Baby girl

Em is now breast feeding once every twelve hours, and bottle feeding every feeding that shes wide awake for. During her feedings yesterday, Em took 21 CC's from her bottle! That is absolutely amazing!! When she nurses, she gets all of the milk she gets out and then they still give her the full amount down her feeding tube.Last night after one of Em's meals, she had a hard time breathing, and they had to keep coming in and checking on her, since the monitors kept going off. It happened for about 2 hours. They positioned her onto her stomach, and so far it hasn't happened yet today. So we're hoping its a one time thing!

The doctors still haven't given us a heads up on when she will get to go home, but they are all happy about the fact that she gained weight! She is up to 3 pounds, 15 ounces! JUST ONE MORE OUNCE AND SHE WILL WEIGH 4 POUNDS!! Mommy is so ready to hit the point where baby girl can home and spend time with her family all at once, instead of a limited amount of people in the hospital room.

Miss Emma

Em breast fed and bottle fed for every single feeding yesterday! She didn't finish her bottles but she got down anywhere from 5 CCs to 15 CCs. And then when we breast fed this morning she sucked continually for about 25 minutes, and still took down her 34 CCs through her feeding tube! She's getting sooo big and strong that its amazing! I have a huge feeling that baby girl will be going home NEXT WEEK! The nurse said for her to be able to go home, she has to finish her bottles for a whole day, and then they'll take out the feeding tube, and she'll have to finish her bottles/breast feed for 2 days and be gaining weight both days! But with as well as she's doing now, I don't think that's going to be a very long time. She does prefer to breast feed over bottle feed.. So we're gonna have to see how that goes.

I was talking to the nurse about how when we went home, I have dogs at mom's house and Tasha at our apartment. The nurse told me to bring in a blanket and wrap Em up in it, and bring it home for the dogs to smell. She said to do this a few times before we brought her home that way they know Em's scent and they're somewhat aware of her. Em was also digging into her face with her nails for the past two days and trying to pull out her feed tube, so the nurse and I got some socks and put them over her hands (: No more digging!!

After a breast feed!

I think she wanted
more food at this
time (:

She's always playing
with her hands!

one bottle from
yesterday (:

Miss Em slept through her labs once again tonight. That makes 4 nights in a row of a good quiet sleeping baby! She got bottle fed this morning and again and did pretty well! They increased her feeds to 34 CCs. More and More every day to make the baby girl fat! She's still weighing at 3pounds, 14ounces but she has some time to grow! Mommy can't rush everything! We got baby girl all dressed up into a onesie, however, she did not like me putting it over her head. And we put a sleeper over top of it to make sure she's nice and warm when she comes out for bottle feedings or breast feedings! Other than that, there aren't many updates so far this morning!! (:

Em's little onesie.
You can tell her momma
picked it out (:

Baby girl all dressed and awake (:

Playing with mommy's finger!

Baby Girl..

Grandma and Grandpa came out to visit Em this afternoon and brought her newborn clothes with them (: So we got her all dressed up in an outfit that Great Grandma Gail got her (: And its absolutely adorable! Then it was time for mommy to pump, so grandma and grandpa went down to get a cup of coffee, and when they came back, we surprised grandma and told her she got to give Em her FIRST bottle!! Grandma was thrilled!! And Em did very good for her age! She drank about 10CCs out of her 30CCs. So the remaining 20 went into her feeding tube. But shes making more progress every single day, and she will be ready to come home in no time (:

A specialist came in today and did a few "tests" with Em. They held her up to see if she would put any weight onto her feet, and she did. They did a test to see if she could lift and move her head. Baby girl couldn't lift it, but she was moving it around and everything. They said shes doing really well for being so young and shes really mature for her age! So that's a plus too!! (:

The outfit Great Grandma
got for Miss Em!

Holding her own pacy (:

Em's first bottle.
grandma has better pics
so I'll get those uploaded
Asap.

Grandpa actually played
with Em a little (:
Soft old man! 

Progress!!

So, Last night Mommy and Emma got to have a skin to skin hold, and as soon as they set Em into my arms she latched onto my nipple and started sucking! So they talked to her doctor this morning, and Emma is now allowed to breast feed once every 12 hours! So during our hold today, Em would suck off and on, and then take a break, then she sucked for 7minutes straight, took a break, off and on, and then 5minutes straight! She did sooooo well! The lactation nurse was shocked on how well she did! That's a HUUUUGE step for Em. That's one of the only things keeping her coming home. She has to weight so much, and then be able to suck breath and swallow, which had absolutely no problem doing! Such a big girl!!

Speaking of weight gain, Our little Princess is now up to 3pounds, 14 ounces again!! Shes gaining weight like crazy! Maybe the whole "3week" stay will get bumped down. She's already been here a week.. so I'm hoping maybe next weekend she will get to come home with me?! That would be amazing! Mommy needs to get back into work and everything anyways!

Grandma and grandpa are going to come out tonight and visit with Em. Grandpa hasn't seen the new hospital yet, due to all of the work that needed to be done on Mom's shop! So it will be nice for him to be able to see her not hooked up to all of the machines! ((: Okay, well its nap time for Em AND mommy! (:

Pretty Girl ((:

Miss Emma had her first sponge bath this morning. She was not too happy about it though. The nurse, Gail, was a lot more rough with her than what Miss Cindy is(our regular nurse) and Em does not seem to like Gail, at all. They bumped up her feeds to 26 CCs and shes still taking it all in and digesting it amazingly well. They did say that if Em is wide awake when they are getting ready to feed her, that I could try to breast feed directly. Of course I was thrilled to hear that and got super excited. And every time they went to feed her today, Em was knocked out cold. lol. That's my luck!!

Em still has no IV, and we're all hoping it stays out for good now. The dr was in today and estimated that Em may be here another 3 weeks. Mommy is gonna be living in this hospital for over a month. Lucky Lucky me. (:  The male doctor mentioned that he could remove the skin tag that's on Em's right here. You pretty much just put a little teeny tiny rubber band around it and it changes colors and falls off. My compared it to a male dog's testicles. I compared it to docking a dog's tale. The nurse had a much better way of describing it. Its more like the same thing you do with the baby's umbilical cord..

Other than that, there really were no changes with miss em today. Shes doing great.. we just have to wait for her to gain some weight so that she can come home!! <3

My beautiful baby girl
during one of our
many holds today.

And this is how she looked
the remaining of the day,
all day. 

precious little thing fell asleep
with her pacifier.

Midnight post!

Mommy was going to try to sleep through one pump time and catch up on some sleep. Em decided she didn't want that! I woke up to her half way off of her pillow thing and the nurse had to come in and help me get her back in the center of her bed! And then we noticed she had a puffy hand, and the IV had gotten lose. So the nurse took out her IV. Which by the way--Miss Cindy is our nurse tonight and she is absolutely amazing!!  AND GUESS WHAT!! We got to leave the IV out for good!  (: Shes now on 22CCs of my milk! So the only thing my baby girl has going on, is the feeding tube(which is only there to help her gain weight so shes not using all of her energy trying to eat from me) and her monitors. Plus, we got to put her into her first outfit!! And she looks so adorable! MY BIG GIRL!! <3

Em's first outfit!

Mommy snuck a kiss!

IV free girl!!