Ugh....Reset

CG had a brady yesterday, the countdown clock has reset. Back to day 1 :(

Notice anything different?

No? Need another picture? See it yet?

Well, let me help you out. Charlotte had her feeding tube removed today! She jumped from 4 to 8 bottles like a Champ. So, let's recap the things she needs to accomplish before coming home:

• Maintain temp - check
• No cannula - check
• No caffeine - check
• Take all 8 bottles - check
• No bradys for 7 days post caffeine - working on day 3
• Car seat test - will be done after 7 day brady count down

We are almost there!

R.I.P Mr. Caterpillar

Mr. Caterpillar has apparently gone to the big laundry mat in the sky. We knew you would want to mourn with us. Never fear, he will promptly be replaced by several clones so Mommy doesn't have to go back to hell on earth should this happen again.

P.S. HOE is Babies R' Us. I despise that place.

Hank is starting to worry...

I think he knows he is moving down a peg on the priority ladder. We are getting close, very close to bringing his new master home.

Charlotte is making great progress with her bottles. She is up to 4 a day and I think we will be moving to 6 tomorrow or Friday. The big news is, they took her off her caffeine today and she appears to be tolerating it very well. We will have to give her a few more days to adjust before we get really excited, but things are looking good.

Charlotte weighed in at a whopping 6 pounds 2.4 ounces tonight (2,790 grams) and she is now 17.7 inches (45cm). Now instead of worrying about her being too cold, we have to make sure she isn't too hot! A much better problem to have, for sure.

More soon.

2 Months

Our sweet Charlotte is two months old. 61 days to be exact. That is how long we have been in the NICU, counting grams, centimeters, milk intake, digestion residuals, temperature readings, caffeine dosages, air flow levels, etc, etc, etc. Don't even get me started on the monitor. The evil, evil, monitor. I wouldn't wish that much information on any new parent, it can be paralyzing. Sometimes it is easy to get lost in the science.

Outside of the science, I have learned (or have been reminded of) a thing or two during our time in NICU.

• Babies are incredibly resilient, much more so than parents.
• A baby's contented sigh or half smile can melt your heart and get you through the next day.
• Things can always be better and things can always be worse, one day at a time is the only way to get through both.
  
• Nurses make the world go 'round.
• I would rather have great nurses and average doctors over the reverse any day (side note: we have a great doctor).
  
• Family can hold you together, even when there is no glue in sight.
• True friends are hard to come by and Aaron and I are so lucky to be blessed with several.
  
• A great partner is worth more than a thousand helping hands, especially in stressful times.

Charlotte is nearing 6 pounds now and is still working on her three bottles. She is making good progress and I am sure she will be bumped to 4 bottles tomorrow. Occupational therapy will be by to feed her once tomorrow to see if there are any tricks to make things easier for her. These therapists are neonatal specialists, so they are the experts when it comes to teaching a preemie to take a bottle.

Things are moving right along, but keep the prayers coming anyway.

The many faces of Charlotte

I know, I know, it has been too long since the last update. Charlotte's public has made it perfectly clear that four days is entirely too long. So to make up for it, I present to you the many faces of Charlotte:

This is her, "What nap? You take a nap, I'm not tired" face.
This is her, "Get that out of my face and feed me" face.
This is her, "Ah, I love this place" face.
Little Miss is up to 2,495 grams or 5 pounds 8 ounces. She has moved back to three bottles a day and they have removed her cannula. Good news all around.

Taking a step back

Charlotte had a very big week. We started bottle feeding, they reduced her caffeine, and they reduced her air flow. She did so well during the first few bottle feeds that she moved very quickly to three bottles a day.

We now know we moved too quickly, because she has not been finishing any of the three bottles and has been very tired. It is a big work out for her. We talked to the doctor today and we all agreed that we should move her back to 2 bottles a day for now. She needs to be more efficient so she doesn't completely wear herself down. We will see how she does over the next several days and reevaluate then. She will get it eventually, but we still have some work to do to get to 8 bottles a day.

Grandma Mary has been very busy, this is her newest hat. BIG hit with the nurses.
Signing off with a wink and a smile from the little one,