Monday morning video

I am sleep deprived and probably grouchy so I'll post a video of B:

C

31 weeks

Battley is 31 weeks!  This week she:

* is really working hard on sucking just her thumb...she has to straighten it out for this...she is so determined and wants zero assistance

* weighs 9lb-2.5oz

* is eating 80mL of milk every 4 hours (except 11pm and 3am when we just use the largest syringe we have...60mL) and a yummy gerber apple and prune juice mix once a day

* tried drinking out of a bottle...I literally put 10 drops in it and about 4 made it in her mouth...she liked it but wasn't sure what was happening...it was just a little test to see what she would do

* got her first costume...she may wear it tomorrow so I'll post a pic if she does

* had a visit from Santa and Mrs Claus:

C

Lately

We had a really good week this week.  Battley and I actually even ran a few errands alone on Thursday!  Then Friday after school we ran to the shoe store with H...this kid has more shoes than I do!  

B has been feeling really great this week.  Her tube seems to be bothering her a lot more though and as she gains better control of her hands she is learning how to pull it out faster since her momma and daddy are always looking.  She has learned how to rub her face on something to get the tape to move over and make an bigger space for her finger to snag it out.  She can do it so quickly you don't see it coming now!  We tell her she is being sneaky.

She is loving this new play mat we got her.  The pugs think we got it for them though so it's a chore to keep them away! 

Sorry some of my pics are so dark...B doesn't like bright light so we sit in the dark a lot.

She sat in the bumbo for a minute...she can't hold her head up for more than a few seconds at a time just yet so this was just so see if she liked it.

Saturday H had a cross country meet in Starkville.  The original plan was to come back home after the race, but we decided since we were there we should stay for the game.  H had a good run...4th place:

So after we had some lunch and hung out a while I chickened out and went back home...couldn't be away from my gal for that long!  Meem and H stayed for the game.

So anytime I go anywhere Adam sends me pics of B while I'm out...we usually send him a pic when he's at work too.  He sent me this one of her passed out:

I was home in time to snuggle her while we looked for H and Meem on tv!

Happy Sunday!  

I have another shirt pic of my friend's daughter (she and H went to preschool together...ugh time flies...that seems like yesterday) taken from the new Harbor House on the coast (new b/c it was destroyed by Katrina)!  Beautiful...the girl and the view!

C

30 weeks

Today my gal is the BIG 3-0!  30 weeks!  

We had a long night last night and were up bright and early this morning for a few things we had to do.  I'm just stopping in the office for a few minutes to throw a few bills into the mailbox and answer the questions you left on the last post...

Does B ever use a bottle? No

Will she ever?  It's not in the plans now...who knows what God has planned, but for now the answer is no.

Because of the large hole in her heart and her open palette (the roof of her mouth is open to her nose) we chose not to even really try the bottle with her.  We probably spent a total of 10 minutes in the hospital with a bottle.  It didn't go well so we didn't push it.  We are SO thankful that all we have to contend with (machine wise) is a feeding pump.  We could be hauling a large oxygen tank everywhere we go (we do have a small one we take with us in case of emergencies and have them at home too, but rarely use them).  Sucking and swallowing are the 2 of the things babies do that require the most physical exertion...by "doing this" for her we are saving her heart from working overtime.  T18 babies aren't known for their skills in this department anyways and many that we know of use either a tube in the nose (NG) or a G tube that goes into the stomach.  The open palette is just icing on the cake for reasons not to do a bottle...the milk would come out of her nose which would be no fun and painful.

What's new in Battley's world this week...She:

* weighs 8lb-13.5oz

* is ticklish on her feet...oh my gosh this is so stinkin cute!

C

PS- I love to hear from you...thanks for the questions!  Robin is wonderful (she made Battley's dress for her dedication)!  And it is SO touching to hear that you are praying for our gal!  THANK YOU!

Milk

Some kids have asked me how Battley knows when she's getting milk. I love the questions that kiddos ask...they are so sweet wanting to understand! Our little "nieces" are used to B's tube now, but they had lots of questions in the beginning. Anyways, back to the milk...we all know when our stomach is getting full. Battley knows when it's milk time anytime she has milk. She does the cutest little faces and sucks like she is drinking milk...such a smart gal! She's started doing this almost chewing like motion too. I managed to get some of this on video this morning.

I hope this video will work for you.

C

Friends with Shirts

I have 2 more Battley shirt pics to add.

First is Battley's nurse. She loves B so much she sent us this pic of her from St Lucia! We love her!



Then our awesome soccer friends...she is wearing her shirt, but he is wearing a bracelet...he wears it to school everyday!! That's so sweet...um I mean manly and thoughtful for a teenager! Love it and them!



Yay for the weekend! We swapped rugs last night. This may sound so trivial, but it makes a BIG difference in our day to day life. When we were in the hospital it was super stressful for me. I really believe that my stress was stressing B. Being cooped up in our bedroom was stressing me, and I want to do everything I can to keep B feeling easy. All good now!

B weighed 8lb-12.5oz last night. We have a baby scale that we keep in the same place so it doesn't mess with the calibration. I try to weigh her before her bath time at the same time of day. It doesn't always work since B is in control of her own schedule. The idea isn't so much to see exactly how much she weighs but more that she is either gaining or staying steady. We don't want to see a decline in weight.

It has been so long since I had a baby that I didn't remember many of the details about having an infant. B still has her feedings by NG tube (in her nose) and is fed every 4 hours around the clock. It takes an hour and 15 mins at a minimum (that is really flying) to feed her each time. Sometimes it takes all 4 hours depending on if she is awake or sleeping. I totally forget that this is different than other babies because it's what we do every day. It wasn't until I was answering questions from a friend the other day that I realized that.

Happy Weekend to You!
C

29 weeks

This has been a rough week. I try so hard to be positive and count all my blessings...I have tons to be thankful for, but this week has still been hard. Sweet Ava Grace, our friend with T18, left to be with Jesus. I know she is having a blast, but it is hard for those left here with empty arms. Please say a prayer as you are reading this for her family. I know they need comfort right now.

I've also had cabin fever this week...big time. We are due for a change up around here. B and I spend most of the day in the bedroom. She naps on and off and it's a cool place that's not too sunny (her favorites). We have a grasscloth rug in the living room that is rough on feet so we never sit on the floor. The guys are going to have to swap it for one from the other room this week so we have somewhere softer to hang. We got B a play mat she has liked wiggling around on lately...she can almost roll over, but I don't think she would ever want to. We put her on her tummy once in the hospital and she acted like she couldn't breathe...probably couldn't. Hopefully a change of room scenery will help!

B is 29 weeks old today! Wow!! She is having a good week this week. Her breathing is more labored than it was a month ago, but in Battley fashion she is a happy camper...always smiley! She is up to 8lb-11 or 12oz now. We have officially put all our preemie clothes in a bin (except for a few nightgowns). She is loving the cooler weather when it's not sunny! I've never been much for cold weather, but I am looking forward to more chilly days for B.

C

28 weeks

We celebrated 28 weeks this past Thursday!  My Gramma was in town so we got to spend some good time with her at H's soccer game.  Adam sat in the car with B since there have been so many reports of west nile from mosquitoes...also because she doesn't like the weather just yet...still a bit too hot.  It's that time of year again where multiple sports have multiple practices and games and we spend our evenings and weekends on the go.  Usually one of us stays home with B and one goes with H.

Hopefully I can get a real post out sometime this week.

C