Showing posts with label Pictures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pictures. Show all posts
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Our Family Page
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Did you know we have a family blog too? We post fun pictures, reflections, and a video or two - mostly all of Aleli.
Did you know we have a family blog too? We post fun pictures, reflections, and a video or two - mostly all of Aleli.
http://schrofam.tumblr.com/
Pictures like this one:
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Family Heritage
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In two of my classes on Friday, we were asked to discuss the topic of family. The first class, we each drew a picture of our family, a typical therapeutic exercise for children. I drew (as best I could) the Earth, with the couples of my immediate family in different parts of the world, but still connected. I also drew my grandparents sort of "below" the Earth, trying to show that they had passed away, but were still part of my family.
Then, Friday evening, I found these two pictures of my family. The first shows my Grandpa and Grandma Johne with my siblings and myself, as well as a few of my cousins (I'm the one with the red shirt). We are in Wisconsin at our family reunion spot, Camp Croix. Spending a week at Camp Croix with my extended family is one of my most beloved childhood memories. We would swim, fish, stay in cabins, have big bonfires, make dozens of pizzas for dinner, and have many little adventures together. My grandparents were so loving, would spend hours just hanging out with us, and were so clearly loved by everyone in the family. This picture really captures that feeling.
The second picture is of the same grandparents, bringing home their third child. I have not confirmed this with my mother or anyone else, but I think that in the picture is my aunt Peggy, my mom, and my uncle Peter (the baby). This picture is a glimpse of my family heritage. I think that you can see, once again, how happy my grandparents are, and what a beautiful family they have.
I know that not everyone has such wonderful memories of their family, let alone their grandparents and their extended family. Some people have never met their grandparents, or have very bad experiences with family. For others, family may be more of a burden than a blessing.
However, in my personal experience, as I reflect upon what it means to "be family" and "have a family," and I think about the significance of my family in my life, it can hardly be summed up in just a few pictures. I like that these pictures offer a sense of heritage, the value of family passed down from generation to generation. When I reflect upon my current life - married, turning 30 this year, a new dad, finishing graduate school, generally healthy and happy - I realize that so much of what I enjoy every day is a direct result of my family heritage. My grandparents worked hard and sacrificed much. But they also worked hard at instilling values in the family, and they never sacrificed faith or love. These core values were passed down to me, and as a result my understanding and experience of family is that it is one of the most profound blessings of life.
As a result, Kellye and I are working to arrange our life so that our children can have a similar experience. We are thrilled that Aleli is growing up around her grandparents. She spends at least 2 days a week with them, and sometimes much more. We hope that as she gets older, she will know her grandparents very well, and she will know their faith and love too.
I've often reflected that the amazing thing about family is that it is, in some ways, the greatest blessing possible that any one person could experience. And at the same time, it is the blessing that every person does experience, in one way or another. I'm thankful for my experience, and I'm trying to make the experience of my children something beautiful as well.
In two of my classes on Friday, we were asked to discuss the topic of family. The first class, we each drew a picture of our family, a typical therapeutic exercise for children. I drew (as best I could) the Earth, with the couples of my immediate family in different parts of the world, but still connected. I also drew my grandparents sort of "below" the Earth, trying to show that they had passed away, but were still part of my family.
In the second class, we were asked to define "family," which is actually pretty difficult when you think about it! There are many different expressions of a family, especially when considering different cultures and places in the world. We then talked about mapping our family through what is called a genogram, which is basically a simple way to use symbols to quickly portray the family history and relationships amongst members of the family.
I know that not everyone has such wonderful memories of their family, let alone their grandparents and their extended family. Some people have never met their grandparents, or have very bad experiences with family. For others, family may be more of a burden than a blessing.
However, in my personal experience, as I reflect upon what it means to "be family" and "have a family," and I think about the significance of my family in my life, it can hardly be summed up in just a few pictures. I like that these pictures offer a sense of heritage, the value of family passed down from generation to generation. When I reflect upon my current life - married, turning 30 this year, a new dad, finishing graduate school, generally healthy and happy - I realize that so much of what I enjoy every day is a direct result of my family heritage. My grandparents worked hard and sacrificed much. But they also worked hard at instilling values in the family, and they never sacrificed faith or love. These core values were passed down to me, and as a result my understanding and experience of family is that it is one of the most profound blessings of life.
As a result, Kellye and I are working to arrange our life so that our children can have a similar experience. We are thrilled that Aleli is growing up around her grandparents. She spends at least 2 days a week with them, and sometimes much more. We hope that as she gets older, she will know her grandparents very well, and she will know their faith and love too.
I've often reflected that the amazing thing about family is that it is, in some ways, the greatest blessing possible that any one person could experience. And at the same time, it is the blessing that every person does experience, in one way or another. I'm thankful for my experience, and I'm trying to make the experience of my children something beautiful as well.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Days at Home
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Because I am in graduate school, I get to enjoy days at home with my daughter. This quarter, I will be home every Wednesday - just her and I, hanging out.
I found myself jumping from small task to small task - dishes, straightening the house, feed Aleli, help her get settled, call the bank, make more formula, check the mail, change a diaper. This sort of ongoing mini-task attack continued all day. By noon, I realized that I had not showered. Then by 3pm, I debated to myself about whether or not I really needed to shower today. Finally, but 4:30 when Kellye came home, I jumped in the shower and put on relatively clean clothes (ie, no spit up stains).
However, I also gained a deep envy for those parents who get to stay at home with their children. Aleli and I shared some special moments today such as going to the store, laughing with each other, sitting and watching the snow melt, laying on the floor "playing." I can only imagine that these experiences together will only get better as she gets older and interacts more. I absolutely love these times together, and I fear that they will go by way too quickly. And so I am doing my best to cherish and value my days as a stay at home parent, and I have the utmost envy for those folks who have the privilege of doing this every day.
These days at home have really opened my eyes to the reality of the so-called "stay at home parent." I never thought a stay at home mom/dad had it "easy." But I spent a good part of my day today reflecting on the unique role of the stay at home parent - the challenges, joys, ups and downs.
One challenge is that there is nothing really scheduled in the day. Your day just sort of follows the flow of what is happening with your child at that moment. Thankfully, today was a good day for Aleli. She wasn't too fussy and was in a pretty good eat/play/sleep routine. But I can imagine days when a child may be sick, cranky, over-tired, and just not in a good mood. When things go wrong with your child, your entire day goes wrong.
This free-flowing day is in sharp contrast with a normal work day in which there are set times for work to start, eating lunch, appointments, meetings, deadlines, etc. There is a time to do something, it gets done, and you move on. But during days at home, the question constantly runs in the back of my mind, "What should I do now? What should I do next?"
I found myself jumping from small task to small task - dishes, straightening the house, feed Aleli, help her get settled, call the bank, make more formula, check the mail, change a diaper. This sort of ongoing mini-task attack continued all day. By noon, I realized that I had not showered. Then by 3pm, I debated to myself about whether or not I really needed to shower today. Finally, but 4:30 when Kellye came home, I jumped in the shower and put on relatively clean clothes (ie, no spit up stains).
In short, I gained a new level of respect for stay at home parents today. Like I said, I always knew it was a respectable job, but I felt like today I experienced a little bit more. It wasn't my first day home with Aleli alone, and it won't be my last, but it was day in which I intentionally recognized the unique challenges of the job of being a stay at home parent.
However, I also gained a deep envy for those parents who get to stay at home with their children. Aleli and I shared some special moments today such as going to the store, laughing with each other, sitting and watching the snow melt, laying on the floor "playing." I can only imagine that these experiences together will only get better as she gets older and interacts more. I absolutely love these times together, and I fear that they will go by way too quickly. And so I am doing my best to cherish and value my days as a stay at home parent, and I have the utmost envy for those folks who have the privilege of doing this every day.
Yeah, its tough. But its certainly beautiful.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
November Pictures
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Here are a few pictures from November, including those from our walk downtown this past Saturday.
Here are a few pictures from November, including those from our walk downtown this past Saturday.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Due Date
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Today, November 11th, is Kellye's original due date to deliver Aleli. That means Aleli is officially "full term," or as we like to say, she's now zero!
It's hard to believe that Aleli has been with us for two months, and even harder to believe that Kellye could still be pregnant or in labor right now. We never expected this to be our path, but as we've come to realize, this is the "hand we've been dealt," per say, and we wouldn't want it to be any other way.
Most importantly Aleli is very healthy. At her pediatric appointment yesterday, she weighed 6 lbs 12 ozs and her doctor was impressed with her strength and growth. We are deeply grateful that she is healthy, and we know there are many reasons and possibilities for health concerns. But more than that, we know her life is in God's hands, from the day she was born and for the rest of her life.
We took the time to do some "studio" pictures today (just at JC Penny, no big deal) but here are some of the shots. It felt like an appropriate celebration that Aleli is finally zero!!
Today, November 11th, is Kellye's original due date to deliver Aleli. That means Aleli is officially "full term," or as we like to say, she's now zero!
It's hard to believe that Aleli has been with us for two months, and even harder to believe that Kellye could still be pregnant or in labor right now. We never expected this to be our path, but as we've come to realize, this is the "hand we've been dealt," per say, and we wouldn't want it to be any other way.
Most importantly Aleli is very healthy. At her pediatric appointment yesterday, she weighed 6 lbs 12 ozs and her doctor was impressed with her strength and growth. We are deeply grateful that she is healthy, and we know there are many reasons and possibilities for health concerns. But more than that, we know her life is in God's hands, from the day she was born and for the rest of her life.
We took the time to do some "studio" pictures today (just at JC Penny, no big deal) but here are some of the shots. It felt like an appropriate celebration that Aleli is finally zero!!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
First week at home
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Aleli has been home with us for over a week now, and things are going very well. The first few days we were very nervous, as I'm sure most new parents are. Even when we had the time to sleep, it was difficult to sleep because we were concerned about Aleli. However, we have been able to relax a bit more over the past few days, and now we are just really enjoying having our family at home.
Aleli has been home with us for over a week now, and things are going very well. The first few days we were very nervous, as I'm sure most new parents are. Even when we had the time to sleep, it was difficult to sleep because we were concerned about Aleli. However, we have been able to relax a bit more over the past few days, and now we are just really enjoying having our family at home.
Aleli still struggles a bit with eating, but she is getting better. She has to really focus to swallow, and so when she burps it is really confusing (the food is coming up now?!? What??!?) For about 5 days, every time we fed her she would stop breathing at least once, and we would have to wait, pat her back, and help her catch her breath. But thankfully, that is happening less and less now. Those moments can be very scary for us, as we slowly watch her color fade and her eyes get bigger, even though we know she will catch her breath eventually.
She saw her pediatrician last Wednesday, and her doctor was very impressed with her progress. She thought that Aleli looked very healthy and she said repeatedly that we were very blessed to have such a healthy preemie baby. Today, Aleli passed her second eye exam and she doesn't have to return for one year! Tomorrow a nurse will visit our house to make sure everything is going well. Hopefully, after a few more days the doctor's visits and appointments will settle down.
I have been taking some time off of my internship, and Kellye is scheduled to return to teaching the second week of December. Today we took our first walk outside as a new family - myself, Kellye, Darsi and Aleli in her stroller. It was a bit surreal, but really beautiful too.
I'm really trying to soak in these moments and not rush through them. It's easy to feel pressure to "get back to work" or "back to normal life." But then I remember that Aleli will never again be this small. We'll never have these days together again. And so I should just cherish and value the time that we can share together.
A few pics from this week:
Friday, October 21, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Leaving the NICU...
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...Coming Home.
...Coming Home.
Here are some pictures from our last couple of days in the NICU, and then of Monday afternoon coming home.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Added Pictures
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This album has some older pictures of Aleli, but I added about 15 new pictures at the end. Some are very recent, showing our new room, Aleli's new bed, and pictures from this afternoon. Enjoy!
This album has some older pictures of Aleli, but I added about 15 new pictures at the end. Some are very recent, showing our new room, Aleli's new bed, and pictures from this afternoon. Enjoy!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
One Month
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As we move forward, the reality is that at any given point, Aleli is only 5 days away from being able to go home. However, during those five days, she must eat all of her food by bottle (on her own, without her feeding tube), maintain her body temperature, and have no "spells" (heart rate drop or oxygen level decrease). Right now, Aleli eats from a bottle about every other time she feeds, and sometimes she takes the whole bottle. Other times she only takes about half. The nurses and doctors continue to say they are looking for her to do more, but Kellye and I think they don't always take into account her age and her journey.
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| 1 month! |
Today marks a full month that Aleli has been with us and in the NICU at Riverside hospital. It is still difficult for Kellye and I to comprehend that we are truly parents and that this miracle has happened much sooner and much faster than we expected. But when we step back, we see how truly blessed we are, and we continue to marvel that we really have a daughter.
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| 2 days old |
One month ago, Aleli weighed less than 3 pounds, had dry, red skin, struggled to breathe, and needed the assistance of an I.V., a breathing machine, and phototherapy. Today, she weighs over 4 pounds, needs no externals assistance to breathe, no phototherapy, no I.V., and her skin is a beautiful pink color. She has really come a long way in just a few weeks.
To celebrate her one month anniversary, Aleli decided she wanted a new kind of crib. Actually, her doctor's finally decided she was ready for a standard newborn crib. But regardless, today she will transition out of her isolette into a standard crib (I'll get pictures later this afternoon and update this blog).
As we move forward, the reality is that at any given point, Aleli is only 5 days away from being able to go home. However, during those five days, she must eat all of her food by bottle (on her own, without her feeding tube), maintain her body temperature, and have no "spells" (heart rate drop or oxygen level decrease). Right now, Aleli eats from a bottle about every other time she feeds, and sometimes she takes the whole bottle. Other times she only takes about half. The nurses and doctors continue to say they are looking for her to do more, but Kellye and I think they don't always take into account her age and her journey.
Regardless, we would ask each of you to pray that she begins to eat really well. She needs to be awake, showing signs she is ready for a bottle, and she needs to take her entire bottle during the feeding. If she begins to do this consistently, then we will really be on our way out the door!
Thank you again to everyone for your support. Your love, prayers and gifts are appreciated beyond what we can communicate through words. We know that in God's economy, he will give back to all of you in a way even more abundant than what you have given us.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Aleli is Growing!
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Aleli has now been with us for three weeks, and she is really making strides. As you can see from the pictures above, she is looking better every day. This week, she started to drink from a bottle, which makes her care time much more exciting. If she is awake and seems to show that she is interested, we give her a bottle and let her drink as much as she can until she gets too tired. Usually it is between 1/3 and 1/2 of her full amount.
She is also wearing clothes! Its fun to pick out "onesies" for her, and of course even though they are preemie size, they are still way to big. But she looks cut in flowers and in purple. The reason that she is wearing clothes now is because the nurses have progressively lowered the temperature in her isolate. Her bed is now only a few degrees warmer than normal room temperature, so she is learning to regulate her own body temperature.
At this point, many people are asking about when she might be able to come home. The nurses and doctors refrain from addressing this because, truthfully, anything could happen at any day (infections, not eating as well, etc.) However, we have picked up on a few important milestones. First, of course, is weight. A "ballpark" number is 3,500 grams, or about 7.5 pounds. Right now, Aleli is 3 pounds 6 ounces, or about 1575 grams. So clearly, she needs a few more wrinkles and layers of baby fat!
The other important factor is eating. Aleli needs to be able to take a full feeding by bottle or by nursing, consistently showing that she doesn't need a feeding tube to receive the nutrients she needs. That is why we try bottle feeding with her whenever she is ready. However, she is still only about 34 weeks gestational age, which is still very young to be eating on her own.
Therefore, we do not expect Aleli to come home before the end of October. Our impression is that the doctors and nurses in the NICU take it one day at a time, evaluating her progress and keeping her on track. For example, today a nutritionist examined her weight, deciding whether or not to increase her calorie intake. All of these numbers are closely calculated and decisions are made each day, even every hour, as to what the best care is for Aleli. When she is big enough, and eating on her own, the nurses will tell us to get ready for her to go home. At that point, it is only a few days, and things move very quickly. But for now, we just watch her grow.
Ironically, there is a lot to do when you are just watching a preemie grow! Every day at the hospital we are meeting with nurses, doctors, consultants and therapists. Each person has a certain speciality, and each person has another important area they want to discuss with Kellye and I. Meanwhile, we try to hold Aleli between 3 and 6 hours a day, skin to skin. In between holdings, we are working on bottle feeding, nursing, and of course changing her diaper and clothes as needed, just like we would with any baby.
We are so thankful for her continued growth, for the wonderful support at the hospital, and for the prayers and gifts from friends and family. We have truly been blessed these past three weeks. More than anything, we are blessed with a new little baby girl who is growing more every day!
Aleli has now been with us for three weeks, and she is really making strides. As you can see from the pictures above, she is looking better every day. This week, she started to drink from a bottle, which makes her care time much more exciting. If she is awake and seems to show that she is interested, we give her a bottle and let her drink as much as she can until she gets too tired. Usually it is between 1/3 and 1/2 of her full amount.
She is also wearing clothes! Its fun to pick out "onesies" for her, and of course even though they are preemie size, they are still way to big. But she looks cut in flowers and in purple. The reason that she is wearing clothes now is because the nurses have progressively lowered the temperature in her isolate. Her bed is now only a few degrees warmer than normal room temperature, so she is learning to regulate her own body temperature.At this point, many people are asking about when she might be able to come home. The nurses and doctors refrain from addressing this because, truthfully, anything could happen at any day (infections, not eating as well, etc.) However, we have picked up on a few important milestones. First, of course, is weight. A "ballpark" number is 3,500 grams, or about 7.5 pounds. Right now, Aleli is 3 pounds 6 ounces, or about 1575 grams. So clearly, she needs a few more wrinkles and layers of baby fat!
The other important factor is eating. Aleli needs to be able to take a full feeding by bottle or by nursing, consistently showing that she doesn't need a feeding tube to receive the nutrients she needs. That is why we try bottle feeding with her whenever she is ready. However, she is still only about 34 weeks gestational age, which is still very young to be eating on her own.
Therefore, we do not expect Aleli to come home before the end of October. Our impression is that the doctors and nurses in the NICU take it one day at a time, evaluating her progress and keeping her on track. For example, today a nutritionist examined her weight, deciding whether or not to increase her calorie intake. All of these numbers are closely calculated and decisions are made each day, even every hour, as to what the best care is for Aleli. When she is big enough, and eating on her own, the nurses will tell us to get ready for her to go home. At that point, it is only a few days, and things move very quickly. But for now, we just watch her grow.
Ironically, there is a lot to do when you are just watching a preemie grow! Every day at the hospital we are meeting with nurses, doctors, consultants and therapists. Each person has a certain speciality, and each person has another important area they want to discuss with Kellye and I. Meanwhile, we try to hold Aleli between 3 and 6 hours a day, skin to skin. In between holdings, we are working on bottle feeding, nursing, and of course changing her diaper and clothes as needed, just like we would with any baby.
We are so thankful for her continued growth, for the wonderful support at the hospital, and for the prayers and gifts from friends and family. We have truly been blessed these past three weeks. More than anything, we are blessed with a new little baby girl who is growing more every day!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Bottle Time
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Aleli has started to learn to drink from a bottle. Previously to this, she received all her food (milk plus supplement) through a feeding tube that went through her mouth into her stomach. However, she is now at 33 weeks gestational age, and at this age babies learn the "sucking" reflex. In the womb, she would be sucking on her fingers, toes, knees, or anything she could get in her mouth. In the "outside" world, she is learning to suck on a pacifier.
It's been amazing to see the change in Aleli. Last week, we would put the pacifier in her mouth, she would maybe hold it there for a few seconds, and then it would fall out. This week, she goes to town! The nurses see this as a "cue" that she is ready to try bottle feeding. So on Friday morning at 11am, Aleli tried her first bottle with her nurse. We got to the hospital just as she was finishing up, but she did really well for a first try! She took about 10 milliliters, or about a third of her normal feeding amount. I fed her at 2pm, and Kel fed her at 5pm (see the pictures below), and each time she took between 5-10mls.
Feeding through a bottle is really tough for a preemie! Aleli has to think about sucking on the bottle, then think about swallowing the milk she gets, all the while remembering to breathe. At one point while I was feeding her, she stopped breathing and turned purple really fast! It was scary for a moment, but the nurse was near by, picked her up quickly, rubbed her back, and she started breathing again. Apparently this is common for preemies as they learn to bottle feed. The coordination of suck/swallow/breathe is difficult, and sometimes they get stuck.
So we try to encourage her to bottle feed, and whatever she doesn't get through the bottle is given to her through her feeding tube. Her feeding tube is now going through her nose to allow her to get her mouth around a bottle. However, the tube in her nose really annoys her! She sneezes a lot, and when she breathes the tube goes in and out a bit. She also grabs on the tube and pulls a bit. In fact, yesterday she pulled the tube right out!
However, this allowed her the chance to take a bottle without her tube in the way, and she did amazingly well! She took almost the entire 1 oz. by bottle, which is really great for only her second day. Later in the night, she only took about 10mls, so they had to put the feeding tube back in, but we are encouraged because she showed us that she can take a full bottle, we just have to continue to give her time.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
I've Got No Strings
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Yesterday Aleli lost her umbilical cord. And later in the evening, her nurse took a few pictures of her without her feeding tube. You can get more of a glimpse of her beautiful face! (Not her best picture, and the colors are pretty weird because of the nurse's camera, and then I had to scan it to my computer, but you get the idea!)
Thinking about Aleli without "strings" made me think of this classic Pinoccio song:
Yesterday Aleli lost her umbilical cord. And later in the evening, her nurse took a few pictures of her without her feeding tube. You can get more of a glimpse of her beautiful face! (Not her best picture, and the colors are pretty weird because of the nurse's camera, and then I had to scan it to my computer, but you get the idea!)
Thinking about Aleli without "strings" made me think of this classic Pinoccio song:
Monday, September 19, 2011
Holding my little girl
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When we do "kangaroo care" with Aleli, we hold her up high on our chest, and honestly it is tough to see her face. But last night, I bundled her up and held her in my lap and just looked at her for a bit. She rested peacefully, and every now and then halfway opened one eye, giving me what I call the "stink eye."
I'm not sure what else to say, other than "I held my little girl." It's an experience beyond words. The miracle of life is something that if I sit down and think about it for too long, I feel I might go crazy. Somehow, that little person came from me?
Thankfully, I have the rest of my life and hers to try to wrap my head around it all. But really, I don't think I'll ever be able to. And so just like last night, there isn't much I can do but simply hold her. And in the future, "holding her" might mean walking her to school, or driving her to the movies, or helping her through a difficult time.
But, as I sing to her while we sit in the dark and quiet room in the NICU, I will always be there to hold her.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Looking back, looking ahead
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Now, Aleli is breathing on her own and is taking all of her food through her feeding tube. No IV and no breathing mask! This is an even bigger relief for her. She can focus on breathing, sleeping, and of course, pooping! Her skin is hydrated and with a better color (although everyone comments that she is still a bit red). She is opening her eyes more, making eye contact, looking around, and my oh my does she love to stretch!
Most importantly, because she has fewer cables and wires, we can hold her whenever we want. We do skin-to-skin for about 4-5 hours a day, and often we wrap her up in her blanket and hold her in our arms where we can see her face a little more.
It's really amazing how much progress a little baby can make in just a week. We can't wait to see how much she will grow and progress in the weeks to come.
My little girl has come so far in just a little more than a week! Today, Aleli is 11 days old (in this world) and about 32 and a half weeks old (gestational age). You can see from the pictures that she has made incredible progress, and we are so proud of her.
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| Friday morning, 1 day old |
She started out with a CPAP breathing mask to help her lungs, and an IV to give her extra nutrients. After just a few days, she needed to go on phototherapy to help decrease her bilirubin levels. When we look back at those pictures now, from just a few days ago, it is rather intense for us.
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| Under the phototherapy lights. Notice how red and leathery her skin is. |
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| Saturday |
It's really amazing how much progress a little baby can make in just a week. We can't wait to see how much she will grow and progress in the weeks to come.
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| Frown face |
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Feed Me!
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Aleli was tugging on her feeding tube today, as if to say to her nurse, "Hey! Come on! Feed me!" Our sweet little girl gained about 40 grams today, or about an ounce. Putting her at 2 lbs, 14 oz., still an ounce below her birth weight, but getting into the growing game pretty quickly!
"Feed me!"
Friday, September 16, 2011
When boring is good
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Aleli has had several large milestones in the past week: Seeing her assisted oxygen levels go down, taking off her CPAP breathing mask, slowing increasing her feed amounts, taking out her IV, no more tape on her face, and her first bath!
Aleli has had several large milestones in the past week: Seeing her assisted oxygen levels go down, taking off her CPAP breathing mask, slowing increasing her feed amounts, taking out her IV, no more tape on her face, and her first bath!
But now, we are moving into time when there won't be very many milestones. Every day the nurses will check her weight, and the hope is that pretty soon she will gain about 30 grams, or an ounce a day. They are continuing to give her any milk that Kellye is able to offer, and make up the difference with donor milk. In addition, they are mixing in a powder supplement that adds a few calories and extra calcium.
That's about all the excitement we are hoping for. Eat, sleep, pee, poop, repeat.
When you are watching a preemie baby grow, sometimes boring is good.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Feet
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I think one of the cutest things to do with newborns is to get their footprints. Aleli has such tiny feet, and I was very eager to get her footprint. The nurses said they don't allow handprints just yet because the babies are stretching their hands and touching their wires a lot, and the ink may carry bacteria.
But last night, I'm guessing just before she had her first bath, Aleli's nurse put her footprints on a card. We saw them this morning, and they are so cute.
To give you an idea of just how small her feet are, I did another scan with a quarter.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
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