeling it's becasue she is a little behind the curve for where they'd like to see her. She didn't feed for 10 days because of the NEC and so her weight(back to 2 lbs., 9 oz. today after 2 lbs., 10 oz. yesterday) is low (I think); not low enough that anyone is worried, but she will be 32 weeks (her gestational age) next Tuesday. Sometimes, kids her age are already learning to use a bottle or to nurse by now. Now, for those of you that know me, hold off on the comments--I'm not worried that she's behind or freaking out that she's not where she "should be". SHE'S FINE! She's where she needs to be right now. ANYWAY! She has also had the heat/humidity changed in her isolette. The isolette used to heat up and cool down as Mia needed. Now, it stays at one tempertature and Mia has to work to keep her temperature regulated. Now, it is still quite warm in her isolette, but this is the beginning of trying to get her into an open crib!

 

Thanksgiving at the hospital......

Annemarie is getting very comfortable with her sister, which is good. She is very good at settling Mia when she gets fussy in her isolette. And Mia definitely responds to her sister when Annie talks to her. Annemarie was able to hold Mia again. This time was easier because Mia was only on a nasal cannula and her PICC line (her IV) is gone--two less things that we have to mess with when we take her out! Annemarie was VERY excited that her sister was holding her finger... 

Mia slept for a little while when Annie was holding her. She was very happy that her big sister was holding and rocking her..... and then she woke up!! We tried really hard to get a good picture. The picture looked in focus more than it is on my camera, but, this isn't too bad. Her eyes stay open for little spurts, but if it's bright, she closes them pretty quickly. Apparently, the worried expression is genetic...from Granma Breckley to Mom to me to Mia...if I believed in reincarnation, I would think that Mia is my Granma Breckley. She looks SOO much like her, it's weird. I can just hear my Granma saying, "She's a pretty one." 

A really good day....

Mia has had a really good day. I was able to hold her for 2 and a half hours! She then had a GINORMOUS poop! YAH!! (The things we get excited about!) But, that means that her bowels are working well, which is especially important after her NEC. She is up to 8cc of breast milk every 2 hours and as of an hour ago, was tolerating them very well! She's not had any spells, either. She's still on CPAP, but she'll hopefully be able to be weaned off that once her feedings are stable (they will hold her at 14 cc). We feel so blessed and thank you so much for all your love and prayers (AGAIN!). Please continue to pray for the other babies and their families. There were 2 new admits today and I could tell that one was quite sick....

Last one...

And just look at that kisser! I cannot WAIT to kiss those little lips! Even with all the wires and tubes she's the cutest! She's really filling in her skin, too! I forgot to write it earlier, but she's now 2 lbs, 8 oz!!