So, as you can tell. I haven't updated in awhile. Turns out, life with a baby at home leaves you with less time in your day than having a baby in the hospital! Seriously, I thought I would be able to stay on top of school work and swim work while Olivia was in the NICU but then the day would pass by in a whirl and I realized I accomplished nothing (besides snuggling, and that reigns supreme over anything)! So now I sit at home with a sleeping (finally!) baby in my lap and I'll procrastinate a little longer on homework and get out an update .
To backtrack... All we were waiting for was for Olivia to gain some weigh without the use of her ng tube. The first night they weighed her, she lost weight, but they gave her the benefit of the doubt since she had to switch rooms and therefor the scales were different. The next night, she gained just a little, but it was a gain! Then, her weight stayed the exact same. The nurse was awesome and said she would weigh her again in a few hours, but unfortunately, Olivia then lost weight. So, on to another night full of anxiety and wanting to just go home. Thursday night, she gained and phil and I were so happy and hopeful that she would be discharged! Even though she had gained weight, the doctor could say that he would like to see her stay for another night, just as a precaution. Phil and I learned that what was once told to us could be changed, so we tried to be calm a about the possibility of going home.
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| Car ride home |
Friday morning, we arrived around 7a with high hopes that Good Friday would be Great Friday! We tried to stay busy and not get ahead of ourselves by packing up her room. The CNP came by and talked with us about her progress and that he thought we would get the okay from the doctor to go home. Away he went to find the doc while phil and I held crossed our fingers. A 9:30am, we got the all-clear!! The doctor agreed that she was ready to go home, so he completed his final exam and then we started packing up her room. About 2 hours later, we had everything packed in the car, had our discharge papers, appointment was made with Olivia's pediatrician, had said our goodbyes and at last, Olivia was free of any cords! Changing a diaper was so much easier! (Not any more pleasant, but definitely easier)!
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| We're going home! |
Phil was the adorable dad walking out of the the hospital with Olivia in her car seat. Everyone we passed, he happily showed her off :) then it was the hour long drive home and we were finally here. The first day was spent unpacking, organizing and getting used to hearing baby noises in our house. I would be doing laundry and hear her cry and just think, wow, she's really home. Sometimes, I think I'm babysitting and I'm just waiting for the parents to come pick her up. But, I'm a parent now :)
It's been wonderful going about with normal things, but now adding a baby to the mix. Saturday we ran errands and we dealt with the initial questioning of what to do with the carrier when we were grocery shopping. Put it up top, In the cart, hold it?! So many options! Sunday at church, we continued to give the thanks and praise and celebrate this miracle. However, focusing on the sermon was a little more difficult because every noise she made, we were ready to hold her or take her out to walk with her. The couple behind us had four kids and I'm sure they were just laughing and thinking 'newbies.'
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| Easter bunny present |
Monday, phil went to work, but Olivia and I met him there at lunch time and he got to show her off to his coworkers. Tuesday was her first visit with the pediatrician and she weighed in at a whopping 7lbs 6oz! Everything was great and the pediatrician said she was progressing well. We go back next week for a weight check, as we are wanting to take her off of the supplement that she gets in the bottle with breasts milk. Wednesday, I went back to teach. A parent on the swim club offered to help watch Olivia, so I dropped her off, went to school to have office hours and prep for my first class back. Thankfully, there is only 4 weeks of school left, and I only teach on Mondays and Wednesdays. Swim season doesn't start until the 15th, so I'm easing into going back to things.
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| Mommy and Olivia |
It's a transition. There are many things that I love. Cuddling, dressing her in cute clothes (goodness know we have TONS of clothes), watching her make adorable facial expressions and hearing her cute grunts. And there are some things that I am learning to love... like the points at night when I wonder if this baby will ever go to sleep, getting 90 minutes of sleep at a time, and getting pooped on (yes, I have been inducted to the parenthood club and was attacked on the arm and hand with baby poop). But, it's a new life and it's our new life. And we'll learn to love every minute of it!
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| Daddy and Olivia |
