What a Roller Coaster!

Bailey is five weeks old this week--and what a week it's been! This week has validated this statement for me this week: The life of a preemie is a roller coaster. What a roller coaster this week has been. On Wednesday we found out that Bailey was having some trouble; there were several options that were possible causes for her problems. They had to stop her feedings entirely and hook her back up to an IV. The doctors knew there was some type of infection inside of her, they just weren't sure where it was or what type of infection it was either. They had to take all types of tests and xrays every six hours. It was quite a set back for us because on Tuesday there was talk of taking her feeding tube out and eating entirely from the bottle--that's a huge step for preemies. So to go from doing really well on Tuesday to we're not sure what's wrong with your baby on Wednesday was very upsetting to say the least. My mom and I spent most of the day down at the hospital with Bailey to help calm her down. She didn't like being all hooked up again and they couldn't wrap her up like a little burrito. Once I held her, she was able to calm down and fall right asleep (it also helped to calm me down too). On Wednesday night, Brian and my dad came down to the hospital to give her a blessing. It made me feel much better. Thursday morning when my mom and I went to the hospital, we were greeted with a surprise--Bailey was doing much better and she had all of her tubes taken out. It was the first time that we'd seen her face without any tubes! She is so cute! The doctors and nurses all said she was doing much better and they were able to identify her infection. We were also moved from the big nursery to a "private suite" down the hall to make sure that none of the other babies get the infection. It's much more peaceful in her new room where there's only one other baby, one nurse, and a lot less noise. On Thursday and Friday, my mom and I spent most of the day in Bailey's room just chatting with the nurse. The week has ended on a really good note. They're going to start her feeding again today, but really slowly. So they'll work on getting her back up to where she was on Tuesday. I'm very glad that this week is over and I'm optimistic for the future. I'm so grateful for all of the doctors and nurses who have helped Bailey this week. They are so wonderful and loving to my little girl and they also help me too. Let's all hope for a great week number six next week!

One Month Old

I can't believe it! Bailey is one month old today. It's gone by so quickly, but at the same time so slow--if that makes any sense. So quickly in the fact that this past month has been the craziest month of my life with so many unexpected things going on. Every day I am learning more and more as I spend more time at the hospital watching Bailey progress. I almost feel like I can hold my own in a medical conversation with the nurses now. But it's also been the slowest month of my life because she's still in the hospital. Some days seem to drag by, but when I stop and think about it I realize that another week has gone by.

The exciting news for me is that I started driving this week...unsupervised. I was really looking forward to this time so I could drive down whenever I wanted to. But to be honest, it's been a little boring doing everything by myself.

Last Saturday was the baby shower and it was a ton of fun. I got some of the cutest and smallest outfits that you'll ever see. I am so excited to get Bailey home and play dress up. Having a girl is definitely a dream come true for me because I can hardly restrain myself from buying every pink, girly item of clothing that I walk by. I can just picture Bailey in all of the adorable outfits that everyone gave us. It was also a really fun day because my Grandma came to the shower and then after we went down to see Bailey. My Grandma was so excited to finally meet and hold Bailey--my Grandma (and my Great Grandma and my Great Great Grandma) is why we chose Mae as Bailey's middle name. While we were visiting Bailey on Saturday, we totally broke the hospital's rules and snuck my mom in while my grandma was in and took a four generation picture. (I would post it but we took it on my Grandma's camera) They are very strict on only two visitors for each baby, but I guess the nurses realized how momentous the occasion really was. It's always fun for me to see my family members with Bailey.

WARNING TO BOY READERS FOR THIS NEXT SECTION: THE TOPIC IS NURSING
Yesterday was a big day for both Bailey and me because we started learning how to nurse. Notice that I said that WE both learned because it is definitely a learning process for both of us. Thank goodness for the kind and super sweet nurses that take care of Bailey and help me with anything and everything. Nurse Kathy helped me with my first attempt at nursing yesterday. For only being 34 weeks old, they say that Bailey is doing really well. The 5-10 minutes of "nursing" mostly consists of Bailey sitting there with her mouth open, but no action going on. The best and strangest part about the whole experience is that they put us in a little room to try for the first time. After Kathy showed me how to do everything and reassured me that everything would be just fine, she closed the door and left me and Bailey all alone. That was the first time that I had been alone with my baby girl. It was both exciting and scary at the same time.

To all the moms out there: Each day brings me a new appreciation for everything that moms do for their children.

NEWS ALERT: Brian just came home and told me that Bailey weighs four pounds!!! That's just a few ounces for most people/babies, but a giant step for preemies.

First Blog Ever

Well, here's to my first blog ever written--whether it be good or bad. I'm writing this mostly so Brian will stop asking me if I've blogged today; I also aim to write a blog like my sister-in-law Sam. I also blog because I happen to have a little bit of time on my hands.

My little Bailey is three weeks old today!!! Yeah for Bailey! Every time that a doctor walks by while I'm at the hospital, he/she says that Bailey is doing really great. The most recent update is that they've increased her caffeine dosage to hopefully help decrease her apnea events. I hope that they're right because when she stops breathing, her mom's heart stops beating momentarily. It's only for a brief moment, but it's enough to scare me to death. Seeing your little baby turn blue is not something that I ever imagine that I'd have to experience on a daily basis. But her apnea really has been getting better over the past few days, so I'm keeping a positive outlook. If they keep increasing her caffeine dosage, I'm afraid that she'll come home addicted to DC (Diet Coke to those who don't know our family lingo) like the rest of my family.
Bailey is a very peaceful baby. She loves to sleep and will occasionally open her eyes and check out her new world. Her big time tricks right now are blinking, yawning, wiggling her long, but ultra tiny fingers, and making a random little squeak every now and then. My favorite thing is when I hold her and she snuggles right up to me. I can hardly wait until she comes home and we can snuggle as much as she wants--although I'm sure that as soon as she comes home her sleeping phase will change to a crying phase. She loves meeting all the members of her family and is super excited to meet Auntie Keri on Thursday!

Well, I've got to go and get ready for my big outing to the hospital today. I'll tell Bailey that everyone says, "Hi!"