February 24

It felt great to be able to spend so much time with Olivia today. I was able to hold her two different times and each for over an hour and a half. She was very awake during out kangaroo time and a little sleepier during "burrito" time. (that's what I've coined the time that we get to hold her while she is swaddled up like a burrito) Burito time was pretty exciting because even though she was a little less awake she was definitely aware of the fact that we snuck some milk onto the pacifier we were giving her. Watch the video to see her smile and smack her lips with num nums.

7 weeks tomorrow

What a great week. Olivia has done a great job in the growing and the breathing departments. She is nowing weighing in at 2 pounds 3 ounces. There is something missing from these pictures that has been in all of the others....can you guess what it is? It's her canula! Two days with out it and counting. This means that she is breathing room air (no oxygen added, just the same air as you and I breath) and with out any assistance. She has been on room air for quite some time now but has been receiving assistance w/ the pressure via the canula. The nurses decided to see what Olivia could do w/o the pressure assistance and she has done a wonderful job. Her saturation level has stayed in the high 90's (was actually at 100 while he daddy held and sang to her) so she gets to leave it off. There is always a chance she may become tired and they could put her back on it but I don't believe the doctors are expecting that because they have removed all of the machinery and tubing that the canula required.

Welcome to the Kilo Club!

Unfortunately I do not have a "picture of the day" to post from today .... but I do have some good news ... Olivia has passed yet another milestone. This evening she officially weighs more then a kilo! 1023 grams! (that's 2 pounds 4 ounces) Have a I said lately just how amazing and awesome we think she is? We can't get enough of her, that is for sure. I will be sure to take pictures tomorrow so stay tuned.

Six Weeks Old (tomorrow)

Random Pictures

The above picture is actually a picture of a Valentine's Day card that was made by one of the nurses in the NICU for Mike and I. The nurse made a special trip in to see Olivia when we weren't there and took a picture of her and then made it in to a card for us. Very sweet. This picture (above) was taken with Mike's cell phone one morning when he arrived at the hospital to find a very naked daughter. When I say naked i mean she has nothing on her face. notice there is no canula. Once a week they are going to take the canula off and see how she does until they can eventually wean her off completely. She looks pretty relaxed w/ her arms up behind her head.

This pacifier seems huge but she has a pretty good grip on it. This is a recent picture that makes it easy to see how well she is filling out. The above picture is actually an older picture. This is around the time she first started really looking around and having emotional expressions. This is an older picture that shows just how tiny she is/was at the time.

Happy Valentine's Day Olivia !

Her tummy is still her favorite way to lay. (and when she wants to change positions she'll let you know, or better yet, she'll change it herself). Shortly after this picture was taken she decided to play inch worm and scooted herself to the other side of the isolette. After the nurse put her back in her usual centered spot she proceeded to not just scoot back out of her snuggly and up towards the top of the isolette but also decided that her canula made a better pacifier. Her Auntie Lynna and I didn't even tattle on her (right away) because it was so awesome to see her moving around, doing what she wanted to do. Olivia definitely has a mind of her own. The nurse confirmed it when he said he watched her deliberately reach up and pull the canula out of her nose the day before as well. After the third time she did it yesterday he (her nurse Dave) granted her request and left it off of her. She did great with no canula and no cpap for about four hours. It is our belief that she could go even longer if her hematacrit was higher. She is on the border of needing more blood but this time they are hoping that if the don't give her a transfusion right away that her body will start to make some of it's own. Olivia is AMAZING!

Beautiful eyes ... and healthy too

Beautiful eyes ... but you'll have to take my word for it since she is not letting anyone see them today. =-) Actually, this morning she had her first eye exam and I believe she spent the rest of the day covering them up b/c they were probably sore and sensative to the light (she got drops to dilate them). The good news is that the specialist said that he thought her eyes looked healthy enough that instead of having to put her through this every week he thinks she will only need an exam every two weeks. This is awesome news ... especially since statistically speaking babies born as early as Olivia will tend to have issues with their eyes. (thus the weekly exams) Mike was able to sit bedside for the whole exam. The doctor wore a camera on his forhead that was connected to a computer next to him so everything he saw was displayed for Mike to see. I'm very happy that he was able to be there for her during everything. She loves her Dad!!!

What a difference a few grams make.

Wow...what a difference a few grams make. Hasn't she started to fill out? Milk feeds have increased considerably (which i am glad to see since i'm working hard to provide). If all goes well we'd like to see her getting all of her nutrition via milk by next week. Right now she is still supplementing with what they call TPN (via IV). I believe the day I took this video she was at 881 grams (Friday 8th of Feb.) That is 21 grams heavier then her birth weight of 860 grams.

A relaxing lunch

Napping while eating...can it get any better? We have to wait until after our lunch to hit the couch. The white tube goes all the way to her stomach so she is actually getting her lunch while resting.

Thursday February 7

Tomorrow I must go to the hospital. Must. Dave was Olivia's nurse again today. Mike spoke to him earlier in the day and it sounded like a good morning. She is still on canula and doing well. Tonight the nurse is Courtney. I don't remember ever meeting her before. When Mike spoke to her tonight it sounded like everything was still going well. Two episodes where Olivia desatted but she believes it was due to positioning b/c her chin was low. Otherwise the feeds are going well (there was a 1ml asparit but looked partially digested) and her weight is at 846 grams. I'll call Courtney in a little while to get to know her and to find out the little details like how Olivia's sleeping and how she liked or disliked her assessments. =-)

Wednesday February 6,2008

Happy One Month Birthday to Olivia! Is a month 4 weeks or is it from the 6th of one month the 6th of another? Guess it depends on if you ask Mike or myself. Not seeing our baby is really taking its toll. We both know that is for the best that we stay on the side of caution but it is really, really tough not being able to see her, speak to her and give her our love in person. Dave was the daytime nurse. Not only do Mike and I feel comfortable when she is in his care but I believe Olivia herself responds well to him. (same goes for Rene) They are great at giving her boundries. Hee hee that sounds funny but what I really mean by that is.... they make sure that she is swaddled well....light pressure all the way around in her snuggly. Babies her age find comfort in the "confinement" of being wrapped up or snuggled. Dave's report is that Olivia had a great day. One apnea that she brought herself out of. Swapping off of cpap and canula. Recieved blood. Did well sleeping on her back. Feedings back to 2 hours on 2 hours off w/ the equivalent of (I believe he said) 2cc's. She seemed to tolerate it well but would have to stop while getting blood. Sarah is her evening nurse and will have her until 6:30am Thursday morning. At 10:00pm when I spoke with Sarah she said that Olivia had been having a great night. Her stats were all normal. MAP was 50 but looked to have been most of the day. Sarah is going to work w/ the respitory group and the doctor to keep Olivia on the canula. She shares our thoughts on the cpap vs canula. Olivia's weight this evening is 833 grams. I believe she was at 777 a few nights ago while on canula so that is a significant increase. I thought perhaps it was just due to getting the blood today but her urine output was 4.4 which is considerable and Sarah said could almost be considered negating the increase from the blood. Feeds resumed at 8:00pm and with a small increase. I apologize for how factual these posts have gotten... I am just so pooped when I sit down to write that I want to make sure I remember everything. =-)

Tuesday February 5, 2008

Sarah was the nurse last night and it sounds like a good night. One A&B that Olivia resolved on her own and lots of rest. Renee took care of Olivia this morning (i'm glad to hear). The update was short. She is doing well and starting back on very small feeds. Not bad, I'll take it. This evening (9:30pm) Mike called and spoke with Mary. Another short update. Olivia has been having a good day. They have put her back on CPAP but will switch it out every 8 hours w/ the canula. So at midnight she will be back on canula until 8am. 8-4-12 are the times she will switch. With the CPAP she weighed in at 819 grams. That is up from the 777 grams that she was when weighed w/ canula last night. Today was tough b/c Mike and I couldn't go up and see her. The good news is that Mike went to the doctor and he tested negative for the flu. Whew. Not that it makes him feel any better but somehow knowing it's not the flu makes me feel better. I know, I'm strange. Tomorrow morning they will do the usual bloodwork but will add a test for hematacrit. It was 31 a few days ago and they are checking to see if she needs more blood. Hopefully they'll let her go a little bit to see if she can make some blood on her own now that she is a little older. Low Hematacrit by itself isn't always reason enough to get blood, it is usually in combination w/ an increase in apnea episodes.... and it sounds like she has been good in that department.