nicu day 8

June 24, 2011

Day 8

GOING HOME DAY!!!!!!!

I snapped this picture before the sun was even up of Halle and me snuggling after her 6am feeding.  It might just be my favorite picture thus far.  Look how snuggly she is!  I just love those little rolls on her side too!  Really, this was one of the first true snuggles I got with my "wi-fi" baby (that's what we called her when she was finally wireless...no IV, no monitors, no feeding tube, no oxygen, etc.).

Resting up for her big trip home! 

  

Feeding time with daddy! 

After passing all of the tests and being thoroughly checked over by the nurses and doctors, we were finally discharged. What an amazing moment!

I had a darling little outfit for her to wear home, but I didn't even care at the point what anyone was wearing. I just wanted to be home with my baby! I did slip on her new Zuzzi headband and she told me that she loved it even though it was still a tad too big! 

In the car ready to go!!

This picture cracks me up! By the time we got home, her headband had slipped off her head and was more of a necklace. She was asleep, so she had no idea! 

Once we got home and the car unloaded, Halle  quickly settled into her pink Boppy chair for a nap. What an exhausting eight days!! 

Here are a few of the "party details" that never happened.  Instead of hanging in our hospital room, Halle's birthday banner is still proudly displayed on our mantle.  Scott asked me when we were taking it down, and I told him it might just stay up until her next birthday (not really) but I do like seeing it everyday!

Of course Addison had to have a "big sister" banner too (I didn't want her to feel left out!!) and it was going to be in the hospital room also.  Well, it's over her bed in her room and she absolutely loves it there! 

I had cookies made as "party favors" and they were in cellophane sacks tied with really fun grosgrain ribbon and these tags.  I didn't get a picture of them pacakged up, but they turned out pretty cute! 

And naturally, we had water bottles.  I made labels in 3 fun patterns.  This was our last bottle as we left most of them in the breakroom at the NICU for the nurses (along with a fabulous cookie platter from Dara Marie's!). 

So that's the party that never happened.  Oh well...we made the best of it, I think.

Scott and I truly cannot thank our families and friends enough for all of the love and support during this time. Each and every phonecall, text, email and visit was appreciated more than you'll ever know!

As terrible as it was having our sweet Halle in the NICU, we honestly had a wonderful experience.  Our nurses and the hospital were both amazing and we did not have one complaint about our entire stay! 

I learned a lot while Halle was in the NICU.  I've joked before about how "go with the flow" I am (and people always laugh when I say that...I'm not sure why!).  As I'm sure you all are aware, I'm a planner and even the birth of Halle was planned to detail.  It's amazing how fast all of the planning can go out the window, though, when a NICU visit is thrown into the mix.  And honestly, I was bummed a few days into the stay that we didn't get to have her birthday party and the girls didn't get to wear their 5 days of matching outfits, but in the end it really didn't matter.  The only thing that mattered was that Halle was healthy.

NICU stays aren't for babies either...only the strong survive the NICU!  I've called it Baby Bootcamp and for very good reasons.  They don't mess around in the NICU!  The babies eat every 3 hours on the dot and they are allowed 30 minutes per feeding.  If they don't finish their feeding in the given time, then they fail that feeding.  I'm telling you, it's brutal!  Halle failed a time or two and Scott and I were her biggest cheerleaders when the 30 minutes was almost over and she still had several cc's to go!  We were literally sweating bullets a few times!  It's definitely scheduled and rigorous, but the silver lining is that Halle basically came home on a schedule...which has been WONDERFUL!!!

There should be a survivor's club established for parents of NICU babies.  It's hard. It's emotional.  And you definitely feel like you deserve an award when your baby finally gets discharged.  It's quite an achievement!

We are more than thrilled to be home and to have our new family of four healthy and under one roof.  We may have had a bumpy start, but we sure have enjoyed every minute of Miss Halle's three weeks.  Before she was born, I wasn't sure how my heart would balance the love for my girls, but it's amazing how fast it all just falls into place.  I can't imagine our lives without her now.  Our family is complete.

Welcome Home Sweet Home Halle Michelle!



nicu day 7

June 23, 2011

Day 7

I was so excited to find this little Zutano gown for Halle because Addison had the exact same one with her name on it.  Halle wore it once in the hospital and it was oh so cute!!

She wore her Zutano owl onesie for the day and it was super cute!  It was a premie size and fit just perfectly!  Halle's face was still really puffy today and her eye was still bruised, but overall she was looking much better!  Her coloring was even starting to improve! 

Naptime!  I swear I don't know what we did without Aden + Anais swaddle blankets for Addison!  They are freakin' amazing!!!!  It's literally the only kind of blanket she's been swaddled in to date. If you're expecting or need to get a gift for an baby on the way, I would HIGHLY recommend a set of these blankets.  Okay, I'll stop now. (P.S. they come in darling patterns too!)

Hearing test, which she passed with flying colors! 

Carseat test, which she also passed with flying colors.  They have to sit in their carseats for an hour to make sure they can withstand that position.  If not, they get sent home in a carseat "bed" and they have to go back to the NICU every week for a test until they pass!  Whew! 

Finally...one of the biggest moments of our hospital stay!!  It's time to "room in"!!

When you have a NICU baby, on the night before they are discharged, the parents check back into the hospital and stay with their baby in the room with them overnight since they haven't done that yet.  It's a way for the parents to adjust to having a newborn.  I was thankful for this night because even though we've had a newborn once before, you forget things.  I was also very worried about her being off her monitors so I'm glad we had one night together in the hospital!

In the room! 

Halle was super excited for the slumber party with mama and daddy! 

This is the world's tiniest stethoscope 

and the absolute tiniest blood pressure cuff I've ever seen.  It literally was about the size of my thumb! 

Once we got to the room and got settled, big sister came for a visit...and she didn't even have to scrub in!  She insisted on holding her right off the bat! 

Here she is telling me to move my hands so she can hold Baby Halle by herself.  I don't think so. 

We had a really great night with Halle "rooming in" and tomorrow is the biggest day yet! 

WE'RE GOING HOME!!!!!!!!!!!

nicu day 6

June 22, 2011

Day 6

They days all started running together, but this day marked a HUGE milestone for sweet Halle!  When Scott and I arrived for the 6am feeding, she had been moved from her big, elevated, heated bed to a regular little newborn bed on a cart!  Also, her feeding tube and oxygen had been removed.  Her IV was still in, but was to be removed later in the morning.  This was our first look at her precious little face without any tubes, cords or wires.  My heart seriously melted into a huge heap!  This was the moment I had expected to have six days earlier but it was priceless when it finally happened.  My mommy heart was swollen with love and pride!

I had this darling sleep sack made for Halle to wear on her birthday and it matched Addison's Big Sister shirt.  I was just glad she got to wear it at some point!

IV in her foot that would come out very soon!

My sweet girl! You'll notice she puckering up to give me a kiss!

Scott took this picture and I must say, I actually like it!  My favorite part is Halle's little nose in the far corner of the shot. Sweetness.

Here's our attempt at a shot of the three of us.  Oh well.

Since Halle had so many tubes and cords, they never actually had a bracelet on her.  They were all taped to her bed and the nurses would scan the barcode (on the other one) before feeding and medicine time.  I'm a little bummed that she didn't have her own bracelet with her name on it, because I still have Addison's. 

And here's her trusty elephant lovie from her big sister.  It never ever left her side.  The nurses were really sweet to always make sure it was by her.  It probably didn't matter one bit to Halle, but it sure put a smile on our faces and it definitely made Addison happy!

Today was a big day of progress and we are finally starting to see light at the end of the long dark tunnel we've been in!

nicu day 5

June 21, 2011

Day 5

Look who's a new mom (it's embroidered on the shirt)!  Ha!

One of my very sweet nurses brought me this t-shirt and we all got a kick out of it!

I wonder when my sister is going to come see me... 

She's here!  We hadn't really planned on letting Addi hold Halle this trip, or I would have had my real camera with me.  Oh well.

So proud! 

As Addi would say..."Just the girls!" 

This might have been the hardest day of my life.  After Halle's 11pm feeding, I checked out my room and Scott drove me home.  I sobbed.  I was hallow inside.  A part of me was missing.  Everything felt so incredibly wrong and there was nothing I could do to make it right.  I wanted to hold her, to hear her breathe, to see her, to just feel her presence.  It was a long and painful (emotionally and physically) night.  We were up at the crack of dawn and back at the hospital by 6am to feed again. 

We were back and forth from the hospital so many times in the days that followed.  We were so fortunate that we live less than 2 miles.  I can't imagine how hard it is on families who live several hours away.  I also can't imagine having to do this for any longer than we did.  In reality, we were so lucky that she stay was as short as it was, because some parents do this for months and months.  God bless each and every one of them!

nicu day 4

June 20, 2011

Day 4

On my way to the NICU to see my girl!

When you've been in the hospital for this long, you start going a little stir crazy.  This is what happens to pass the time...you start taking goofy pictures. 

First day to take a bottle!!  No more feeding tube!!!!!! 

She was a REALLY messy eater! 

She pretty much had her IV in a different spot every single morning.  It's typical to rotate the location about every 24 hours.  I'm just so thankful she never had it in her head!! 

Halle looks a lot like my brother in the picture!

She had to go under the baby tanning bed for 2 days! 

She could only be out from under the lights for just a few hours a day, which basically were her feeding times.  We definitely loved holding our sweet girl every second that we could!  This is my first time to actually feed her! 

I know this may come as a huge surprise to many of you, but deep down, I think Addi's favorite part of visiting Halle was getting to scrub in!  As soon as you turned the water on, there was a time that would run for THREE MINUTES...you would not believe how long three minutes is when you're washing your hands!  They had special soap and scrubber brushed to use and our hands were raw by day 2!  Of course, Addi tried to wipe up everyone else's water drips on the floor, wipe the sink, etc.  Good grief!! 

It was really hard to hold Halle because there were so many cords and tubes.  Addi will get her turn...soon!