Happy Due Date

15 weeks ago, May 8^th seemed so far away. Today is Natalie’s due date and she is finally 40 weeks. This means that tomorrow we can start her corrected age of 1 Day Old. What I once hoped would be my "Mother's Day Baby" is already 3 1/2 months old and I cannot imagine her any other way.

Natalie is progressing into a beautiful, healthy baby girl. The past couple of weeks have produced astounding changes as she now stares directly at you when you are talking to her and she looks from person to person while there is a conversation going. She cries for her bottle and has even started whining when you put her back in her crib. I have spent months not feeling guilty for putting her back, but now she whines and gives me a big puppy dog look when I tuck her back in bed. She hates her baths and acts like it is torture. And like any other child on the planet, getting her face wiped clean is a major offense.

She lost almost a whole pound on her diuretic and is now working her way back up. She is 7 lb 3 oz and she looks so much better. People ask how you can tell that is fluid she is retaining and let me tell you there is a big difference between a chubby baby and a bloated one.

Her tongue was bright white and they found out she has thrush on Sunday. They started her on medicine that day and by the next day there was a huge difference. Thrush is a type of yeast infection in her mouth and they said it probably burned while she was eating.

Between her fluid coming down and mouth healing she has been eating like a whole new baby this week.

A lot of the nurses and staff have been taking vacations and have returned this weekend. Their reactions when they see Natalie are amazing. They all think she is adorable, and beautiful and they promise, “they are not just saying it”.  They cannot get over how alert she is and how well she is doing. It must be one of their favorite parts of their jobs to see one of their babies do this well after all these months. They all want to know if she is on the discharge team and when she going home, but we still do not know. My nurse yesterday said probably in the next 10-14 days. Eek!

In our time at the NICU we have met so many families going through similar situations as us. Though a lot of children come through the NICU and stay for a couple of days, there is a core group of us that are there for the long haul. It is impossible to not feel a connection with them as we experience this together. In talking to them it is amazing to see that though we have encountered many of the same challenges, every experience is entirely different. I guess the NICU team was right back in January when they said they could not tell us what to expect.

We are both excited and scared for her homecoming, but I am sure that is normal for everyone including parents who have full-term, “normal” babies. I just cannot wait to not have to say goodbye to her every night and being there when she wakes up throughout the day is going to be an inexplicable joy.

Until next week friends. I apologize for how boring these entries have been, but hopefully, they excite you all as they do myself for their wonderful news.

Here is your dose of Natalie Rose - 

Stop taking pictures of me and give me my bottle. Or else.

Our happy girl

Milk Coma

After bath and holding her pacifier like a pro