Showers of Love

Natalie is doing awesome. A month ago I would have been nervous to write that because it might jinx something, but those superstitions have left us as she has gotten stronger and healthier. We were told last weekend that if all goes well she would be home in 3-4 weeks. All is going well and I think she will be home before we know it - probably in 2 weeks not 3. They up her feeds every day and she is up to 35 mls, which is a little over an ounce every three hours. In the next day or two, she will be up to what they consider "full feeds" and then they can take her off her TPN, which is her IV nutrition. If all goes smoothly, she will then get her PICC line taken out which has been on the side of her scalp since her surgery on February 22.

Natalie is 6 lbs 9 oz as of today. She is taking most of her feeds by bottle, but they keep the gavage (feeding) tube in to give her the milk that way when she is too tired to use the bottle. She is like clockwork on her three hour hospital schedule and about 15 minutes before the hour starts stirring and/or fussing depending on how hungry she is. On Thursday, they took her off high flow (her nasal canulla) and she has been breathing completely on her own since.

Over the past week, almost every nurse and NICU staff member has stopped to talk to me when they spot me. They all just keep telling me how amazing she looks and how good she is doing. They have always kept a brave front for us, but in many of them you can see true excitement and relief at her progress. We were moved to "West St" in the NICU. In the unit there are 4 hallways (North, South, East and West Street) and she has been in South St since she has arrived. We spent 4 weeks in room 2 and then the past 8 in room 1. These two rooms are right near the entrance with the center desks and is apparently the loudest area. She was moved on Wednesday which is a big sign that she is on her way home. She was in the high traffic area where she was close to the doctors and staff if they were ever needed. She is now on the quiet hall where there are private/smaller rooms and not as much foot traffic. Obviously, her nurse is still tending to her and in the area just as much, but it is much quieter. Everyone told us how much we would like it there, but I guess after being in the center of it all for so long, it is a little lonely there. And to be perfectly honest, I am a really nosy person and like seeing everyone who comes through the door.

I left work on Thursday feeling sick with a cold and decided to go home and take my temperature before going to see her. The NICU basic rule is if you have a fever, stay away. I went home and sure enough I had a fever. By a few hours later, I had a 102.8 fever. I guess it was only a matter of time before I wore myself down, but I got hit hard. Usually when I get sick I ignore it go to work, but not this time. I stayed home, slept and drank tons of fluids. I went to the doctor to confirm it was viral and was told by him, the NICU and my OB (yes, we checked with everyone) that it was safe to see her 24 hours after my fever broke. This would have put me at earlier today, but I decided to play it safe and wait until tomorrow to go spend the day with her. It has been very hard not seeing her since Wednesday. Luckily, I have so much trust and love for the nurses, I do not worry about leaving her, but I did miss her. Jimmy visited her each day of course and she was fine, which is great, but part of me wondered if she noticed my absence. It is hard to know what they are aware of, but I am hoping tomorrow she will be relaxed and happy to have me back.

Another big event was both Grandmas got to finally hold their baby this week. My Mom came on Wednesday to hold her. She has been asking me just about every week since Day 1 when she could finally hold her and she was very excited when her time came. She did good and did not cry too hard, but teared up when she finally got to feel that little bundle of warmth and tell her "You know how much I love you, right?" It was a special moment and they hung out for some time while they switched her things to her new room. Jimmy's mom got to hold her on Friday night after she flew in from NC. I was still in quarantine but heard Grandma and baby were very happy, and Claire had a very wide-awake critter in her arms.

Today was my long- awaited, twice rescheduled baby shower. Originally it was supposed to be March 7th, but that was when she was supposed to arrive in May. We rescheduled it, but then when she got really sick, I asked my sister to cancel it and not worry about it until after her surgeries. I wanted to wait until we knew for sure she was coming home otherwise I do not think anyone would enjoy themselves as much. But today was a beautiful event, we got to celebrate our little miracle on the nicest day of the year so far. Everyone was very happy and there was just a general feeling of relief amongst the group. I cannot get over the generosity and love shown to our little family. We are truly blessed.

I have to thank my sister in all of this. After a couple years of trying and two miscarriages, when we finally got past that 1st trimester I was all over her about my shower. I was just so incredibly excited that this was finally happening. Then since she was born early I have changed my mind a million times, cry when I am not sure about something and in general am not always the most pleasant person in front of her (I mean what are sisters for?) Other than light teasing, she has taken it stride and along with my Mom and Sister-in-Law and Jimmy's Mom and Sister and my Dad threw me an amazing day. It was stressful on her, and I was a bit of a lunatic, and had to remind myself that she was dealing with all that while her baby niece (not just my daughter) was going through all of this. I know how I feel about my nieces and nephews, and cannot imagine watching from the sidelines.

So another super long post because it has been almost a week since I have updated you all. But I am so happy to be able to only give you good news. When we got home from the shower, Jimmy had a Facebook message from one of the NICU couples we have made friends with during our time. Their baby boy has had a long journey like Natalie, but with different challenges along the way. Both our babies got sick around the same time and we started to check in with each other. It was nice to have a friendly face to share our happy moments and our scary moments with. When we got home the message let us know that they were discharged today. I am sad we did not see them, but am so incredibly happy to hear he is able to go home and start his wonderful like with his parents. It made Jimmy and me very happy, and excited to have our own homecoming soon.

Here is your dose of Miss Natalie Rose: