Friday, May 31, 2013

6p.m.

Adam and I took Aubrey back to our NICU home yesterday (the first hospital--the one where she was born and where we stayed so infernally long) to visit.  There were only 5 nurses working yesterday because they don't have that many babies there right now, which is a good thing.  It was nice to see the doctor that was there when we  moved to the next hospital and some of the nurses that took such a good job of caring for Aubrey (and saved her life several times).  They were amazed at how well she's doing and how good she looks.  One of them (who saw me cry over Aubrey many times) looked at me and said, "she's your miracle, isn't she?" Yep.  A couple of them just had to hold her and love on her (and hug us).  We'll have to go back another day to see some of the other special people who cared for her (and us).

Who would've ever thought I'd be happy to have a baby chewing on my leg at 6a.m.??

Happy baby sitting in her chair.

-Keli

Monday, May 27, 2013

4:30p.m.

This is our 200th post! Aren't y'all tired of us yet?  Sorry it's been a few days--Adam was off and awake during the day this past weekend (we only get that one weekend a month), so we made the most of it and stayed busy.

Aubrey's still trucking along just fine.  Growing and talking and laughing (but still spitting--that's not so fun).  Sometimes I can just see her soaking stuff in--processing things I'm telling her, learning words, discovering textures and sounds.  It's pretty cool.

She sure was a growling, crying, fussy pants last night.  Nothing we did made her happy.  Picking her up--nope.  Putting her down--no way.  Trying to rock her to sleep--oh heck no.  She eventually chilled out and went to sleep about her normal bedtime--mama was glad she finally knocked out.

She's doing well learning to sit up in her Bumbo chair.  She's sending a shout out to all her peeps.

Cousin love from my older nephew, Ephraim.

More cousin love from the younger nephew, Josiah.  He just wants to squeeze the dickens out of her.  She looks a little shell shocked. ;)

-Keli

Thursday, May 23, 2013

7p.m.

Aubrey has found her voice.  She's talking and cooing and babbling and laughing and squealing.  And it's all impossibly cute.  I took a video of my mom holding her the other day--Aubrey got tickled and was belly-laughing.  She's done this with me since, and I have to say it's the most beautiful sound in the world (second only to the three little cries she gave when she was born).  Make sure you turn the volume up so you can hear the laughing in all of its glory.

-Keli

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

6p.m.

We went for Aubrey's swallow test today.  She wasn't allowed to eat for 4 hours beforehand so she'd be hungry--boy was she ever.  She was good and mad and crying by the time we got started.  She sits in a little seat and they move the x-ray thing in beside her so they can watch the barium solution that she's eating from the bottle go down her throat.  They started out with regular thin formula--she aspirated.  They moved to a little thicker formula called nectar.  She aspirated.  She did fine with the next thickness called syrup.  She got madder and madder each time I had to take the bottle away from her, so I was scared she wasn't going to take the final one but her hunger overcame her anger.  When I looked at the syrup-consistency bottle, it looked about like what we feed her on a regular basis; so, when she tells me her formula isn't thick enough by not drinking it, she's telling me that she CAN'T drink it without aspirating.  Funny how she knows. 

The speech pathologist that watched her said that it looks like her tongue motion isn't very coordinated when she's sucking.  It's supposed to be one smooth flow from the front to the back when the tongue is moving the liquid backwards; Aubrey's has a little jerk towards the back of her tongue, and when the formula is too thin the tongue flicks it backwards before the airway has time to close and that's what causes her to aspirate.  So, we'll just continue to thicken.  No biggie.  We kind of knew that already anyway.  Oh yeah--she's a silent aspirator...that's not good.  It means that she doesn't cough or choke or anything when the food goes down the wrong way, so we have no way of knowing when she does it.  But it seems that we've been doing ok so far, so we'll just let her continue to tell us what she needs and what she doesn't. 

Spending the evening together with the birthday boy before he goes back to work tomorrow.

-Keli

Monday, May 20, 2013

4p.m.

Aubrey stayed home with Adam today while I went to work.  She ate for him...sorta.  An ounce here, 2 ounces there.  She was pretty hungry (finally) by the time I got home (I went and got a pedicure after I left work--unheard of!  I haven't had one in...uh...yeah, I don't remember the last time.  Thanks for the gift certificate, mom!), so she ate well then.

she'll be crawling before we know it.

Aubrey has a barium swallow study tomorrow, like the one she had back towards the end of her hospital stay.  The last one showed us that she needed thickened formula when bottle feeding--there was a chance she would aspirate (milk into the lungs instead of down the esophagus to the belly) with thin formula before because all the valves going down the hatch weren't working so well.  They want to check and see if all of that has matured and she can take regular, unthickened formula.  I personally think she can--I just think she now prefers her formula thickened up with rice.  She will take it much thinner now than she did when she first came home--it's not Elmer's glue any more.  So, we have to go to the hospital and I'll don a radiation proof outfit while they feed the kid barium in a bottle and watch it go down the pipe.  It's pretty neat to see, actually.

concentrating on talking to that elephant.

Adam's birthday is tomorrow.  He's technically off from work but has training all day.  My mom's going to go to the hospital with Aubrey and me, but hopefully we'll get home and Adam will be home soon after so we can at least eat dinner together.  I would give him his birthday presents but he found them last week--the one time he actually tried to help me put stuff up when I came home from the store.  Sheesh. ;)

-Keli

Sunday, May 19, 2013

9p.m.

Aubrey's going through one of her "I don't really feel like eating" phases.  Funny thing is, the last time this happened was the first few days after we went to the doctor.  I thought it was because of the shots she got last time, but she didn't get shots on Friday.  Hmm...I don't know.  All I know is that she's not too interested in eating right now.  That stresses me out, even though she's done it before.  *sigh*  Worry wart.  I know.

She's doing fine otherwise--flipping onto her tummy every.single.time. you put her down.  She tries to flip over when I'm holding her in my lap, which doesn't work too well.  She will only sleep on her stomach, lots of the time with her little tush up in the air and her feet crossed.  It's pretty dang cute.  She's going to be crawling before we know it at this rate, since she pushes herself around the crib with those feet (that she loves).

Alfalfa hair. :)

-Keli

Friday, May 17, 2013

5p.m.

We went to the pediatrician today for the first time in a month.  Aubrey weighs 11 lb 13.5oz, up 10oz since April 19.  That comes out to her gaining about 10grams per day; originally the doctor said she liked to see 15-30/day gain, so I wondered what her reaction would be.  She told me that she was happy with how Aubrey's doing, and the 15-30grams is more for newborns and since Aubrey is "3 months" old she's doing just fine with 10grams/day.  We don't have to go back to the pediatrician for 2 whole months!  Yay!  That will be her 9 month checkup/vaccinations (5 months adjusted), and the doctor said we'd talk about starting her on solid foods then.

still lookin' at those feet.

our little prairie dog's head popping up over the edge of the portable crib--she was not happy that she'd been put down.

-Keli

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

7p.m.

Aubrey and I went to her physical/occupational therapy appointment today.  Both the therapists were pleased with how she's doing.  They watched her roll over from front to back and back to front, she followed their faces and toys in both directions quite well, brought her hands to her mouth, and showed them her feet.  She does love her feet.  They told us to work with her by turning her on her left side especially and getting her to put her head down towards her belly instead of throwing it backwards like she tends to do.  We get to go for three weeks before we have to go back.

When the two therapists were passing Aubrey back and forth and cooing over her because she was smiling and so cute, the occupational therapist said, "I know all babies smile, but there are some babies who, when they smile, light up the room like a light bulb got turned on.  Aubrey's a light bulb."  That's a very good description and so true. :)

there's my little light bulb. :)

sittin' on the couch like a boss.

-Keli

Monday, May 13, 2013

8p.m.

We watched Aubrey discover her feet this afternoon.  She had socks on and was pulling her legs up by her pants so she could look at her feet.  I pulled her socks off and then she went to town grabbing on her toes.  She looked at us like, "are these really mine?  And they're attached to me and everything??"  It was pretty cute.

-Keli

Saturday, May 11, 2013

12p.m.

Tomorrow is my first Mother's Day.  Well, not technically, I guess, since I've lived through many Mother's Days before, but my first as an actual mother.  We got pregnant a couple of weeks after Mother's Day last year; at least we think we did.  No one, including Adam and I or my doctor, knows exactly when it happened.  I won't go into details--all the men are saying "thank you!"--it's a long story having to do with female hormones being out of whack and such. 

Anyhoo, back to Mother's Day.  I was, from the minute we saw those two lines cross on that pregnancy test, a mother.  I immediately loved the little speck of a baby growing inside me, terrified though I was.  Don't get me wrong--Aubrey was planned, and I was elated to get pregnant, but I was still scared to death.  Big responsibility and all that.   I had no inkling at that time just how terrified my baby could make me, but y'all all know the story.  I loved being pregnant, hearing her heartbeat, seeing her sweet face on the ultrasound, feeling her kickbox, watching her move in my belly.  I wish she would have stayed with me a little longer (ok, a lot longer), but looking at her now...well, there's just no argument.  She's perfect.  Even when she's blurting on me, or crying her little head off at who-knows-what, or filling up a diaper right after I put a clean one on her.  She's just...indescribable.  All those times my mom told me, "just wait til you have one of your own.  You'll know what I mean."  Well, I know what you meant, mom.  Aubrey was born with my heart in her too-tiny hand, and I have the distinct impression that she will keep it forever. 

I have to take a moment to thank my mom.  A girl couldn't ask for a better one, and, though we've always been close, I don't think Adam and I would've survived the time after Aubrey was born without her.  She always just knows what to do, is always right there with what will help, but she's never too pushy about trying to help (even when it's obvious to all with eyeballs that I need it but am too stubborn to ask for it).  I can only hope that Aubrey and I will have the kind of relationship that my mom and I have. 

We're having baby dedication for Aubrey at church tomorrow, so that should be nice.  Then we get to go eat with my whole family.  Aside from having a kick-butt mama, I'm also blessed to have a rockin' aunt and, at 32 years old, both of my grandmothers nearby.  Lucky, lucky girl.

a post-nap stretch

a post-nap yawn.

and a post-nap smile.

-Keli

Correction... Keli is only 25 yrs old. 

Adam

Friday, May 10, 2013

7p.m.

Aubrey is famous!  As if y'all didn't know. ;)  Last night I took her with me to my dad's retirement party (his 2nd retirement), and tons of people who I didn't know and who had never seen Aubrey in person knew her immediately.  They all said they'd been praying for her and they were so happy she was doing well and wasn't she just beautiful?  Yes, yes she is.  Thank you. :)  But really, I appreciate each of those people so much--those prayers were answered and there's wiggling, smiling, growling proof of it right here sitting in my lap.

Aubrey has mastered the back-to-belly roll, and now it looks like she prefers to sleep that way.  See below:

Tush to the sky!

She's also grabbing and pulling at everything these days--blankets, her clothes, my hair...and, she apparently thinks her hands are the most fantastic things ever to slobber on.  See below:

Gosh she's cute.

-Keli

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

 

That is all.

-Keli

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

11a.m.

Attention, Aubrey stalkers...uh, Aubrey lovers: let it be known that Aubrey went an entire 36 hours without spitting up.  She did not get covered in blurt.  I did not get covered in blurt.  She wore the same clothes for an entire day.  This is heretofore unprecedented.

It was nice while it lasted. :)

The streak ended at about 9:30 this morning, but I can't complain.  Yesterday was nice not having to change her 3 times and wash a load of laundry.  She's been eating really well too.  I don't know if this is how she should normally be eating and last week when she ate like a bird was abnormal, or if this starving-grizzly-bear-baby is having a growth spurt.  I don't care.  As long as she eats, I'm happy. 

She's happy too, because she smiles ALL the time.  Except for when she's crying. Obviously.  But those times are few and far between and don't last long.  When I lean over her crib to get her up at 5:30a.m., she smiles at me.  When she wakes up from a nap she smiles at me.  When I'm chasing her down trying to change her diaper she smiles at me. When she whacks her toys on her mobile she smiles.  I'm so glad she's happy.

crooked little half-smile like her daddy...

...and there's the full version. :)

-Keli

Sunday, May 5, 2013

9p.m.

So tonight is the third night of Adam being back on night shift.  Aubrey and I have seen him for about an hour since Thursday.  Night shift stinks. 

Aubrey surprised me yesterday and ate like a grizzly bear just coming out of hibernation.  No playing with the bottle, no being lazy.  She got down to business and ate more than she had in a while.  No idea why.  She's done pretty well today too.  She did have one big spit up today that scared me: she gagged and seemed to get it back down, but then it sounded like she was burping and suddenly formula came out of her mouth and her nose.  She got it all back down after just a few seconds, but it scared us both and she cried.  I sucked her nose out with the snot sucker just in case, but she was breathing and coughing.  I'm so glad she's matured so much because when that happened in the NICU it caused her awful no-breathing-turning-blue episodes that were so horrifying. 

I still haven't seen her turn over, but she's trying really hard to do it again.  She'll get there.

she grabbed the blanket she was lying on and flipped it over her head...

...but she doesn't like things over her head, so she got it off fast.

Such a sweet face.

-Keli

Friday, May 3, 2013

6p.m.

We're all still alive and kicking.  Aubrey managed to let Adam feed her once on Wednesday, and that was it.  She did well at physical/occupational therapy--they still say she's doing great and for us to just keep on doing what we're doing.  She's still trying to roll over (we haven't seen her do it yet), and she's doing really well holding her head up when she's on her tummy. 

I say this with some trepidation, but Aubrey seems to be doing a little better with the blurting.  She still blurts sometimes while she's eating (sometimes 3 times in one feeding--oy), but the in-between-feeding blurts seem to have lessened.  I can only hope she will keep going in this direction and one day we'll be blurt-free.

Practicing her boo-boo lip in the car seat.  In her sleep.

-Keli

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

10a.m.

I guess I'm a little too type A sometimes.  I like schedules and routines and being on time.  Babies don't always work like that (ok, EVER work like that).  I was trying to keep Aubrey on her eat-every-3-hours schedule, mainly because we had both gotten used to it and I was able to work around it at work and at home.  Well, after 2 days of her not eating worth a flip for me, I decided to loosen up.  It was tough, let me tell you.  I let her sleep and play and whatever until she told me she was hungry.  It was about 3.5 or 4 hours in between feedings and then she ate pretty well.  I just want her to eat and grow and not have to go back to the hospital ever again.  I know, I know, I worry too much.  But there it is.

Adam has her at home today, so let's hope she deems him worthy of feeding her.  They also have to go to her physical/occupational therapy appointment.  Only one appointment this week!

I've decided that changing the diaper of a very-awake Aubrey is akin to what it might be like to diaper a very energetic small hyena that has no intention of letting you get away with said diapering easily.  I'm already tired just thinking about what life is going to be like when she learns to walk.

What follows is a photo essay of a day in the life of Aubrey:

Nap.

Play.

Nap again.

Play again.

Throw some eating in there too and that's her day.  Hard to take a picture of her eating.  I need at least 3 more hands.

-Keli