Are you sitting down?

What a great night!!!
We showed up for Lillie's 8:30 and the nurse had already fed her. The previous nurse forgot to tell the night nurse that we were going to be there. We are ALWAYS there for the 8:30. Even though we missed her dinner we got to rock, change, weigh and dress her. That is were the big news comes in. She weighed 1565 grams!!!! Translation: OVER 3 POUNDS 7 OUNCES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The nurse the night before missed calculated her weight. She was actually at 3 pounds 5 ounces last night. She gained almost 2 ounces in one day! They said they doubled up on her weight supplements too! At this rate she will be home before or around her due date. Oh, I just can't get over it! I am actually nervous now because she will be coming home soon. YAY!!!!
We also got to put her in some clothes from home. I washed a premie outfit her Nanna bought her in hot water. It fits pretty well. She looked so sweet. We also noticed tonight that her hair is coming in kinda strawberry blonde like her mother. Maybe even some curls? Not sure were those came from. She just loved her bath and all of the attention. Auntie Lo came to see her and Lillie put on a show. She wanted her Auntie to see how cute she can be. She wiggled around and enjoyed being out and bathed. What a sweet baby!
Just keeps getting better and better. I know it is too much to ask for her to gain 2 ounces a day, but....
can't wait for tomorrow.
Notice in the pics with me and Lillie she just stares at me. I love it!

Lillie Update...

Saw Dr. Reddy last night. He didn't have much news for us. I guess we should be greatful. He said that he will not be doing anymore tests, just need her to gain weight. Basically, what we alread knew. She ate like a champ last night, had her bath, was weighed and measured. She grew 1/2 inch. That is impressive. She finished her bottle in no time at all. After all the excitement, she feel asleep while poppy read her a story. We have got the rutine down. I wonder if we can keep it up when she gets home. She did gain weight yesterday. Another 20 grams. That is over 1/2 an ounce! (I think.) She is now 1515 grams or 3 pounds 3 oz. Still a long ways to go. We do have her crib up, still have lots to do before she comes home.

BREAKING NEWS!!!

We went to see Lillie tonight and she had moved. She is no longer in the NICU. She is now in the intermediate care unit!!!! That is a big step up! They actually have the lights on, music playing, you can talk in a regular voice, and the babies wear clothes!!! The nurse had me pick out an outfit for her to wear after her 11:30 bath. She also lost her belly button IV. The nurse is also going to take out her feeding tube tonight. That thing should of been gone a long time agoa, she doesn't need it and never did! They moved her up to 25cc's but she ate 30cc's. The nurse also talked about giving her an additive to the breast milk that will help her gain weight. All good news! She won't be weighed until 11:30 tonight but I have a feeling she has gained weight.

We just had a great evening. I held her and feed her. She took her 30cc's in less than 5 minutes. Then Chris did his kangarooing and read "Guess how much I love you." She snoozed most of the time. Draven and I looked at his Star Wars books and we chatted with the nurse. We also found out her nurse is a relative of my step fathers. She was very sweet! All is well here. Tomorrow I will have updates on weight gain. She is just so healthy and we are very happy. Just one step closer to getting her home.


She is growing in to Kate's It's a Girl! hat.

Draven trying to be quiet.

Roo Time.

Her first outfit. The hospital suggests wearing their clothes because they get lost.

Story time with Poppy.

Lillie almost cordless.

She was stretching in Poppy's hands. He doesn't like this picture, I think it is cute.

Lillie Update...

Poppy reads Lillie a book.


Lillie without her goggles and velcro!!!

Poppy showing how big his hand is compared to her.

Big brother Draven is finally better and got to hold her.

Draven and Lillie

Mom, Draven and Lillie

Bug eyed Lillie ready to eat.

Lillie with her Aunt Jenn.

Extreme Home Makeover - Incubator edition.

Mom and Poppy with Lillie.

Mom and Lillie

Last night was hard, today was much better. We went for our 8:30 feeding last night and we just didn't want to leave. I made it to the waiting room and broke down. I didn't want to go without her. I don't know if it will get easier or harder as time passes. The thought of her being in the hospital for another month just breaks my heart. It is such a slow process, but necessary. Today we went up for our 2:30 and got our daily updates. She gained 5 grams and was up to 19cc's of milk. She was so tired during the feeding and never woke up. We got her feeding down in about 12 minutes. That is about 11 minutes slower than her normal feeding. We would like to see her awake, but we know sleep is what she needs. Tonight at her 8:30 feeding they had already bathed and weighed her. She had a pretty full diaper right before her weighing, she lost 3 grams. That was a downer, but the nurse thinks that it was all in the timing. I asked her if she will increase her weight at a faster rate as they increase her milk intake, she said yes. She also said that in a week she wouldn't be surprised if she was gaining 1/2 ounce a day. Yes, an ounce not a gram!!! Still at that rate it would take her 1 month to get over 4 pounds. I can't wait that long. They increased her feeding to 21cc's at the 8:30. She was wide eyed and anxious to eat. She took all of it in less than 5 minutes. Draven held her for a little while and she fell asleep. Chris kangarooed the rest of the evening and read her Runaway Bunny. She slept through it all. When Chris was finished she felt warm. We both are thinking she is starting to regulate her own temperature. That is encouraging. I am thinking about driving against doctors orders. I hate relying on others. Tomorrow I will try to make it to the 11:30 then return for the 8:30 as a family. I know her doctor will be there during the day and I want to get his input on her growth and how long before she comes home. That is a question that no one can answer, but I still have to ask.

Oh, I almost forgot the big news. The got her off her billy light (for jaundice) so she no longer has to wear her goggles and Velcro. That also means we can keep her out a little longer. Chris had her out for over an hour kangarooing today!

Lillie Update...

Feeding through the incubator. We also do the diaper changes and take her temp through the holes on the side.

Getting ready to eat, but still sleepy.

Back to snoozing.

Chris Kangarooing after work last night.

All nestled in Poppy's chest hair.

Last night we came home. It was hard, but better than expected. They made me take a wheel chair down to the car. We loaded it up then I got out of the chair and went back upstairs. Other women were going home with their babies in the car seat. I was dismissed with "no babies" according to my paper work. I cried so much. Even the lady who wheeled me down was pregnant. Chris said "I bet your baby won't be 3 pounds." We were both bitter. We were a little early for Lillie's dinner time so we went in the parent room in the NICU. I pumped and we just talked. I have discovered that is the best way to deal with all of this. Once you talk about it, it doesn't seem so bad. We ran into Lillie's doctor in the NICU and got to ask him a bunch of questions. It is so nice to hear all of the updates straight from her doctor instead of a nurse. Don't get me wrong, we love and trust the nurses. He looked at the brain scan and didn't see anything to worry about. I asked him what other test do we have left, he replied "there are none." Now we just wait for her to gain weight. He said that she is doing everything she should do for her age and is very healthy. He also said that he doesn't expect her to loose weight. He thinks that if she was going to loose any she would of already done so. Today he increased her feedings. She started out at 7cc's and is now at 15cc's. She is digesting everything and keeping up her appetite. Now that we are all home we have to figure out a schedule. I want to be there for all of her feedings, but I don't want to be there 24 hours a day. I got to the hospital at around 3pm today. She was asleep so Draven and I hung out in the waiting room. I went back in for her 5:30. She woke up and saw me and looked at me like "where have you been?" I felt guilty. I checked her temperature and it was up. I panicked but the nurse reassured me that it was ok. They took of her body temps yesterday, they regulated the temperature of the incubator. Now the incubator stays at the same temp, but she is now trying to regulate her own temperature. Her body temp was increasing but the incubator temp was not decreasing. That just means that she is one step closer to coming home. After that Draven and I went to the parent room so I could pump and he could watch a movie while we waited on Chris. He showed up in time for dinner in the cafeteria then back up for her 8:30. We checked her temp and it was back to normal. She ate her 15 cc's in a big hurry then Chris got ready for his kangarooing. He wears the same flannel shirt just for rooing. Pretty sweet. Now we are back home and trying to figure out our plan for the weekend. We need to get her room ready. She is one day closer to coming home.
Oh! I almost forgot! When I got home My sweet husband had not only cleaned, vacuumed and dusted the whole house, he also had flowers in every room. I cried! It was the sweetest thing he could of done. I was able to just come home and rest. Also, we decorated Lillie's house today. We put her pink bunny, a pink "Kate blanket" and a few hats (if she will every grow into them) all in her incubator. Chris had a great idea too, we are going to take a family picture and tape it to the outside of her incubator. Maybe I will work on that tomorrow.

Kangarooing Hen.
I love this picture! Chris actually looks happy instead of worried. We are finally getting to enjoy our little girl. She had the hiccups during most of kangaroo time. She still seemed like she loved it.

Lillie after lunch...

Lillie update...

I went to go see Lillie this morning for her 8:30 feeding. The nurse had already started. Probably a good thing because she had an explosive diaper. It was so bad that the nurse had to clean out the incubator. The nurse informed me that she acts her age just like a term baby. She was so hungry that she fed her ealry. I would much rather her be fed without me than have the nurses let her cry in her sound proof booth. I can't stand to see her cry in there. Of course, she rarely cries. She ate a lot and ate it fast. Nurse talked to the doctor about increasing her food. He let her up it from 10cc's to 11cc's. If she digests everything well today they will up it to 12cc's tonight. They also are getting rid of two cords today. Thye are thermometers that keep track of her tempature. We are going to just take her temp the old fashion way. The big news is she had her brain ultrasound and according to the tech it looked great. I talked to her doctor and he said he will give us the final word tonight or in the morning. The tech said that she didn't see any need for concern. The nurse also talked to me today about discharge class. I can't believe they are already talking to us about that. It will still be weeks away, but the fact that they put us on a list for the class makes me feel like we are getting closer. I took a couple of pictures and so did the nurse of Lillie during her 11:30 feeding. Our next touch time feeding is at 8:30. After that, we go home! Draven is feeling better and looking forward to sleeping in his own bed. Chris and I can't wait to sleep in the same bed together. Got lots to do before Lillie comes home. We will have the house all ready for her when it is time. I will keep you posted if I get any new info. Thanks for all of your prayers for Draven and his stomach bug (he was so sick!) and keep them coming for Lillie. Can't wait to share her with the world. Until then, I took a little video of her after she ate. She likes to make faces and look around.
I can't get the video to upload so I will try it on a separate post.

My sweet husband...

Last night I went to fed the baby. Chris came in a few minutes later to Kangaroo. He sent me back to the room to pump and rest. Next to my bed I found a pair of diamond earrings and the sweetest card. I am so lucky. This man has been sleeping in a chair and getting very little rest. He gets up every morning, checks on the baby and heads to a long day of work. I don't know how he does it. I don't know how he can function. It is so hard to focus on anything but Lillie. I would of taken a picture of the earrings but they just sparkle too much! Maybe I will get someone to take a picture of me wearing them.

POPPY SINGS HER A SONG...

Lillie and her Daddy...

Last night Chris got in late. He brought me a bunch of gossip mags and ice cream. I have been an emotional mess, his treats perked me up! After that, we went to go spend some quality time with Lillie. Chris got to feed her, change her, bath her, take her temp and do some kangarooing. Lots of good bonding time. Since he had been gone most of the day he needed to catch up. This morning we spoke with her doctor and she said that she is doing very well. Nothing to worry about, just waiting on her to gain weigh. She is up to 3 pounds 2 ounces today. The doctor said that it is normal for her to be at her birth weight in 2 weeks, then start to put on real weight. Now that she is in the incubator she should start putting the weight on fast. The only down side to the incubator is that they limited our touch times to twice a day. We have one at 11:30 then again at 8:30. I will be at the hospital till tomorrow evening. I want to go home, but don't want to leave Lillie. I just hope my crying stops today. I am dreading be in this tiny crappy room by myself. I miss my birthing suite.