9 months!

KelliAnne was nine months in February. She was mastering the sit and "I'm gonna' crawl any day now" stance for a few weeks. Then....she was off! And, I don't thinks she has stopped since.

We had our nine month check up at Children's Spot (NICU outpatient offices) and once again, passed with flying colors. Even though we see KA everyday and think she is doing amazing, hearing from professionals that she is doing great is the best news ever. I feel like we both still have that small feeling in the back of our heads that something could be wrong. But the older she gets and that fact that she is showing no signs of any motor/developomental delays, the better! The theropist actually said if a baby has two "clean checks" there is a very, VERY small chance of there being any issues as she would be displaying signs by now. They were so impressed with how strong she was with her sitting and piviting and how interactive she was.

Her tests were (that I can remember):

-picking up a block and passing it from hand to hand-PASSED
-picking up a block in each hand and banging together-PASSED
-raking a cherrio-PASSED
-basic following of noises with her eyes and ears-PASSED

Even though it was her nine month check up, these are all tests that a six month old should do and she was advanced, closer to a 7-8 month old. All great nows to here your baby being praised. Does that ever end? Doubt it.....

KelliAnne did so well that instead of being seen in three months again (so at 1 year) they pushed it out to 15 months and said that would probably by her last check. They also decided that she would not need her 1 year old MRI to check her brain bleed. Just typing this I can relive that appt and hearing good news after good news. Tom and I decided to celebrate stopping by Kelly's on our way home. Her first of many trips to our favorite place.

In late February/early March we ventured out a bit, cabin fever got the best of me. I think I did one trip to Target but I was so scared to touch the cart, I just logged her around the store in her carrier. I felt like all I saw was snotty, coughing toddlers staring us down. I could not get out of there soon enough! I postponed any trips for a while after that.

We did celebrate Snake Saturday and met some new friends for the first time. KelliAnne loves making new friends! Enjoy the pictures of the sweet monkey!


Tom and KelliAnne at Kelly's after her appt. We needed a celebration beer for all the great news!

Mastering her sit pose. LOVES the alphabet toy she is playing with

The Holiday Season!

Well The Race's definitely had a lot to be thankful for in 2012. In November, KelliAnne was 6 months old and got her first taste of the holidays. We were able to spend Christmas and Thanksgiving with Tom's side of the family in KC. KelliAnne LOVED pecan pie. Good thing she does not have that nut allergy…(KIDDING PEOPLE!)

Unfortunately, we were not able to travel back to St. Charles to be with my family. RSV season was in full swing, so no public places or being around toddlers. We have made a few visits back this spring to make up for the missed trips over the winter. Looking forward to some lake trips now!

Here is a family picture from Thanksgiving Day. KelliAnne is wearing a newborn size dress that we took off of a stuffed duck she was given after she was born.

                                        Yeah, she is pretty damn cute if I must say so myself !



Christmas came and went and KelliAnne experienced presents and Santa for the first time.  She enjoyed opening presents so much that she fell alseep opening them :) We had always assumed that we would take her to see Santa without any issues, but with the doctors urging us to stay in with her throughout the winter, we received a surprise visit from Grandpa Steve rockin' his new suit.  KelliAnne and I both really appreciated this 'first moment', and we were glad we didn't miss out on it.

Uncle Will and Aunt Jennifer sent this bear to KelliAnne for Christmas. It's so that she always remembes her uncles in the Army and living all over the world. She is still looking forward to meeting Uncle David and Aunt Lizzi!

She went through a little fussy phase and what helped was putting her on top of the fridge. Not sure how we even figured that one out....Whatever works!

SANTA!!!!!!!!!

Getting caught up......AGAIN!

I know we sound like a broken record, but we've been so busy and have not taken time to blog! Shame on us! KelliAnne's 1st birthday is right around the corner and we have not posted since November :( Our wonderful neighbors gave us a gift certificate to get "KelliAnne's Adventures" printed into a book and we plan to do so after her first birhday. So, some cathing up over the last few months.

Enjoy the updates on our little monkey :)

How Preemie Moms Are Chosen

Another friend of ours who also had a preemie posted this on her blog. I just had to share.........

Courtesy of Erma Bombeck...

How Preemie Moms Are Chosen
(Adapted from Erma Bombeck)
Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen? Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger. "Beth Armstrong, son. Patron Saint, Matthew. Marjorie Forrest, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia. Carrie Rutledge, twins. Patron Saint ... give her Gerard. He's used to profanity." Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. "Give her a preemie."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel."
"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."
"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
God smiles. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just the right amount of selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?"
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says 'mama' for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see – ignorance, cruelty, prejudice – and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."
"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air.  God smiles.

"A mirror will suffice."

6 Months and Counting!

Our Miss KelliAnne is six months (well, officially she will be on Friday 11/16) already! It seems that every day she is doing something new that makes us smile and truly amazes us.

A couple updates since our last post :)

-KelliAnne had her final weekly eye appointment with the Retinopathly specialists with Children's Mercy. The abnormal vessel growth, which was discovered shortly after birth has cleared up on its own. This is great news, considering I (the momma) could no longer take her to the appointments without crying. Watching someone hold your baby down while they pryed and held their eye open with a speculum was no bueno. She screamed...a lot. Plus this means no eye surgery and her eyes should develop as normal. Great news all around!

-Double digits! That's right, KA is tipping the scale in the double digits these days. She is about 12 1/2 pounds and is getting pretty chubby. We enjoy finding new fat rolls and actually having a bum to clean when she has a dirty diaper

-RSV Season is in full swing. It is respiratory virus that nearly every baby will get before the age of two. In most cases, it presents itself as a bad cold. With preemies, it often lands them back in the hospital and they are very susceptible to getting it. Due to KelliAnne's birth weight and gestational age at birth, she qualifies for a monthly RSV vaccination. She will get one every month through March. The best defense to keep her healthy through this season is to keep her away from crowded places and little kids. Unfortunately, this means operation lock down is in full swing. We are getting quite used to the lovely four walls of our house. We welcome any visitors that come in perfect health, and unfortunately, no small children. It is going to be a long winter, but so worth it to keep her healthy and OUT of the hospital. We made a deal that she is not going back there :)

-We had our 6 month development check at The Children's Spot this afternoon. We met with a physical and speech therapist. She met all of the developmental goals they had for her, which are those of a three month old. Remember, we have to use her adjusted age which is how old she is based on her August 3rd due date. She passed with flying colors and they were thrilled with how she is doing. They did not see any red flags or items that need to be followed up on. Big sigh of relief! We have a follow up again in three months to make sure she continues down the right path

Here are a few pictures from the last month or so. Enjoy! And as always, thank you everyone for all of the nice thoughts and prayers. They go such a long way and are appreciated more than you will ever know.

Catching up.... again

Good evening folks,

KelliAnne has now officially been out of the hospital for three whole months!  She is creeping up on being 5 months old and 10 lbs.  If you saw her today, you would think she was born a few weeks ago healthy as can be.  Fat cheeks, leg fat rolls, a giggle and curious personality that makes us think she is going to be a talker in just a few months.

KelliAnne has really enjoyed the start to football season even though every team she cares about seems to disappoint at every corner.  OK, so she really doesn't care, but she may be helping her Father become a little less temperamental on game day, which was probably needed.  I am not saying that Tom doesn't get fired up, but when she is sitting on his lap watching the game, he can't really jump up and kick something like he has done in the past.  He won't admit such behavior ever took place.

This little girl has learned to value her sleep, and let's us know when she is rested by being at her happiest when she wakes from a long nap or full night's rest.  A full night of sleep for her is not what Mom and Dad were accustomed to, but we are happily adjusted to a 3 or 4 AM wake up call to the happiest baby in town.

Anyway, the last couple months have brought us a new change nearly every week.  KelliAnne had her four month check up recently and the doctor was thrilled with her! She is hittig all but one of her four month milestones...and she is only supposed to be hitting those of a six week old.

Enjoy some pictures from the last few weeks.

New Pics...

 A few pics from the last couple weeks.  KelliAnne has grown into some of the newborn clothes that adorn her wardrobe so her mom really enjoys dressing her up for any trip out of the house or even to go downstairs to the living room ;)

C.E.L.E.B.R.A.T.E.

KelliAnne has been home with us for just shy of one month. The last several weeks have been an outstanding welcome into parenthood outside the NICU.  Yes, there have been plenty of sleepless nights, diaper blow outs, spit ups, and “what the heck does that mean” moments; but we would not have it any other way.

There is also quite a bit to celebrate. See below Tobin’s Top 10 Reasons to Celebrate:

1.      It is Robin’s Birthday. She is one amazing woman who has had quite a year. Happy Birthday Mama!

2.      Today is actually supposed to be KelliAnne’s birthday as well. Robin and I are still amazed that for the last twelve weeks, we have watched her grow and get healthy out here in the real world, and she was not even supposed to have even been here….  Apparently she did not want to share her birthday glory with her mom and wanted her own BIG day.

3.      Packing on the pounds-KelliAnne is now up to 5lbs 10 oz. She came home weighing little over 4lb.  We are still battling a bit of reflux but are learning how to balance nursing, bottle feedings, and extra calorie fortified feedings to get her big and fat.

4.      Robin can almost, ALMOST read the entire blog without crying.

5.      KelliAnne has officially graduated from the NICU. We had an appointment with the Children’s Spot, Saint Luke’s follow-up clinic, to examine her developmentally. The same doctor who saw her the day she was born, saw her yesterday and was ecstatic with her progress.  She is now a healthy ‘term baby’ with no major issues.

6.      MRI – KelliAnne had an important MRI done this week to follow up on the slight hemorrhaging she had in her brain.  The hemorrhage has completely evolved, or disappeared, and all other brain development that is to  be expected by a term baby is now present.  This was great news to a couple of parents that have been awaiting ‘MRI Day’ for several weeks now.

7.      NO MORE HEART/APNEA MONITOR. Yes, that is right - the respiratory therapists reviewed the download of KelliAnne’s apnea monitor and decided she no longer needs it.

8.       Eye Exam – KelliAnne’s slight disease in her left eye has not worsened, and is looking like it will clear up in the several weeks.  If it doesn’t the doctors are watching very closely and are ready to do laser surgery at the first sign that the disease is progressing.  The good news is that the laser surgery does not just stop the eye from getting worse but actually can repair it to healthy condition.  This is not what we originally thought.

9.      Her body hair is actually clearing up pretty good as well.  As most of you know, and if you didn’t notice from the pictures of me holding her, she has the genes to be abnormally hairy.  Just as the doctors told us, the back, shoulder, and facial hair that covered her body has pretty much all disappeared and.  

10. - F.F.F. Faith, Family and Friends. The last few months have been unexpected and trivial, yet completely awesome at the same time.  Dating back to mid-April when Robin was first hospitalized and then put on bed rest, our faith, family, and friends have been more then constantly showing up when we need them. We cannot express how thankful we are for EVERYTHING that EVERYONE has done for us. We always had good food, a clean house, a walked dog, plenty of thoughts, and enough prayers to help us pull through this time. Words cannot express how grateful we are for all of that. Throughout this time we have been told how strong Robin and I are, and that our strength is the reason why KelliAnne, who was once referred to as the “sickest kid in the NICU” came home at 35 weeks when we were told no babies go home before 36 weeks. Our strength came from F.F.F.

And scratch # 4. She is crying again.

We love you all and thank you again for helping us get through this journey. As you can tell we are not updating the blog as frequently as there is not as much action, but we will post a fun story and some pictures every once in a while so those of you that don’t see KelliAnne too often can keep up with her story.  

Happy 4th of July!

Seven long weeks after KelliAnne was born, she was able to declare her independence from the hospital today.  She has done everything required of her to show she can continue to thrive outside the hospital walls, so we were surprised this morning to the question asked of us by her doctor.  "Would it just ruin your day if we sent your baby home today?".  Robin and I looked at each other and started laughing because we have juse not allowed ourselves to get high or low with each glowing report received.

Just this last weekend she was doing so well that they told us she very well could be going home within the next week.  We kept this news pretty hushed for the most part, and the very next morning she was actually put back in an inucbator because she struggled to keep her temperature where it was supposed to be. This was a shock given 8 or 9 days were spent in an open crib without problems.  We rode that hurlde out, and after 48 hours in the incubator she had great weight gain, and they put her back in the crib.  She handled that well, along with eating all feedings by mouth (no more NG tube), and then we knew we were close to going home.

We stayed in the hospital with her on Monday night, but we were booted from the room the following day because a higher priority took our spot.  This was a bit discouraging because we thought they would not discharge her without us staying 48 hours in the hospital.  We stayed late at the hospital on Tuesday night, and arrived this morning, Independence Day, to the awesome question asked by the doctor.  Of course we said yes, and about an hour later we were out the door, baby in tow, looking to continue our adventre with a start as a family at our home.  The first order of business as a family was a long nap that was needed by everyone.

Here are a few pics of the most memorable 4th of July we will likely ever have.

Cross one off the list...

It was a sultry Midwestern Summer night, and KelliAnne Race was feeling a bit spry for her age. She may have been fueled by the excitement of another 1oz weight gain earlier that day, or even the pride in taking a much needed poop that had evaded her all day. Perhaps it was the chance to quiet her critics and do what many babies her age struggle to do every day. The stage was set.

KelliAnne vs. the Graco SnugRide car seat... 

 Her nurse woke her from a 3 hour slumber, changed her dirty diaper, and gave her one last meal before she was to approach her opponent for the first time. At 11:30PM CST KelliAnne was lifted from her crib and taken to her temporary resting spot, and one that she hopes to know well after she escapes the hospital walls. KelliAnne ain't no fool though; she knows respect is earned.

The nurse said that as she set KelliAnne in the seat she had a different look about her, as if a wave of confidence you rarely see in a baby still 5 weeks befor their actual due date will demonstrate. KelliAnne quietly tapped her chest, through a prayer to the Lord and took her seat for 90 minutes of adrenaline charged car seat time.

 Then, it happened. She quickly drifted to sleep, and was resting so peacefully the nurse dared not wake her, rather they grabbed her from her seat 2.5 hours later when it was time to wake again for more delicious food. The Mighty SnugRide fell in defeat and agreed to be KelliAnne's companion during the next couple years worth of road trips to the lake.

 As for KelliAnne she crossed this hurdle off her list and added this accomplishment to her impressive resume.

Remaining items on to do list:
- eat more food
- gain weight

Other Good Stuff going on

- She is actually getting her car seat test tonight - to leave the hospital the baby must be able to sit in their car seat for 90 minutes without experiencing any bradycardia or oxygen desats.  She gets put to the test at 11PM tonight.  "Why is she taking that test?", you may ask yourself. It is because she is nearing the end my friends. 

- feeding 3 times a day orally.  She will need to be more consistent with oral feedings and demonstrate she is trending towards 8 full feedings orally, while still gaining weight. We will see what she is capable of this weekend when mom can be there for more feedings.

- they have weened her off of the extra calorie supplement added to her tube feedings, and removed the extra protein as well.

- Oh yea, she is no longer in an incubator.  She is in a regular crib now and doing pretty well with the temp control.  If they could figure out how to regulate the temp in that room, she would do even better.  I am pretty sure when Robin and I are cold sitting there, that the AC is a little strong.  They claim it is a solid 74 degrees at all times.  Just strange that our cold skin seems to be in sync with when she fails her temperature tests. I'm not saying anything......... I'm just saying.

Now don't jump the gun here folks, we don't have any solid dates, but they have told us to prepare our home for the arrival of a baby sometime soon.    If she does what is required of her over the next few days, they will welcome Robin and I to stay in the hospital for 48 hours and take care of her ourselves in a our own room.  They do this so that we get comfortable with around the clock care, and so we learn to use the monitors she will be going home with.  

Baby's to do list - pass car seat test, eat more, gain more weight, and do the last two at the same time.  Easier said than done, but she has already done more than most babies twice her size, I've seen it.   ;)

So much to remember...

Ok folks, I feel like I am starting all of my posts with an apology owed for neglecting the blog and your needs for information about our precious baby.  The thing is, we have really settled into a routine with our odd lifestyle, and there has not been much time for me to update the blog when had the energy to do so.  Wake up, go to work, straight to hospital, get home around 930, eat dinner, and go to bed.  Not complaining about the routine, but it just has not left much time for reflection.

The last couple weeks have been pretty enjoyable, and wildly successful in terms of baby developments.  Robin is now going into the hospital before work for a feeding so she has that added task during her day on top of the pumping every 3 hours through the work day and night.  For both of us though, we have our favorite part of the day which for Robin is heading to the hospital in the mornings to start her day, and for me it is making the drive to the hospital.  I can't leave work fast enough. I know why my co-workers with kids are so happy to get home (most nights).  It is just completely bizarre that going to the hospital highlights our lives.  I am not sure how that has replaced drinking some beers or playing kickball with 'Menace 2 Sobriety', but it has.  That is probably because KelliAnne has changed so much and seems so healthy now. (I can't flip this pic over, feel free to either stand on your head or flip your screen)

You may not be able to see the number on that scale, but it says 4 lb 1 oz.  KelliAnne has packed on the weight the last couple weeks.  She has really picked up her ability to nurse, and they have continued to increase her tube feedings.  She has exceeded our expectations, and the doctors as well.  

Best Father's Day gift ever... here are some pics to prove it

 She is awake and alert more than she has been and loves to just stare at us.

<<< Best picture ever.  If you can call a preemie perfect, then I just did.

These pictures were after we gave her a bath, which she loved.  She is wrapped up to get warm and toasty again.

33 Weeks

KelliAnne has continued to progress as the doctors have expected.  She is pooping like a baby, eating a full ounce every feeding now, and has become quite vocal and demanding when she wants (or doesn't want something).

The doctors told us early this week that everything is going very great, except for being slightly anemic, which is very common for a baby her age, and they need to see more weight gain.  KelliAnne started the week at 2lb 14oz, only 10oz over her birth weight.  They expect her to be gaining about 25g per day on average, we were not quite at that.  She was listening and turned on the weight gain nearly every day, and as of the evening of 6/16 she was up to 3lb 6oz!  She gained over an ounce per day average, and it shows.  She is starting to look so big and healthy to us even, and we see her every day.

Now she needs to start producing more mature red blood cells and getting her iron levels up on her own, otherwise a blood transfusion could be in her future.  Keep your thoughts on KelliAnne Wed morning as she gets tested for red blood count again.

The most fun part of this week was the eye exam on Wednesday.  I worked from the hospital so I could be there to help her stay a little calm, because they told us that the babies do not appreciate stuff shoved in their eye.  The doctors were looking to see how her eye is maturing.  Since babies eyes are one of the last parts to develop since they don't freaking need them at this point usually, they can sometimes stop developing, and the blood vessels may just stop growing that connect their retinas to the back of the eye.  They checked them out, pissed her off, and then I held her for a couple hours and she was all good.  Her eyes are about where they would expect, so we get to do the same thing the next two weeks to make sure all continues as planned.

Especially with returning to work, we treasure each time we get to spend with KelliAnne and we have captured some great moments from the last week we will share here.

Back to Work

We had an interesting and hectic week returning back to our jobs and life away from the home and hospital. I returned to work on Monday, and Robin went back to work on Wednesday.  Robin returned to work exactly 4 weeks after the baby was born.... after a wickedly fast and rough c-section.  The woman is a superhero.  She did this so she will have plenty of time to continue the bonding and help welcome home KelliAnne when she is able to leave the hospital.  Without doing this, her FMLA time would have been exhausted most likely before baby girl even left the hospital.

Anyway, it was a week full of rapid clean up around the house, and prep to even be ready to go back to work.  Cleaning out emails for me, and for Robin, preparing mentally for a new job (same company, new role).  This also entailed Robin refining her wardrobe.  I don't think she found that to be very fun, but she was absolutely beautiful for her first few days back in the office.  It was the first time she had really had to get up and get dressed nice, put on make up for quite some time considering she had been on bed rest prior to the baby coming.  She looked great, had a pretty good week getting to know her boss and some co-workers.

Leaving for work for me on Monday, and Wednesday for Robin, was a daunting task as we both have become so accustomed to sitting near KelliAnne's incubator for so long, and watching her monitors.  We have also enjoyed getting her out every three hours for feedings, diaper and kangaroo care.  We will not be there for as much of that going forward, but we were able to hustle out of work every night and get to the hospital by 5PM for her feeding and time to be awake and visit with us.

I think KelliAnne knew we returning to work this week, so she made it a little easier.  Her bradychardia has decreased to just 5 or 6 episodes per day, which is lower than you would expect for a baby her age.  She has not desaturated in over a week now.  I mentioned last week the nasal prongs came out, so no more assistance to breathe.  She went 7 full days without desatting so they are no longer monitoring her oxygen saturation levels.  All good stuff and steps in the right direction.

We met with a massage therapist this week who has trained us in massaging KelliAnne's hands, feet, and head.  She really liked it and fell asleep every time we have done it.  Here are some pictures of the massage.

The herd is moving...

When babies in the NICU are doing very well and reach a status where they are very stable and just need to grow and wait to mature before they can go home, they often move to the 'Grower/Feeder' room.  It sounds like we are referring to cattle or some kind of livestock, but in seriousness, this is a very good sign of a baby getting healthy.  This move also frees up bed space for sicker and newer babies that are just born or transferred to Saint Luke's on the Plaza, which is a referral center for high risk pregnancies in a 100 mile radius.

This move was made by KelliAnne yesterday.  She is in the old NICU at Saint Luke's now that does not have all the bells and whistles because she does not currently need them.  We are happy to accommodate new parents and their sick babies because in our opinion the more room at Saint Luke's on the Plaza means a better chance at a good start for a preemie.  They are nothing short of miracle workers and it is clear that everyone that works there has been called to do that specific job.

The nurses did caution us that many times babies for whatever reason may take a step back to the main NICU, but we are knocking on wood, and continuing to pray that she can stay here until our calf can move home.

Rookie Parents and frozen yogurt...

The last few days have been very good for KelliAnne.  She had a couple days where she lost weight but that had to do with her getting 'unclogged' a bit. She had not been going '# 2" as frequently as she should so the doctors checked her out.  They found quite a bit of air in her belly, which was good, because the alternative they were worried about was some sort of infection to her stomach and intestines that would have been very bad.  The other good part about a bunch of air in her belly, is they have ways to get this out.  It's called a suppository.  This helped get things moving for KelliAnne and resulted in a sligh weight loss over two days.  No worries though she gained it back, and is actually up to 2 lb 14 oz.  Almost  3 lb now, which will be a big milestone.  The nurses have told us once babies hit that weight she should really start gaining regularly.

The other interesting part about a suppository is the amount of garbage that can be produced by this little baby.  Yesterday, Robin and I were tag team changing a diaper, as it is pretty tough through the holes of the incubator.  KelliAnne had an average size stool.  Robin got her cleaned up and had a new diaper already underneath the dirty one so we could just pull it out and strap on the new one.  We proceed, and KelliAnne proceeds to fill the new diaper like someone had just flipped the handle on a frozen yogurt machine.  She then filled covered a little towel and another diaper.  Robin and I were impressed and laughing hysterically.  This was one of our finer moments as new parents, and the most we had laughed in quite some time.....  The nurses got a kick out of us as well and let us know what we have in store for our future.

Oh yea... we also managed to keep the incubator and all the bed covers clean somehow with all this, and KelliAnne took notice.  Once we had all the poo cleaned up, KelliAnne decided to pee straight into the air when Robin was scooting diaper # 3 under her.  This got her monitor leads, the bed, the 3rd diaper and her snuggle up bed cover dirty.  We tried.

New pics from week 30

https://picasaweb.google.com/116053787981267429805/PicsFromWeek30?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIS3o_ipxOHcQQ&feat=directlink



Here is a link to another slideshow of KelliAnne.

Week 31 Update

Ok, so sorry for the delay in posting, but we have been waiting for some results of a brain scan on KelliAnne before we wanted to post news of tons of positive steps she has made in the last week.  We have nothing but good news this week, starting with the brain scan.  KelliAnne had a brain ultrasound on the 23rd that showed she had a slight hemorrhage in her ventricles.  I can't remember all the technical details of this, but the doctors actually were quite positive about this, telling us it is very common for a baby born this early.  They advised that instead of having a 1 month follow-up scan, that she would need one the following week (May 30).  That day was Wednesday, until they literally forgot to do it (good sign they weren't too worried).  They finally got around to the scan on Friday and it showed the swelling from the hemorrhage was decreasing as they hoped.  There was a big sigh of relief from all of us that were waiting as this was the only thing going that was not extremely great and ahead of the game.  So on to that news.

This little baby continues to amaze us with her strength.  On her 30 week update I mentioned she was back to her birth weight of 2 lb 4 oz.  As of her 31 week (yesterday) she had gained 8 oz and is up to 2 lb 12 oz.  We leave the hospital each night around 7 or so and call in about 1030 before we go to bed for updates on her new weight and each night this week they kept giving us the great news.  The reason for this is she is handling her feedings (still through a feeding tube) and they continued to increase by 1 mL every 12 hours.  She is now getting 22 mL fortified with 4 extra calories, every 3 hours.  This is actually enough to give her a very full belly and make her sleep 'like a baby'.  They will continue to increase the feeding going forward based on her weight gain and ability to digest without issues.

I mentioned the brady's (b's) before, and those have really slowed down, likely because they figured out her caffeine dosage.  She has a few per day, but that is all normal stuff.  She has them when she is either very sound asleep or when she has a Desat (further known as d's).  A desat is when her oxygen saturation dips below a targeted range.  She is having these when she gets a really full belly because it is so hard to take a big breath!  They are not worried, so we are learning not to worry.

Other great news:  Her PICC line was removed.  The PICC is a central IV that was providing her nutrition, but it is no longer needed because she is getting all she needs from the milk her mama is working hard to produce.

She is also now off temp control.  We will see how she does with that, but that means she gets to start wearing clothes which makes Robin, the grandmas, and aunts very happy.  Luckily, Robin had a shower this weekend with tons of good friends and family that netted lots of baby clothes that we have already cleaned (thanks Grandma Judy) and delivered to KelliAnne's nurses to dress her.

When we get some time, we will add more pics that were taken over the weekend.  She continues to look more and more like a baby we are used to seeing.  She just looks healthier every day and we love every minute we get to spend with her.