Did I Mention...

Did I mention how much we LOVE being home?!

Pinch Me

Look at the distance on that projectile vomit! Somebody pinch me because I am loving these mommy moments that I waited for 11 years to experience! 6:30 am and I am folding a load of baby stuff, I have my mattress pad in the dryer and my sheets in the washer. I have smiled through it all. I feel so lucky! Of course the little one is zonked out and I am gonna need a nap, but these are the memories I have always wanted to make.

Settling In

Emmalynn's NICU Journey

We are Home!

If you had have asked me on Thursday if I was ready to take Emmalynn home I would have said I don't think I'll ever be ready! Then we had a nurse that we had never had before and she was definitely not my favorite. In fact, I did everything myself and didn't let her touch Emmalynn after she fed her the wrong amount of food over the wrong amount of time. I think it was fate because Friday I was telling the doctors okay, I'm ready! I was still overwhelmed, I mean you can't imagine the amount of equipment and boxes that was delivered to my house this week (that's for another post). But after 137 days...I finally got to bring my baby home!

Going Home Outfit

Dr Hamburg (our favorite - although we loved the other NAL docs too) had so many nicknames for Emmalynn. She called her Emm N' Emm and treated her like a princess (she called her that too)  She always wanted to know what Emmalynn was wearing and if she had a bow on. We will miss her so much, but we will text often!

Getting her buckled in her car seat.

This was the picture I waited for! We almost forgot to take it too and had to hurry. Leaving the NICU. I was emotional walking through the doors. Yes, I was finally taking my baby home, but this meant we would never be returning and over the past almost 5 months it had become my second home. Everyone was like family. We really had the best NICU experience! I felt like we had an uneventful stay, but the nurses say Emmalynn had the cadillac of stays because she tried it all. She was just letting us know she was boss! 

We came home to this cute sign from my moms boss.

I can't tell you how excited I was to finally cut these things off after wearing them since her birth! I will wear my "Prayers for Emmalynn" bracelet until she is decannulated (gets her trach out) and ditches her g-tube! Even then I may still wear it!

Pizza Party

So the NICU has code words for things so they don't jinx themselves. When it's time to go home, they say it's time for your pizza party. Emmalynn's "pizza party" is on Sunday, so we decided to have an actual pizza party on Friday night. We thought it was the least we could do for the people who not only saved our daughters life, but have cared for her and been there for us every step of the way. We brought in pizza and treats for all the day and night nurses and doctors...

...and look who joined the party! One of her nurses found a stroller and surprised me! I love that Emmalynn is getting so strong and more mobile!

We are so grateful for everyone who played a part in our NICU journey.

Nurses

We were so blessed from day 1 to get the best primary care nurses! We love them so much and will miss them like crazy...along with so many others!

{Day Nurses}

Lynda

Lyndsey

Jessica

{Night Nurses}

Kim

Shayna

 Jennifer

Sunday Is the Day

We are so excited to finally be going home after 4 1/2 months! We are grateful for everyone's love and support however, we will not be accepting any visitors. Period. Please don't think you are the exception to the rule and please don't put me in a position where I have to tell you no. We have to do this for Emmalynn's protection. She's not only a preemie, but she has chronic lung disease and a trach. If she catches the smallest of colds she will be hospitalized. We will gladly FaceTime and share pictures through our blog and Facebook and when she is a year old (in late spring and after RSV season) we will slowly introduce her to her biggest fans!

Breathe

Notice anything different?! She ditched her humidity! Well for a few hours a day at least! Now we put that little filter on and she breathes on her own! She will still require humidity and a low setting of oxygen at night and during feeds. Yay Miss!

Grandma & Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit Emmalynn this weekend. They got to hold her for the first time! Grandpa even sang Emmalynn to sleep. There's no doubt this little girl is loved!

Tucker Sling

After Emmalynn's upper GI test they ordered her a prescription tucker sling. I was so bummed because I had made her all these cute fitted sheets with matching things, and now we needed to upgrade her to a peeds bed. They told me since we weren't going to be there much longer not to worry about it, however, this is me we are talking about! So I took some tulle and gathered it so we could have some ruffles at the end of her bed. We just laid out her blankets on one side and it became her changing area.

Here she is papoosed and hanging from her tucker sling for the first time. She didn't know what to think.

The Countdown

10ish days! That's what Emmalynn's doctor said in grand rounds this morning. She will be able to go home in 10ish days! Would you believe me if I said I'm not ready?! I have had how many months to plan and prepare for her to come home?! I am in shock...there is so much to do!

And look at this sweet little girl! Her tummy is healing so nicely!

More Bling

Our little diva already has bling around her neck (trach), and because she can't finish all her feeds by mouth, she got some new bling on her tummy today (g-tube). We agonized over this decision for a long time. In the end we felt it was the best decision for her. 

They were so nice to let me walk her down to the OR. It never gets easier letting them take your baby  into surgery.

 Here is my view when they brought her back. I was so excited to see them come through those NICU back doors!

She did so well! Her nurse said it looks like they did cheek implants too! Thanks to the fluids they pushed through her she's a little puffy and swollen. We were lucky because they were able to do a mic-key button right away (sometimes they have to do a long tube for a few months). She was already fighting them to breathe on her own before they brought her back up (she hates the vent)! She is resting now thanks to some wonderful meds!

Look Mom...No Tubes

We said goodbye to the NG tube on her face for the last time! Look at those kissy cheeks!!!

4 Months

Emmalynn is now 6 lb 14 oz and 18 inches long! This month she hit 5 and 6 pounds and is rounding the corner for 7. Grow baby girl! A lot happened this month. Grandparents were able to hold her for the first time, she was moved to the well baby side (which made staying 12 hours a day with her much more comfortable), she had her first bath in her baby tub, she got spoiled at my Arizona baby shower, daddy changed her trach 3 times (he had to before we could send him off to school), she got to play in her bouncer for the first time (which she liked), she had her first bout of pneumonia, followed by a swallow study to make sure she wasn't aspirating which would cause the pneumonia (she wasn't). Her upper GI test proved she had reflux and that she was working hard fighting her food coming back up so she ordered a prescription sling (papoose) to prop her upright while she eats. We learned that the Wubbanub is PRICELESS! She passed her due date and daddy came to visit us! She nursed for the first time and knew exactly what to do. She graduated from preemie diapers to newborn diapers and preemie clothes to newborn clothes. And we all survived her first shots!

Shots

Emmalynn had one shot yesterday and barely flinched (which may be because her doctor treats her like a princess and ordered numbing cream)! Her shots today were another story. One in each leg and she cried (even with the cream)! Then her leg got rock hard and hot and swollen. Poor thing! And this was her mood for the rest of the day! Can't say I blame her.

What A Day

Excuse the blurry picture. Miss Emmalynn is 6 lb 11 oz! Today was a big day! She had her NG feeding tube replaced because she pulled it out (she was not a happy camper), got her first shots (she made a cry face for 2.5 seconds then fell back asleep), got a bath (slept through most of it), had her trach ties changed (tried to eat my hand the whole time), and got to nurse twice (which she liked)! Oh and I am officially a mom...she peed on me!

Happy Girl

Emmalynn was a happy girl playing with mommy on the new boppy I made her. I captured the end of some smiles.

Her nurse sent me a text with this adorable picture of her wide awake this morning hanging out in her bouncer.

Music

When I was pregnant with Emmalynn and there was music playing she would go nuts in my tummy. After I had her they explained that it was overstimulation for preemies to listen to music. When they said I could bring in her mobile and bouncer I was excited because they had music. Every time I change her diaper (unless it's night time), I always turn on her mobile and she just stares at it and listens. Well they still say no music however, I AM THE MOMMA! Yesterday she had her eyes dilated and checked (yay she is good for 6 months!) and of course she was irritated. So naturally I talked to her and laid my head by her and sang. Then I thought, you know what, I will just turn on a primary song with no words, just a melody and play it softly by her head. Wouldn't you know, she LOVED it. She turned her head completely to that side and just laid really still. Don't tell me that's overstimulation! She was calm as could be!