a whole week at home?!

Lainey,

As I sit here watching you look up at the shapes on your bouncy seat and have a Baby Einstein station added to my Pandora line up, it's hard to believe you have only been in this house for a week.  Because you have been gracing the world with your presence for nearly 6 weeks and God knows that you have been in my heart for even longer. 

I love to catch a glimpse of your smile when I talk to you, and I love to sit and try to guess what you are thinking.  Right now you are grinning in your sleep...what are you doing in that dream? Buying something fancy and expensive?  Running around outside? Pretending to be the princess of a castle? The faces you make are comical, to say the least.  I hate to admit it, but I have even caught myself having entire conversations with you, even though you are obviously not going to respond to anything I ask you.  Perhaps I am crazy? Meh... probably not.  I love to lay with you on my chest and watch you sleep so peacefully. Watching your belly rise and fall with your breaths is a calming moment for me.

My favorite time of the day is the time I spend with you - trying to figure you out. You are just as complicated and stubborn as I am, that much I have learned in our short time hanging out at home.  

I have been watching you grow since day one and it's absolutely amazing to me to see how you have changed and how much you change on a daily basis.  I am waiting to see what color eyes you will have.  Today they look gray, yesterday they looked blue-ish.  I know the shape of them is definitely your daddy's (no Asian eyes for you, my dear) but I am hoping you get his pretty blue color too.

Your NICU nurses have all become our facebook friends and they "stalk" you out as much as possible. I honestly do not know where you would be today without them. They have made you healthier than I could ever imagine and I don't know if they love all of their patients like they love you, but baby girl, they sure as hell do love you. They got you this far, now daddy and I have to get you the rest of the way.

Love,

Momma

Almost a month old

Sorry everyone! I know ya'll have been anxiously awaiting an update! I try to keep facebook updated as much as possible, but things are still pretty hectic so I am sure to slack more than I'd like. 

Lainey is almost a month old... holy hell where is time flying off to?!?! For most moms, this first month is spent at home cuddling and feeding and hanging out with your new kiddo.  Unfortunately, for THIS mom, my days are spent pumping breast milk, running errands, doing laundry, nesting...and pretty much everything else you do to prepare for a baby to come home. And then, of course, add my daily visit to see "lil bit."  We had our baby shower over the weekend, and have been spending quite a bit of time trying to organize all of those goodies and find homes for them in the house! 

But ya'll didn't stop by to see what I am doing... you are more interested in what Lainey has been up to at the NICU.  Lainey is up to 3 pounds 10 ounces. Just a few more ounces to go until she is a full pound bigger than her birth weight.  

We did have a little set back last week.  Without going into too much detail, Lainey's stomach/intestines were upset so the doctors held her feedings for a few days and restarted her liquid nutrients and fats through an IV.  They think the human milk fortifier is what was causing the issue, so she is no longer having that added to my breast milk.  That being said, we are back in action to the extreme!! She didn't lost any weight while her feedings were being held and she is now gradually getting back up to where she left off with her feeding amounts.  And while this whole ordeal can definitely be seen as a set back, it has launched us way forward too!  You see, while Lainey was getting her nutrients through the IV, she took it upon herself to take out her NG tube - the feeding tube in her nose.  I guess she said, "Yo! I'm done with this!" Now that she has restarted feedings, she is taking every feeding from a bottle.  This means NO MORE NG TUBE!!  As long as she continues to take her feedings as well as she has been for the last week, we are done with the feeding tube. 

The nurses are also having fun dressing Lainey up in her little premie onesies!  Most fashionable girl in the NICU, if you ask me!  The nurses are also starting to talk about "when she moves into her big girl bed."  Which is very exciting!  That will be a big step for baby girl - to graduate to a normal infant bassinet.

Lainey's nursery is almost done. (Thank goodness!!) All we have left to do is hang stuff on the walls. No worries...I will be sure to post about it as soon as it's ready.