Weight Update - Saturday

Just called to check in on Angelina. She's been doing great on her 7 ml every three hours. Her nurse Fiona gave us an update on her weight and she is now 2 lb 1.9 oz!! Yay!! She gained another 0.7 oz today!! In the last 7 days, she has gained around 6 oz.!! Wow! We are so proud! Keep growing sweetheart!! We love you!

Saturday Snuggles

Today Annie's feedings were increased from 5 ml to 7 ml every 3 hours. Daddy was excited because he was able to do the feeding. The nurse let him hold the syringe and slowly lift it up as Annie was fed. We were unable to get a picture because Mommy was busy pumping in the Mom's Express.

Annie was also able to do kangaroo care with Mommy. She did a great job and Mommy was able to hold her for an hour!! She was so comfy. Mommy felt her leaving a present in her diaper, so when we were done Mommy changed her diaper and took her temperature. She has been doing better at maintaining her temperature. After the hour of kangaroo care, it was at 98.3. :)

Our nurse today was Vicky, she took a couple of family photos. Here's some shots from today!

Andrea

Our Beautiful Baby Girl

Friday Night Update!

Annie gained some more weight. Tonight, she weighed in at 2 lb. 1.2 oz, so another ounce for our baby girl! She's loving some of that Mommy's milk!

Daddy didn't get to hold her earlier tonight because her temperature was down so we had to leave and let her relax and warm up. She's been having a little trouble keeping her temperature up, but as of tonight her temperature was doing well at 98.5. :)

She is working on growing so that they can think about increasing her feeds again and being weaned off of the CPAP. Please keep praying for Annie and all of the other little NICU babies! These little ones are so strong!

Andrea

2 Holdings a Day!

So I went a little early today so that I could hold Annie early so that when Daddy comes he can hold her too! They wrapped her up in a soft blanket, (apparently from a company they don't use anymore) and I cuddled with her. In her chart it didn't specify that she was supposed to be allowed to do kangaroo care, so they've got us holding her swaddled in a blanket. She looked at me a little and then closed her eyes and was sleeping. When she was sleeping, I started talking to her and I think she was SMILING at me (I'd like to think). Her skin around her eyes was crinkling up and her cheeks were moving up. It was so cute! After I was done, since the blanket was from the old company, our nurse Anna told me that I could take it home! I was on cloud nine, because it smelled like my sweet little girl! :)

Andrea

Tiny Red Hinny!

So today the nurse said Annie's hinny has been a little red. The NP (nurse practioner) was looking all serious and said with the most stern face, "Yes, she has blah blah blah (some word I didn't understand)" We'll have to get some cream from the pharmacy to put on there. So I'm wondering, what are they going to put on her? Why is her tiny hinny so red?

About 30 minutes later, the NICU secretary brought up, "THE CREAM!" The nurse was happy it was up there so that we could put it on after I changed her little diaper. So the nurse grabs it to put on and it turns out to be.....Boudreaux's Butt Paste, basically a diaper rash cream! So much for all of the nurse practioner's big words! I told John and we both had a good laugh about how serious it was that she needed some Boudreaux's Butt Paste. :)

Andrea

Over 2 Pounds

Before we went to sleep, we had our nightly check-in with the nurse. The great news is she has gained another 1.5 oz to weigh 2 lb 0.1 oz. So in the past 3 days, she has gained 3.2 oz! We are so proud of her. Since she's had her milk increased, we're hoping we see this continued pace. Here's a pic from last night.

Annie Update

Since Annie is 10 days old today, she was scheduled for an ultrasound on her brain to check for any brain bleeds. There is anywhere from Grade 1 bleeding to Grade 4, with Grade 4 being the most severe. The test came back with a Grade 1 brain bleed, which in essence is like a bruise. Typically, Grade 1 and 2 bleeds correct themselves and Annie is scheduled for another ultrasound in 1 week to ensure that is the case. This is a normal occurence in babies born prematurely so the doctor said not to "lose any sleep over it."

We also got the okay to start to hold her twice a day instead of once, so now mommy can hold her in the morning and daddy at night. In addition, she has had her feeding increased to 5 ml every 3 hours from 3 ml. There have been no residuals left in her tummy after her feeding, so we know she is digesting all of the breastmilk. She is due to get weighed tonight at 11 pm, so we'll update that once we speak to the nurse. She also had her bili-levels checked today, and since they decreased so much, she was able to come off of the light again. Hopefully this will be the last of the blue light.

The nurses and doctors continually talk about how much progress she is making! We know that our prayers are working, so please keep praying for Annie!

Late Night

Annie had just gotten a bath when we got there last night, so it took her a while to get her temperature back up before I could hold her. We got there at 8 o'clock and I wasn't able to hold her until 10:15 p.m. I was able to hold her until they were closing up at 10:45. It was late, but there was no way I could leave without holding her. She seems to love kangaroo care as much as her Daddy and I love it. It gets her body temperature up and she always looks so relaxed and calm.

Also, Annie has gained more weight, as of last night she weighed in a 1 lb 14.5 oz. She is basically back up to her birth weight of 1 lb 14.9 oz! We had gotten there right after she ate and she even had a little belly on her! It was so nice to see her cute full belly! Well that's it. I'll be going to see her again today until Daddy can meet us.

Love,

Andrea

Annie Afternoon Update

Today I went to see Annie at the hospital, she is back under the blue light/phototherapy light again. Her bilirubin levels had increased to 6. The nurse said her color is so beautiful that she doesn't look like a six, but they are going to leave her on the light for today and then check them again tomorrow. They were at three when they took her off so doubling they wanted to put her back on again. I asked the nurse if it was normal and she said that it is normal for little babies to be on and then off and then on again. Hopefully she won't have to keep staying on it for days and days, as she gets a little fussy when she has to wear those bilishades on her eyes and can't look around when she hears Mommy and Daddy's voices.

On positive note, they increased her feeds this morning and decreased her lipids and TPN (those are other additional nutrition that they put her on via her PICC line, it adds extra vitamins, proteins, fats, etc. since she is not getting all of her nutrition from my milk). Annie was increased from 1.5 mL that they started her on Sunday night/Monday morning, I believe, to 3.0 mL today. YAY!! They are feeding our little bunny!

She is also still on the Nasal CPAP at 10 peeps, we don't know when she will be started to get decreased on that. We are taking it day by day.

She was getting a little upset when the nurse was changing her diaper and taking her temperature and changing her position so she let me hold her head and bottom in my hands and scoot her up on her bed. When I was holding her in my hands and talking to her, she was gazing up at me and just seemed so content.

Mommy will be holding her tonight! We decided that we love doing the kangaroo care as a family since she is only able to be held once a day. It is so nice to be there as a family and to hold her and cuddle with her. Even when it's not our day, it is such a blessing be there together and know that our Annie is feeling that cuddle from her mommy or daddy! It's a special priviledge that they hold for Mommies and Daddies (sorry Nana & Gramary!) so we want to share it as a family.

Please keep praying for Annie. She is doing well, but it is going to be a long road home for her.

Thanks for all of the love, support, well wishes, gifts, etc.

Love,
Andrea

More Cuddling Time with Daddy!

Annie had her daily weighing before we left, since yesterday she has gained 0.9 oz. She now weighs 1 lb. 13.8 oz! Grow baby grow!!

She also was able to do Kangaroo Care with Daddy again! She loved it. She was so relaxed and happy and is such a daddy's girl. Here are some pictures of Annie cuddling with her Daddy!

Dirty Dirty Diaper!

Well today, Mommy tried for the first time to change my diaper while I was in the isolette. It was about 2 o'clock and our nurse Molly told mommy that I had not pooped today yet. Well I guess I heard them and wanted to prove them wrong! When mommy was changing me, I started pooping! So Molly told Mommy to put my diaper on so she could give me Mommy's milk and then maybe I could finish. Well, finish I did! Because I made a big mess! I got all cleaned up and I was happy again. Here are some pictures of my mommy changing my diaper!

Love,

Annie

Happy 1 Week Birthday, Annie!

Annie's one week birthday is today. So much has happened in the past 7 days to make us proud parents. In one week, she's:

1.) Moved from a tube in her lungs to the CPAP that regulates her lung pressure

2.) Started to feed on mommy's breastmilk

3.) Taken off the phototherapy when her bilirubin levels dropped

4.) Gained 0.5 oz in the past two days

5.) Moved from a radiant warmer to an isolette

6.) Maintains her own body temperature

7.) Had 3 Kangaroo care sessions with Mommy and Daddy

8.) Her PDA valve has closed on its own

It's been an amazing week for Annie!! She has done such a great job and had such amazing progress in one short week. Thanks for all of your prayers throughout this journey so far. Please keep praying for Annie during the next week and throughout her NICU stay.

We know that God is guiding our sweet little miracle through her journey.

"All things are possible to him who believes."

Please enjoy the pictures of our sweet little girl on her one week birthday! Her nurse, Jessica, gave her a pretty pink hat to wear that a lady makes for all of the special babies in the NICU. Doesn't she look lovely? Also, Annie weighed in at 1 lb 12.9 ounces tonight. Slowly but surely!

Moving on UP!

Annie moved into her isolette today. She was sound asleep when I saw her earlier today. She seemed very relaxed. I will get to hold her again tonight when I go back. Here are some pictures of her in her new isolette!

No more blue light!

I called this morning and the nurses said her bilirubin levels had dropped so Annie is no longer going to be on the phototherapy light.

Did great with feeding

Annie did great with the feeding. She took the breast milk and did really well and was able to get fed at 5 and then again at 8. Chris is her nurse again tonight. He let us know she is doing a great job. He weighed her again tonight, last night she weighed 1 lb 12.3 oz and now she is up to 1 lb 12.7 oz tonight. We are so proud of her.

Love,
John & Andrea

Please feed our little bunny!

Well, they had the follow-up scan on my heart to check to see if the PDA valve had closed up completely. Mommy and Daddy were there to hold my hand while the ultrasound technician put some jelly on me to scan my heart. I didn't like it at all. That jelly was COLD. Mommy said that I was her little Angelina and Jelly sandwich. Isn't she silly? Well good news is that they called us at 4 o'clock today to tell us it had closed up completely on it's own. So, tonight at 5 o'clock, they are going to start me on my first feed of Mommy's milk! They are going to feed me 1.5 cc's every 3 hours to see how my stomach handles it. They already had it all ready to defrost yesterday in preparation of my feeding.

Please pray that I am able to take this next step so that I can become a "feed and grow" little baby. :)

Thanks for all of your love, support and prayers!

Love,
Annie

Cuddlin' with my Daddy

Daddy Time with Annie

Today I got to cuddle and do kangaroo care with my daddy. I liked to listen to his heart and I was wide awake when he started to cuddle with me. Daddy was so happy to hold me.



He did everything he could to make sure I was comfortable. My little behind fit perfectly in his hand and I loved tucking my hand under his shirt and touching him. Mommy thinks it was wonderful, it was like I was trying to touch my Daddy's heart.



I have my Daddy wrapped around my tiny little finger already. He was giving me kisses and cuddles and I finally stopped looking around and relaxed and took a nap.





I love my daddy. Our nurse today, Agnes, also even let Daddy stand up and put me back into my crib. I was so snug and comfortable after cuddling with Daddy. He kept me so warm that when Mommy took my temperature, they found that I was able to keep it up all by myself.

I hope you enjoy the pictures with my daddy.

Love,
Annie

Pics of Annie

SOOOO Comfy!

Mommy Moments - Our First Cuddle

Tonight, I finally got to hold Angelina. I got to hold her for 30 minutes in a rocking chair skin to skin. It's what they call kangaroo care. As soon as they placed her on my chest, she grabbed onto my shirt. Annie was so relaxed and calm and loved it so much! She was so peaceful and fell asleep on me almost immediately. It was the absolute best feeling in the world.
I was so happy to be able to hold her for the first time. They are going to allow us to hold her once a day so Mommy and Daddy are going to have to split up time for right now. Daddy is going to get to hold her tomorrow, so make sure to stay tuned for that.

After the 30 minutes were up, I told the nurses I felt like a person when they meet celebrities and that I was NEVER going to take a bath again! The nurses all laughed.

It was such a blessing to be able to hold my sweet baby for the first time and know that she responded positively and was extremely happy. I cannot imagine a better feeling in the whole world.

Andrea

More Firsts

Tonight, the nurses said that they are going to finally give me a bath and also weigh me for the first time since I was born on Monday, February 16th! They told Mommy and Daddy not to worry if I have lost some weight, that happens to all babies when they are born. After that they are going to start feeding me Mommy's breast milk to fatten me up! They may even start doing that by tomorrow. They want to make sure I can tolerate Mommy's milk in my tummy! They have a feeding tube in me right now and as long as all goes well in a few weeks I might go to a bottle. Please keep praying for me as I take all of these big steps toward being able to go home.

Moving to an Isolette

The nurses said that they are already going to be moving me to an Isolette. Right now, I am in a warmer and an isolette is a big step up. They don't have any available right now, so they put me on the list. As soon as they get one, I'll be next!

Annie

Daddy's First Dirty Diaper

Mommy got to change my diaper yesterday (Friday), but unfortunately we didn't get any pictures. So this time when the nurses asked if we wanted to change my diaper, Mommy asked Daddy if he wanted to. You could tell Daddy didn't have a lot of experience changing diapers, because he didn't see what I had made for him and he got poop on my foot! Mommy saw that Daddy didn't put a new diaper under me and came to my rescue after Daddy got some more poop on my blanket. Mommy and the nurses loved giving Daddy a hard time. Mommy said she did it a whole lot faster than Daddy did, but after he was done I was happy and clean so I think he did a wonderful job. Next time, I'm telling mommy and those nurses to leave my daddy alone.

Love,
Annie

P.S. Here is a picture of Daddy changing my diaper.

PICC Line

Annie has been doing really well on her CPAP. She has been a little irritable which has caused her blood pressure to be a little elevated, but our nurse said it's nothing to worry about. They had to put a tube in her mouth because with the CPAP sometimes gas bubbles are sent to her tummy and they want to make sure she doesn't get a bunch of air in there.

Her nurse over night was named Chris. He was really nice and seemed super knowledgable. He said they were going to put in the PICC line more than likely overnight and that if she did well on it they were going to be taking the IV's out of her belly button after that. Well we called again this morning, PICC line was in and they had taken one line out and were working on the other.

I don't know how long they wait after that, but that is the criteria for John and I to be able to hold her and start kangaroo care for the first time! Kangaroo care is where we get to hold her against our bare chests. It's reserved specifically for mommies and daddies and we are so excited.

Pictures of Annie Post-Ventilator