Wonderful Day!!!

Paige was released from the hospital this afternoon and we couldn't be happier!

To celebrate our sweet pumpkin coming home we had a pumpkin pie party.

There is more to say, but not tonight.  Thank you for all who have been praying for our family!  We have needed it and we have seen those prayers answered.  We love you!

1 Month

Paige turned one month old yesterday and of course she is as sweet as ever.  Not much has changed since the last post, but I couldn't skip the month post.  We're still just waiting for her to prove she can gain weight consistently so that we can go home.  This last week she had a poor start and lost weight from Saturday to Tuesday, then gained Wednesday, lost Thursday, gained Friday.  She is getting "fortified" breastmilk which just increases the calories in the breastmilk she has from bottles.  We started that on Tuesday and are increasing the calories even more today so hopefully we can see some consistency.  (For those who are interested, average breastmilk is 20 calories per ounce, we upped her to a 22 cal Neosure and today is a 24 calorie.)  Her system is just not quite mature enough yet to use her calories to grow, instead she uses them to keep warm, digest, grunt, hiccup and be cute.  Hopefully soon she'll be willing to eat more so she gets more calories naturally, and her system will be a little more efficient at digesting so she can just nurse and doesn't need the extras... but until then we are just trying to beef her up so we can go grow at home.  Overall she is doing great.  This is just a little waiting game we get to play to help us learn patience.  We love this girl.  We're beyond ready to be at home, but we are so grateful for the tender moments we have shared here.  The big kids (and their amazing Grandma) come back from Washington today and hopefully a visit from the kids to the hospital will convince Paige that she really wants to be home. We're crossing our fingers and saying our prayers.  And don't worry, we'll keep you posted when we head home... That will be a postworthy day!  Thank you for thinking of us and praying for Paige and our family... and for checking in through the blog.  

Almost 4 weeks

Miss Paige will be 4 weeks old tomorrow and here's the scoop.

Saturday Paige got to start nursing and also had her PICC line (like an IV) removed.  She is no longer on any medication or supplemental fluids. WooHoo!!

The only thing that stands between Paige and going home at this point is weight gain.  She has been teetering around the same weight or losing a little in the last few days and if she doesn't start gaining they will put the NG tube in her nose again to get more calories to her tummy.  Her current problem is that she is burning more calories than she is consuming so she needs to increase her efficiency and intake.  She's as cute as ever and we just can't wait to get her home so if you need a purpose for prayer you can keep praying for this sweet miracle.  It's such a joy to be with her and I feel so blessed that I have had so much time alone to snuggle Paige in the NICU but I miss my kids and I miss being home.  I'm grateful for competent care and a safe place for Paige to learn to thrive but I also miss home and family.  Her recovery has been amazing and much faster than anticipated by me or any medical professional and as a family we are tremendously grateful.  We are so grateful for her health and growth and speedy recovery... now we're just hoping her appetite and efficiency will improve. We're so proud of Paige and what a trooper she is!

3 Weeks

 Paige is 3 weeks old today and boy has she grown, changed, and done some amazing work! 

I am so behind so here is the update timeline... (mostly for my record)

Fri Sept 28 - X ray of belly shows she isn't quite ready for "food"

Mon Oct 1 - Re X ray of belly, still not quite ready

     (we're looking for air bubbles through the entire coarse of intestines)

W Oct 3 - Re re x ray of belly shows enough air that Dr decides to start Paige on 15 mls (1/2 ounce) of 

      Pedialyte every 3 hours to see if her tummy can process it - with the intent to move to half Pedialyte, half 

      breastmilk Friday

Th Oct 4 - Tummy is bloated so she continues on Pedialyte with no milk

F Oct 5 - Tummy looks better so she gets the go ahead for half and half (still 15 mls)- does great all day

Sat Oct 6 - Gets the go ahead for full strength breastmilk- does well most the day but then has a choking 

       incident so she gets demoted to half and half again

Sun Oct 7 - Half and half - does great

Mon Oct 8 - Full strength breastmilk and because she's been doing so well with her previous feeds and 

       taking over 95% by mouth they remove the NG tube!!

Tues Oct 9 - She tolerates so well they up her feeding to 20 mls of milk every 3 hours

Wed Oct 10 - Up to 25 mls

Our goal is 45 mls so she is making amazing progress.  There are still hurdles, but she is doing really, really well.  We are so proud of her and truly recognize her recovery as a miracle in our lives.

We love her!!!

Open Crib for Paige

Friday, Peanut weighed 4 pounds exactly so she got the bed upgrade.

We played a little dress up because she is so much more accessible.

We enjoyed some sister time today and Madi even got to help with Paige's bath.  She is such a sweet, loving sister and wants to help with everything.  Today she said, "I think I better watch so I know how to do it when I have my own babies."  She's mother hearted and will be an amazing mother in MANY, many years.