Venema camping 101

The Venemas can surely be camping folk, right?  Yeah right! Have you met me?! Since Hurricane Irene rocked us over the weekend, and took our power with her on the way out of town.  So we have definitely earned our camping badge this week.

We are on day 4 of being pilgrims. 

In all honesty, it hasn't been so bad. Luckily, we have a generator that is juuuuuust big enough to power the fridge, a fan, and the laptop. What more do we need any way?!  We do a lot of grilling, a lot of laying on the couch watching DVDs, a lot of bouncy seating, and a lot of snuggling. The weather has also been in our favor since the hurricane - not like a normal VA summer heat! It's nice during the day and cool at night. 

Phil's McGyver style pizza making skills.

And to top it all off, this mommy had to return to work with week too! UGH! 

Go Go gadget super balanced awesome career mom!

We are hoping that our power will be restored by the end of the week.  Until then... this how my evenings are looking, and I am totally okay with it.

A little behind

Sorry, I am a little behind in my postings... this is my last week of maternity leave and I am trying to enjoy every minute of it!  Not to mention, I am trying to cram all of the things I thought I would get done in the last few weeks into this one!  Oh how I wish I could just be a stay at home momma with baby girl.  But le sigh...momma's gotta pay the bills!

On the news front

Lainey is starting to sleep for longer stretches of time.  Thank you, Baby Jesus!! So far, her maximum has been 5 hours, but the average is closer to 4 these days.  When I weighed her last week, she was 7 pounds-ish.  I say "ish" because I am not sure how accurate me standing on the scale with her and then without her really is; but it gives us a general idea!

As far as sleeping is concerned... 

when she's out - she's out! She even slept through yesterday's earthquake!  Yes, you read that right... earthquake! A 5.8 Magnitude rocked through Virginia and then shook the rest of the East Coast.  I must admit, I didn't know what it was at first.  I thought it was the washing machine being way off-balance. (I had it full of blankets, so it seemed logical.)  Next thing I know, Philip is coming through the front door saying, "Did you feel the earthquake? You ok?? Tim says it was an earthquake!"

Earthquake? What earthquake??

ps.
Yesterday we had the pleasure of working with my friend Blair to have Lainey's newborn photos taken... so be on the look out for a post of *gorgeous* portraits! There's a sneak peak on facebook and I couldn't be happier!!

Things Momma is looking forward to...

I have been spending my afternoons napping with Lainey on my chest.  Watching her breathe, talking to her when she wiggles, but most of all, I lay there thinking about all of the things we have to look forward to as a new family.  Not that I am wishing away time, because I know these naps, snores, smiles, and even cries are precious; but really... how can I not look forward to more fun adventures!

As a new mom, here are some things I am looking forward to (in no particular order):

• Fitting into newborn clothes
• Finding Lainey's style
• Halloween
• Christmas (yes, I know... Lainey will not know what is going on, but I will!)
• Family vacation at the beach next year
• Her first birthday party
• Hair bows
• Finger painting
• School supply shopping
• Making baby food
• Baby giggles
• Photo shoots

But most of all, I am looking forward to my new life as a momma.  Raising Lainey will be my greatest accomplishment and I am looking forward to every minute, every milestone and every memory. 

As our due date approaches

We are three days away from our due date... in just a few days, the pregnancy app on my phone is going to send me a notification saying "you are due this week!" Little does it know... Lainey nearly 7 weeks old already! 

Yesterday we went to the doctor's office for a check up, and it went incredibly well!! Couldn't have asked for a better visit!! The doctor has officially labeled Lainey a "normal baby."  Now to most people, that doesn't seem like a big deal, and in all honesty, she has always been a normal baby in my eyes. But now it's medically official!! Praise God for this miracle! 

No longer do we have to go to get weighed every week to monitor her weight gain; she is gaining like she is supposed to and eating like a little piggy!  I can now turn off the 3-hour alarm on my phone and let Lainey tell me when she is hungry.  Since she has been home, I have been religiously making sure she ate every 3 hours, whether she was asleep or not.  We are even graduating to big girl bottles - big girl bottles filled with a combo of breast milk and hypoallergenic formula. 

Lainey's stats:

Weight: 4 pounds 13.6 ounces

Length: 18.5 inches

Head Circumference: 32.7 cm

Lainey is almost outgrowing her premie clothes - anything with feet on the bottom is pretty much a lost cause at this point.  There are a couple of sleepers with feet on them that she can still wear, but for the most part, she lives in Carter's onesies and matching pants.

Another awesome milestone for Little Miss is that she sleeps in her crib all night!! No more bassinet and no more sleeping on Mommy's chest all night; which also means no more Mommy staying awake to watch baby breathe.  She still cuddles and takes naps on my chest, but that first week of me just staying awake all night were pretty exhausting!  

Some of you may remember earlier I said Lainey was getting a delish combo in those new big girl bottles... that may have you asking, "what happened to the breast milk?!" Well maintaining her feeding schedule and then trying to keep up the pumping, was also proving to be REALLY EXHAUSTING! Ideally, one could feed the baby, pump, do chores and take a nap all while baby sleeps between feedings.  And believe me, I tried!! But 2-3 hours is not as much time as it seems! Lainey's doctor agreed that the hypoallergenic formula is good for her and said we could go on with the transition to formula.  This transition will also be helpful once I go back to work in a few weeks.

All in all... Lainey boo is doing phenomenal! Every day she is growing and changing.  

We couldn't be happier to have her home with us.

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. 

Lainey's first week

Its been just over a week since Lainey made her grand debut and she is doing great!  Every day is a step in the right direction.  But yesterday?  Yesterday was a LEAP in the right direction!!

We have hit a couple of milestones since our last update:

1. We are starting to give Lainey a binky and she is actually sucking on it!  This is great because it means her sucking reflexes are starting to work.
2. Our food in take gets bumped one cc every 9 hours now!  Last night when we left the hospital, Lainey was up to 15cc - that's half an ounce!!
3. Her residuals (the breastmilk left her in her belly after a feeding) have consistently been ZERO! This means she is absorbing all of her feedings!
4. Lainey is starting to poop on her own.  Now this may be TMI for some of you, but this is a big deal to her daddy! And it's a huge milestone for her little tummy!!
5. The biggest milestone of all?  LAINEY HAS SURPASSED HER BIRTH WEIGHT!! After dropping down to 2 pounds 11 ounces, she is now 2 pounds 14 ounces! Way to go, big girl!!

Lainey was also moved from her original isolette "apartment" to a new, fancy one!  She has moved on up to a condo! Her new giraffe bed makes it easier for the nurses to interact with Lainey and they are able to weigh her everyday without taking her out of the isolette. 

She is such a happy and alert baby.  Whenever we visit, she just looks up at us and smiles.  If she isn't sleeping, she is smiling.  The nurses always talk about what a good baby she is and how much they enjoy her. 

Every day, we go and visit her.  We read books and play pandora radio in her condo.  The other day I said, "I love you" and she looked right back at me and smiled.