Sitting Up, Watching Soccer

4 Months!

 You've come a long way baby.  I think everyone has seen these on FB, but for those of you who haven't- here they are.  I gave up on finding a photographer and just found some good photo editing software, which seemed to be what I was looking for anyway.
It's hard to believe the little cabbage patch kid in the photo below started out as tiny as she did.  I'm so happy she's turning out to be a fat one.

I'm Geo!  Super Shapes!!!

They may look sweet, but it's all a lie!

What a journey...

Fashionista

Going to visit the eye doctor.

Having a brain scan.

I've been having fun dressing Eleanor in adorable outfits since she's home.  Unfortunately, I have to wrap her up after to keep her warm and can't really see the clothes.  She's been out a few times to the doctor and to my cousin Aimee's wedding last weekend.  I also took her outside today to get some fresh air and hang out a bit. She was 6lbs 1oz as of last Thursday and if she can go without an apnea for the next three weeks, she'll get to take off the monitor.  I'm already dreading having to go back to work (but that's also because those crazy people keep bothering me, lol!) (Not you, Amanda and Candy!)

4/18/2011 (34 weeks, 3 days)

Had a false alarm last week when we thought Eleanor was coming home Thursday.  She ended up having an apnea Wed night and so they had to restart the going-home countdown.  She needs to be apnea-free for 5 days before she can come home.  Right now she's on day 4.  I'm not going to explain what that means because I don't want to jinx anything.  Baby girl is up to 4lbs 10oz and is eating about twice as much as they had been giving her before they let her set her own pace.  I need to try and meet with the occupational therapist to practice bottle-feeding.  Bottle-feeding preemies is a process, and I'm not even particularly practiced feeding term babies as I nursed my other three.  I've fed Eleanor once from a bottle and it didn't go well, but I've nursed her a few times and that seems to work out fine.
Special thanks to Ms. Gayle for the beautiful outfit, Candy Pei for the outfit and bath set, and for the Baton Rouge Sigma Alumnae Chapter for lunch last weekend.  It was very yummy!  Grace said the salad was particularly "well-prepared", lol!

4/12/11 Big News!

 Somebody is coming home this week!  

We won't be up for visitors for a few more weeks.  She'll still be on the monitor and won't be able to nurse exclusively for a while (more pumping for me- blech!)  But like Sean says, it will be nice to have the whole family under one roof.

4/8/2011 (33 weeks gestational age)

I'm not going to mention any names, but someone is 4lbs .02oz today.  She took 3 bottles yesterday and the Dr. said she did really good.  I will try to breastfeed either tonight or tomorrow.

I went shopping for the rest of the baby supplies today.  It helped to feel like I had a little control over something.  I need to finish getting the house ready, though.  I think she'll be ready to come home soon and I don't want her coming home to a toxic waste dump.

4/3/2011 (32 weeks, 2 days)

Well, we had our first scare yesterday.  Eleanor was having low oxygen and some heart rate drops again and we thought they'd have to put her back on the oxygen.  They had just upped her caffeine, though, and the Dr. decided to wait and see how that worked out before making any other changes.
 Today, of course, our littlest overachiever had to outdo everyone's wildest expectations.  When I got there this afternoon, not only was she off of the oxygen, but she hadn't had any rate drops today and only one last night.  She was also 3lbs, 11.9oz (a gain of almost 3 oz from yesterday), 17 inches long, and had eaten from a bottle (she scored a 10/10 on that, but I'm not sure what that means yet.)  Plus, she was out of the incubator and in an isolette!  So, for those of you keeping score at home, that's breathing- check!  Body temp regulating- check!  And all we have left is bottle feeding- in progress.  I also have a suspicion that there's an unofficial policy that they have to be at least 4lbs before they're allowed to go home, but that's probably just me and she's almost there anyway.
There's a ton of photos since I haven't posted in a few days, but they are chronological from the top down and the pink-hat ones at the bottom are from today.

Practicing for the bottle-lympics.

This is my favorite photo yet.

Elle's new digs.  Great view, but no heat or a/c.

3/31/2011 (31 weeks, 6 days)

The oxygen tube is out!  I knew it wouldn't be long, because Eleanor kept pulling it out on her own.  The feeding tube will be next, because not only does she pull that out too, but she's taking her pacifier well and they will try to start her eating on her own soon.  It will just be one feeding per day to start and we'll have to see if she's strong enough to suck and if she can stay awake long enough to get all the milk she needs.

She's still moving around a lot and if she's on her belly, she can lift her head and switch sides she's laying on.  She keeps getting her monitor wires all tangled in her legs and the nurses have started tying all the wires together to keep her out of them.  (I think she's trying to braid an escape rope.)

So far, she's got a really sweet disposition and the nurses are having a bit of fun playing dress-up with her.  They've been putting her in Newborn-sized clothes and they are a little large, but not as bad as you'd think.

She's almost 17 inches long and she's up to 3lbs 7 oz as of last night.  She's doing better at regulating her temperature and she'll probably be out of the incubator soon as well.  She just needs to fatten up a bit more.

Tuesday was her two-week birthday (flying by already!) and based on absolutely nothing- I'd predict she's got another two weeks in the hospital at most.  Thanks to everyone for the thoughts and prayers.  And thanks to Kamie for the bucket of clothes.  I think we have the same taste in childrens' clothes; everything is adorable.

In other news, Grace has two cracked teeth (!) and needs a double root canal and caps (!).  She's already been to one dentist and refused to let him treat her, so we're trying again next Tuesday.  The dentist said it's probably because she snacks all day long and doesn't give her mouth a rest from having food/ sugar in it.  Please add Grace to your prayers this week.