Daddy surprised us by coming home this weekend! She just stared at him for over an hour! Emmalynn adores her daddy!
When he finally tucked her in bed, she was so relaxed and zonked out I had to take a picture!
8/31/12
8/30/12
Tests
Be jealous...I get to kiss these cheeks!
Emmalynn got all dressed up for her swallow study downstairs yesterday morning! Yep those are jeggings! Darn IV in her head ruined our plan for a big bow! Almost done with the antibiotics for her pneumonia though. The swallow study showed she wasn't aspirating, however, she doesn't suck hard enough to know for sure.
The doctor told me we would wait a week or more to do her upper GI testing for her reflux and surprise, they did her upper GI testing today! Somebody listened to this momma! She does have reflux but it's not as bad as they originally thought, which means no surgery (thank heavens)! Bad news is this doesn't change anything for now. We're waiting for all the docs to talk with the feeding specialist to make a plan of action.
8/28/12
6 lbs on her "Due Date"
Emmalynn's "due date" was today and she hit 6 lbs! Although having her in my tummy would have been an easier route for all of us, we have been able to see the miracle of life as our little one grew on the outside the past 110 days!
8/27/12
8/26/12
Wubbanub
It was recommended that we buy a Wubbanub...and it is a lifesaver!
Look how cute she looks in her little skirt (thanks Leah)!
8/23/12
8/22/12
8/21/12
Pneumonia
Pneumonia from possible aspiration...booo! I am grateful for her attentive nurse who knew she was acting too sleepy and something was up. I am also grateful for doctors who listen to the nurses and parents! An xray was ordered along with cultures which came back not so good. Poor Emmalynn had to get an IV but she didn't even flinch (thank you to the sugar water). She will be on 2 antibiotics for a few days and then just 1 for about 10. Even when she is sick she is so content.
8/19/12
We've Moved...
...to Las Vegas, Nevada!
Let me rephrase that. Phil has moved to Las Vegas. Me and Emmalynn will be hanging out here in Arizona until mid December. After 2 years of waiting to get into the Marriage and Family Therapy program at UNLV, Phil got the phone call he had been waiting for just weeks after we had Emmalynn. When he was originally contacted, we thought the timing was perfect because I was due at the end of August and my doctor was going to let me have her 2 weeks early. Well, Miss Emmalynn had a different plan! We prayed about it, went to the temple, and talked to her doctors. Although it isn't the ideal situation being apart, we felt it was the right decision for our little family. We have had so many miracles happen along the way for this new step in our lives. We started contacting bishops in the area hoping someone might know of a member who had a house for rent. We had to be picky because of Emmalynn's medical needs. We were lucky to find a family right away who literally moved everything out of their house in a day within hours of when we pulled up with our moving van. The ward had us moved in within 45 minutes! And the ward is so great! We know it's a perfect fit for us! We had a whirlwind weekend getting things unpacked, pre-making Phil meals for his new adventure as a bachelor, and cleaning.
Here is a picture of the front of the house.
Here is a picture from the street and if you look close you can see the temple just under and to the right of the stop sign. Our ward building is literally right next to the temple!
December can't come soon enough and Facetime/Skype will be a life saver! Thank goodness Allegiant Airlines is only a $33 flight each way! Here we go for another 2 1/2 years! Gotta love being poor starving students!
8/17/12
Bouncer
Emmalynn got to try out her bouncer for the first time! She was a little skeptical, especially when we turned on the vibration for her to feel it. She does however like that the flower and bird hang only inches from her face and she likes to look at them.
Of course she was out afterwards!
8/14/12
8/13/12
8/12/12
1st Trach Change
We are required to pass off and learn a few things before we take Miss Emmalynn home. Daddy got the honor of being the first one to change her trach...and he ROCKED it! He was completely calm and Emmalynn was an angel during it. She didn't even move and slept through the whole thing. Afterwards we swaddled her and popped that binky in and she opened her eyes real big and sighed like saying thanks daddy!
8/11/12
A Shower & A Bath
My Arizona baby shower was so fun (thanks Mom and Molly)! They used the adorable carnival theme like in Utah. I don't have a lot of pictures but I am overwhelmed by all the love and support! Emmalynn is one spoiled LOVED little girl!
And in other BIG news...Emmalynn got moved over to the other side of the NICU! As in, we have our own room complete with a fridge, TV, desk, closet and cupboards, couch, and recliner. Now I can hang out with Emmalynn more comfortably.
I got to give Emmalynn her first bath in her tub and she enjoyed it! Giving a bath to a baby with a trach is a little harder since you obviously can't get water in it, so you just have to be more careful. She kept looking around and up at me like what's going on?! As always she still loves her hair washed!
8/10/12
Newborn Size?
Emmalynn's nurses said to bring in newborn size clothes (not to be confused with 0-3 month). They are quite big, but she is growing so fast (thank you to the fortifiers they add to my milk)! 4 lb 9 oz! Grow baby, grow!
8/9/12
3 Months
Where has the time gone?! At 3 months Emmalynn is 4 lb 2 oz and about 15 1/2 inches long! This month she got rid of that darn picc line in her head, had 2 failed extubations, started CPAP sprinting to challenge her lungs, a bronchoscopy to see why she was failing said extubations, and the biggest thing was getting her tracheostomy! Since she got her trach she is thriving! She never (tries) to cry, but has on rare occasion pouted her bottom lip. All its takes is my voice or the shh shh sound and she is fine. She is proving to us everyday that all she needed was that temporary airway!
8/8/12
Changes...
1) I changed from B pod to C pod and now have a window!
2) I went from CPAP to just humidity and a blow by of some oxygen!
3) I am big enough to have a mobile to look at and listen to!
4) Grammy got to hold me for the first time!
8/6/12
CPAP
I am rockin' CPAP, or in other words, taking breathes on my own! See, I just needed a temporary airway until mine grows.
8/5/12
Daddy Fed Emmalynn
Yay, daddy got me dressed in my cute owl jammies (thanks auntie Shawna)!
Daddy fed me for the first time and I drank all 5 ml!
And now I am all tuckered out!
8/4/12
Crib + First Bottle
I was so excited when I got to Emmalynn's bedside this morning because she got a big girl bed! She can maintain her own body temperature and that's why she got to make the move to a crib finally! Naturally I hurried and made a fitted crib sheet and tutu crib skirt to spruce it up!
And as if that wasn't a fun enough surprise, Emmalynn also got to have her very first bottle. She drank all 5 ml and seemed to like it!
She still adores that binky though! 4 lb 3 oz!
8/2/12
Day 2 Post Surgery
Today Emmalynn got to put clothes on again, she went up to her full feeds (12 ml an hour), had an eye exam, and daddy got to hold her for the first time since surgery! She weighs 4 lb 2 oz and is doing so great!
8/1/12
What a Trooper
This is Emmalynn day 1 post surgery. She is such a trooper! We can't believe how awake and alert she is!
7/31/12
Trach
Emmalynn's surgery went well. She will be sedated and paralyzed for a little while. We still hate this for her, but know it's what needed to happen. She looks so beautiful with no tape or tubes on her face! We love this little girl!
Because there was another baby in our pod who had to have surgery and was too sick to go down to the operating room, they shut down Emmalynn's pod and we couldn't see her most of the day. They let us sneak in after getting hats and masks on so we could peak at her right after she got back and before they started the other baby's surgery. It was a blessing though because she was out of it anyways and we hadn't slept in 24 hours (she was fussy the night before because she was sore from the bronch and extubation). Luckily the hospital had given us a nesting room for a few days so we could sleep. The next day we couldn't see her again because that baby had to have more surgery. Sadly he passed away and our heart goes out to that family.
7/30/12
Surgery It Is...
Today was kinda a rough day for Emmalynn. She had a bronch done to see where and how bad the swelling was in her airway. The good news was it was her vocal chords and it wasn't too bad. The bad news is she failed her 8th extubation and she failed rather quickly. What does this all mean? It means tomorrow morning she will have a trach put in. Hopefully for 6 months to 1 year but this is Emmalynn's story so we will just have to see. We could use your prayers right now as this was a very clear but devastating decision we had to make. I am grateful for tender mercies though because I got to hear my baby cry before she gets the trach! I may have to wait another year to hear her again.
Look at this sweet baby resting before her big day tomorrow.
7/29/12
New Bed
Emmalynn went from this (the lid is open)...
...to this in preparation for her bronch down in the operating room!
7/26/12
7/25/12
Fashionista
It's no secret. Emmalynn is a little diva and her nurses have LOVED playing dress up with her on a daily basis...and sometimes more than once a day! Of course I LOVE it too! One of her doctors, who is just like a grandpa to me, came in one morning and told her nurse to put some clothes on that naked baby! That's all this momma needed to hear before I brought in her wardrobe! Her preemie clothes are still a little big, but she'll grow into them!
3 lb 11 oz
3 lb 12 oz
3 lb 13 oz
3 lb 15 oz
4 lb 1 oz
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