Growing, growing, gone!

I am so very proud to announce Nora has outgrown her first outfit! Now to many parents this many not seem like much of a milestone, as kids tend to outgrown things faster than we go through toilet paper, but let me assure you, to the parents of a preemie outgrowing something is a HUGE milestone! With "preemie" sized clothing practically falling off her tiny body just a couple weeks ago, getting to pack away a tiny outfit because it doesn't fit is very exciting!

We went to our first check up on Tuesday, and I am happy to report everything is good! She gained 80 grams-slightly less then the docs would hope, however we have another check up next week. Hopefully, she makes up for the lack of weight gain between now and then. Considering the amount she is eating, I will be surprised if she doesn't gain a bunch :)

Phil and I are still slowly adjusting-do you ever get used to this schedule? We, of course, struggle with the lack of sleep, but we are finally figuring out how to get all the "must do" chores done in between feeding the Hungry Monster. All in all life at home is even better than we had hoped.

and a baby makes three!

Nora is finally home! We got all packed up and out of the hospital yesterday afternoon. I can't even describe how much of a relief it was to get out of the hospital. Now we are just trying to adjust to a whole new schedule and setting.

Hugs to all! thank you so much for all your thoughts, prayer, cards, and well wishes! We made it out of the hospital, now Phil and I just have to survive the next 25+ years! :)

In the hospital again!

Yes, I am in the hospital again, but not sick this time. Last Thursday I started "boarding" at the hospital in preparation for Nora's homecoming. The doctors, at that time, expected her to be home by Sunday. Well, here it is Tuesday and both of us are still here!

Nora has gained sufficient weight (she is up to 2000 grams/4 lbs 6oz), so now we are just waiting for her to complete her 5 day incident free watch. If she is able to go incident free for 5 full days, she gets to come home!

Phil and I are holding up pretty well. We are slowly adjusting to the limited sleep that new parents get. Phil has been at home on his own since I moved into the hospital, and we are anxiously awaiting when the whole family will be together. He is incredibly busy at work, so he has plenty to keep his mind busy from worrying.

I am doing much better now that Nora and I are at least in the same building. I now have a place to rest inbetween her feedings and am able to nurse for all or almost all her feedings each day. Cutting out the commute from home has made life much less stressful. I can't imagine how much easier things will be when we get to sleep in the same room!

Up 1 pound!

As of today, Nora is 3lbs 10oz-exactly 1 pound more than when she was born. It took 3 and 1/2 weeks to gain it, but she did it! And it looks like lots more weight is on the way. The doctors are slowly weaning her off the oxygen, and she is currently maintaining her own body temp. We started breastfeeding last week and are up to 2 times a day. As she gets stronger they will increase the number of times I feed her. The rest of her feeds are still through a tube. As Nora and I become more confident and better at breastfeeding the doctors will introduce a bottle for the times that I can't be there.

Phil and I are hanging on...As we get to participate in her care more, we get less and less time to sleep, eat, and get things done around the house. However, from what I hear running on little sleep is pretty normal for new parents. Each time there is a new development with Nora, it means a schedule change for us-surprisingly we have adapted pretty well! But now matter how well we adapt, we simply can't wait for the day when feeding her means a trip to her crib, not a trip to the hospital.

Full Feeds!

Our little girl has finally graduated to FULL FEEDS! What that means is she is now being fed only breastmilk (32cc's) and will be off IV nutrition tonight. They are letting her last bag of "gatorade" run out before taking her off it. This news is especially exciting because it means we are one step closer to breastfeeding and that is one step closer to coming home.

Also, her doctors yesterday were toying with the idea of moving her to intermediate care! Another step toward coming home! They decided to keep her in the NICU for a little longer because she is still so small. Currently, she is weighing in at 3lbs 5.5oz.

We did have one minor setback. She is back on a tiny bit of oxygen. Debbie, her nurse today, said she was struggling just a little too much, and the doctors wanted to give her a little break. Phil and I are very happy with this because the past couple days it has been rough watching her breath so rapidly and have so much difficulty keeping her oxygen levels up.

All in all it is good news. We still have a long road ahead of us, but every step toward her coming home gives us a little more hope that the road is getting shorter.

More advancements in Noraville

Last night we found out our little girl figured out how to roll over! The nurses like to keep her on her belly to help her digestion and breathing, but little Nora did not want any of that! She stretched out her little legs and rolled herself over onto her back.

Also, she is up to 15cc's on her feeds (up from 9), and seems to be tolerating them well. Hopefully, that means she is learning the whole digestion process.

We do have one step backward though. She seems to be breathing pretty rapidly-still no outside help-but the doctors are worried about infection again. So, later today they will do some more tests to rule out anything scary. We should know for sure results within 72 hours.

Phil and I are hanging in there...tired, of course, but this week we have Ter here helping us. Thank goodness!!!

UP UP UP!!!

Wonderful news! Nora is up to 3lbs as of today! She is still having some digestive issues-learning slowly but surely how to proccess food for herself. She is breathing with NO assistance, and keeping her oxygen levels up.

I am recovering well and will be going to the doctor tomorrow for a check up. I can't believe it has been almost 2 weeks since she was born!

Phil went back to work today, so we are all getting back to normal!