Catch Up Time

I feel like I am so far behind on posting. 

First of all, I want to say “Happy Anniversary” to Kristin and Brandon.  Three Years, WOW, where has the time gone.  Seems just like yesterday I was driving to Russellville and planning a wedding. Love you guys and am so proud of you!

Friday, May 27th – My birthday.  I was off of work today.  I kept little Drew to Springfield for him to meet his baby sister for the first time.  I thought she was a big hit for a few seconds and then the rocking chair consumed his attention. 

First family photo!

So tired. I have to finish updating tomorrow.

Little Miss Drama

Ok, Miss Audrey!  You have really scared your momma and everyone else this time.  The NICU called your momma at about 1:30 early Tuesday morning.  Things had started going on with you and they wanted to alert her.  You had some residuals in a couple of feedings and then you had a couple of messy diapers that contained a lot of bloody stools.  The doctors told your momma one possibility was NEC.  As the day progressed and test results came in, that was confirmed.  NEC is a condition that affects the lining of the intestines, occurs in pretty much only preemies, and is very serious. 

Your momma and I got to the hospital at 4am and things quickly started  deteriorating.  Your vitals were all over the place and you were laboring so to breathe.  They kept telling us you were very very sick.  And then they had to put you back on the ventilator.  Even after being on the ventilator you kept alarming all day and they had to “bag” you a few times.  Scary!  You were so lifeless.  They have stopped your feeding and now you are on three different kinds of antibiotics.  When they weighed you yesterday morning, you weighed 5.10.   And they have moved you back into an isolation room, so you have your own private room again at least for a while. 

And to top things off yesterday, we were told that if your condition worsened and if your bowel were to perforate they would have to fly you to St. Louis or Little Rock as the only pediatric surgeon at the hospital left town at 2 pm yesterday.  That was the final straw that kinda put your momma over the top.  She was just totally unresponsive and numb for the rest of the day.  My heart hurt for her.

But as of 5 pm last night, the doctors were a little more hopeful.  They said you were stable and all of the test results look positive.  They will continue to take x-rays every 6 hours and monitor you very closely.  The first 48 to 72 hours are most critical!

Here a a few pictures.  You sure can tell we have taken a few steps backward, but the Lord willing, will rebound quickly from here.

You are such a little fighter and are so strong.  God has a plan for you and has been so faithful to keep his hand upon you.

One Month Old

Little Audrey,

You turned one month old yesterday, Sunday, May 22, 2011.  You momma and I left Omaha at approximately 5:40 and headed to Springfield to see you. What an evening!  But before I get to that story you need to know that you weighed 5lbs 8.1oz tonight and you were 17 inches long.  You are being fed 39ml of milk every 3 hours and you had your second bottle today.  Your momma is going to spend the night with you tonight in one of the care by parent rooms.  That way she will get to be there for your midnight, 3am and 6am feedings and I think she is a little excited.  At your 9pm feeding/touch time, you were weighed, measured, and all of your other vitals were taken and your momma held you for about an hour.  When she went to pump Nana got to hold you again and I was so happy.

Audrey, this is the machine that feeds you.  You can see the syringe of milk up on the top.

Now for the other story I eluded to.  Right before we left Omaha, I heard on the TV that there was a tornado warning in Joplin, Mo and a possible tornado on the ground.  I knew the storm was moving about 35 miles an hour and I thought it would cross highway 65 at about Highlandville, so I thought we could make it and get north of the storm if we hurried.  Well, we did.  We got to Springfield just in time.  Things were so chaotic at the hospital! Within minutes of when we arrived we learned that an EF4 Tornado had hit Joplin and destroyed about one third of the town.  It hit a major busy part of town and hit the St John’s hospital there.  That is why things were so crazy.  The staff in the NICU was working feverishly to get the babies on the outside perimeter of the unit moved to “your” row since it was centrally located and had no windows.  It was CRAZY.

Today, the day after, I have see some new reports and viewed some pictures and it is absolutely unbelievable!  There is so much damage and destruction.  My heart just breaks for those people effected.  I feel so helpless.  Dear Lord, please comfort those people tonight.

Flags!

Drew has such a fascination with flags.  Every time he sees one he gets to excited and starts saying or “screaming” ALF, ALF, over and over.  Well Kayla and Chase took him to make a closer inspection of the H U G E flag at the First Federal Bank building.  Kayla said when he say it he squealed and started clapping.

Poor thing, I feel like I have neglected him the past few weeks as far as taking pictures of him.  But it isn’t easy any longer.  He will not look at me or pose and will not be still for anything.  You just have to snap and hope you catch what you want.

Kayla has decided to try and make her baby bedding.  So I have cut the fabric and started sewing last night.  I so hope I can make her happy with this.  She has picked out beautiful fabrics and it will be darling if I can get it together right.

Four Weeks/One Month

Saturday,  May 21, one day older than four weeks, and one day shy of one month.  Today was a big day for little Audrey, and an exhausting one at that. She weighs 5lbs 4oz!  Up 3oz just from yesterday. She was taking 43ml at each feeding and today they cut that amount back to 39ml because she was gaining so much so fast. She is still on just a little bit of oxygen though.

Kayla took her own little outfit for her to wear today and she was such a doll. 

Today was big in two other ways too!  Her first bottle feeding and a new bed!  I had no idea giving a preemie a bottle was so scary, so complicated, so detailed, etc.  Oh the things we took or take for granted every day!  Ashley, the occupational therapist, actually said she did very well, especially for the very first time.  She took 7ml by mouth and her vitals stayed on target where they needed to be.  Suck, swallow, breathe; suck, swallow, breathe.  She is only 33 weeks gestation and shouldn’t even have to know how to do any of that yet.  Go Audrey!  Nana is so proud of you!

And then she got to graduate from the incubator to a big girl bed today, a crib. However, is was a little scary, she just looks so exposed and not as confined.