Kyla is HOME!

CJ and I picked her up this AM at 9:10 AM! We dropped Keifer off at Elaine's and trekked our way to the hospital up north- for the last time!
Mama got a little weepy once we said goodbye to the wonderful team of nurses and doctor, and the fact that I got to leave with my angel girl put me over the edge. I could NOT wipe the smile off my face as we wheeled her to the car!
So far, she has slept, peed, and made lots of sounds to keep mama from napping! LOL. She is not eating so that well so far here at home, but the nurses warned us the first day would be an adjustment for us all.
Pictures? Ah, yes, they will come soon........and daddy is on his way to pick up Keifer so she can come and meet her baby sister! More to come soon!

And...our girl weighed in at 6 lbs, 10 ounces on her 17th day of life today!

Hiccups!

Kyla Whitney's 15th day in the Special Care Nursery. Mama took these pictures while she was snoozing- notice we have a picture of big sissy Keifer in her crib- she likes to look at it (so we think). It looks just like Kyla! :) Our K2 girl's cheeks are starting to chunk out!

Our girl had her tube taken out yesterday and so far, has taken every bottle like a champ. The least amount she's drank is 45cc's, otherwise its anywhere from 50-58cc's per bottle! YAHOO! We are thinking ??? tomorrow morning might be homecoming day!!! And our big girl is up to 6 lbs 9 ounces!

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They took out the tube!

CJ just called to check on our girl throughout the night feedings. She took her ENTIRE bottle at 11Pm, 2AM and 5AM, so they doctor OK'ed for them to take out her ng tube! OMG! I'm so scared/nervous/excited right now! Talk about pressure to perform, now! She also took her whole bottle for me at 2PM yesterday afternoon!
Please, please, please keep praying- they are working! Our girl is certainly coming around the bend! My heart, my heart!


**EDITED at 9:20 AM**
I just called to check on our girl's 8AM feeding: she took about 45 cc's on her own. The nurse said now they want to see how much she takes minus the tube and if she gains weight- so c'mon, Kyla, girl. Mama is a nervous wreck now!

Day 13 into Day 14

Two weeks ago tonight (at 11PM) our little Kyla girl entered the world, to the surprise of our family!
She is slowly gaining strength and weight (finally!).
As of last night, she is up 12 grams to a whopping 6 lbs, 5 ounces, and she took her ENTIRE bottle of 58cc's at 11PM for nurse Joan. At 2 AM, she took 52 cc's and at 5AM she took 40. The girl needed a break, because she only took 25 cc's at 8AM for Rosemary, so mama is now going into to do my girl's 11 AM feeding. Pray for a good day! Whoo, c'mon Kyla girl!

Day 13

Little Kyla was up to 6 lbs, 4 ounces yesterday AM. She was eating about half her bottle for the nurses, and getting the ng tube for the rest. Mama drove for the first time- albeit very nervously! I did OK, though, and made sure I took it slow. The road construction and trucks all over the freeways did nothing to ease my mind, but I made it safely! Once I arrive at the hospital, I find myself rushing to get up to my little peanut as fast as I can, only to (usually) find her sleeping peacefully in her crib. Once I arrive, I always go straight to the Nursery's CD player and put in new music for the babies to enjoy. I want my girl to hear the beautiful music that will help her grow strong. :)

At her 11AM feeding yesterday, she drank 38ccs for mama before passing out, and at her 2PM feeding, she had 42ccs. She (again) started out strong and hard on the bottle, but then got sloppy before passing out. It's cute to watch her pass out (although I'm silently pushing her to eat more more more!)...her eyes start to roll into the REM sleep and then she starts smiling and laughing. Her nurse Rosemary commented to me yesterday that "Kylie" is one smiley little girl! (Just like big sissy was when SHE ate for me).

My friend Kris was so sweet-she drove down after her work AM was complete from Sartell to have lunch with me and meet Kyla. Unfortunately, she ran into road construction (it's everywhere, it's everywhere!) so she missed lunch (I had to eat, it was getting late) but she got to sit and visit with me and Kyla in the family lounge as I fed her, and then she held Kyla while she got the rest of her bottle supplemented to her. Thanks, Kris!

Once daddy CJ arrived, mama left her girl in good hands (cuddled next to Daddy) and I went and treated myself to a fresh pedicure with some leftover birthday money. My toes were atrocious and it felt SO good to just sit and read a book in that massaging chair, and relax while someone rubbed my feet. Ahhhh....bliss. I think I'll be scheduling a massage as soon as I can :)

I'm off to shower up and get up to Methodist to see how my little peanut is doing today. I'm feeling "better" today, as last night I was feeling more "down' again. This grief that ebbs and flows just sucks. I so wish my girl was here with me, sitting here sleeping beside me or with me as I do some errands. But for now, she's where she needs to be, getting the best care possible.

Day 12- Go, baby, GROW!

Yesterday, Sunday, Day 12 of Kyla's little life, she weighed in at a whopping 6 lbs, 3 ounces! And today (Day 13) she is up to 6 lbs, 4 ounces! Now we just need our girl to get her sucking down once and for all and we hope to have her home with us!
Nana and Papa drove me to the hospital yesterday, and Kyla managed to suck down the ENTIRE BOTTLE for Nana at her 2PM feeding! We were over the moon with excitement. Then, the funny little munchkin made her nurses just laugh and laugh as she was SO alert afterwards - for 2 1/2 hours, she looked around, waved her arms, and started to get fussy. She also really wanted to keep sucking, so they allowed her to have her NUK to suck on (sometimes they say it takes too much energy to have a NUK before a feeding). But, she wanted to suck and suck she did. We didn't think she'd do much at her 5PM feeding, but she did 42 cc's then. Once again, mama left in tears.
Over night, our girl did about half of her bottle and is "doing well". Status quo. We've now heard the same thing like a broken record: she'll eat when she's ready. So, we wait. And pray.

Our girl sucking like a champ for Nana Di

So alert and STRONG!Loving to cuddle
Looking sleepy but really faking us out!

Big sissy showing off her monkey skills on the deck, while the puppers lay out in the sun

Day 11

This was Keifer seeing Kyla again for the first time in about a week.

Mama's girl snoozing on her chest
so precious and tiny

Well, mama and daddy spent time with Kyla angel girl yesterday and again, mama had a hard time leaving. However , Nana Di and Papa Dale were able to stay and give her the 5PM feeding. I'm glad that she got to experience more family members that love her so. CJ and I enjoyed a night with our girl until Papa & Nana came back home.

We were blessed with more food from more friends- from church and my work. My co-worker/friend Nicole brought her 4 year old Joseph with her, and of course, she made it to my blog (*hee hee*). Keifer was overjoyed to see a smaller person in her house, so she was hugging him and initiating play with Joseph. K got a little rowdy and ended up cracking her nose on either the floor of her ball pool or Joseph's leg -either way, the poor boy was traumatized when K had a gushing bloody nose all over. In the midst of this, Mama was crying again (hormones!), so Nicole and Joseph had quite the experience dropping a meal off for us! LOL. K was OK- just a bloody nose- but I think that was her first one so far! Mama does NOT handle blood very well ( I get lightheaded seeing it), so CJ had to take care of that.


Calling into the hospital this AM, I was told our girl has gone up to 6 lbs 3 ounces today and actually took her WHOLE 11PM FEEDING! *happy happy joy joy*. The nurse said she's coming along, as they all do, but this is very promising news. I am so tired and emotional and still experiencing that heartache feeling, so I NEED to have my second angel girl home with me soon. For my sanity and CJ's!

Kisses

Keifer giving her baby sissy kisses through the window :)

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That's my baby sister!

Right before I took this video, Keifer was screeching and said, "that's my baby sister!" so excitedly it made mama cry. Imagine that!



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Kyla's day 11 + video clips.....

Day 11 of Kyla Whitney - and she's still on that roller coaster. She has improved in her sucking reflex very much: she has a great "hold" on the bottle and is continuing to start out very vigorously at each feeding. She went from 40+ cc's last night, to 15 for us today. Blah. The good news is that she's back to her original birth weight- at 6 lbs 1 ounce. So that is good. My joke is that once her little cheeks get chubby, will we recognize her? (ha- huge joke as she is the spitting image of her big sissy and daddy). The nurse today commented on how much she looks like her daddy (as well as everyone else who sees them together).

Mama is having an emotional day. Today, I've been walking around with this awful ache in my chest - literally "heart ache". We had lunch in the cafe/gift shop today, and there was a group of women and their hubbies, on break from a birthing class. My PG belly at this point would've rivaled all of theirs- and I found myself subconsciously patting my bloat where Kyla used to be. I felt instantaneously sad and couldn't put it into words to let CJ understand. I don't think men will truly understand the feelings ever. Not that he isn't supportive - but it's too hard to comprehend. To him(them?) I'm just hormonal, right?

Anyhoo, enjoy some video clips from when CJ and I were at the hospital late on Thursday night and got to watch Kyla enjoy her bath: CLICK HERE.

I also have some great new clips to upload of Keifer being "reunited" with her baby sister (through the glass window) at the nursery today. Yes, mama was bawling again. And.....our big sissy got her hair trimmed and bangs CUT! YAY! She looks adorable!

10 days old

Kyla did GREAT today with her feedings- of course the one day I didn't get to see her until 3:30 PM and only stayed for one feeding. My heart, my heart! I miss her so!! I have her smell on me from holding her for the few hours CJ and I were there with her, and I keep smelling it, my heart in pieces that she is not with us. But she will be, soon, I know!

She has been taking (on average) about half bottle and half tube since last night's feeding! Then, at 2PM today, she took 50cc's out of 55 by bottle! YEE HAW! When CJ and I arrived, she was sleeping, so I sat next to her and read while she slept. I hope she can "feel "that I 'm there with her. CJ and I were allowed to take her (again) to the family lounge to eat and boy, was she ANGRY with us!! LOL. She got very upset and VOCAL when we changed her diaper and the nurse checked her vitals, which made me SO happy! Someday I'll be complaining about a screeching child (hopefully) but.....today, it made me smile. Her screeching means that her lungs are getting stronger.

Unfortunately, the strength didn't last as long this particular feeding. She only took 16 for me and her daddy, before she passed out. But, she took a lot today on her own, and she started out with great gusto, so the sucking IS coming along.

We just continue to pray and hope that soon, this hardship will be a distant memory.

Keifer was overjoyed because my parents picked her up from Elaine's house. Apparently she ran straight to her Papa Dale's arms with joy. They made her day even more complete by hitting Cub Foods where she got to ride in her favorite "Car seat" (the carts with steering wheels), and then they had a great night of eating and bath time. K1 (Keifer) was squealing with joy when daddy and I came home and she insisted that mama read to her good night.

As I was sitting in the rocker, while K was drifting off to sleep, I was imaging how our bedtime routine will be changing when Miss Kyla graces us with her presence at home. Oh, how I look forward to that time.

9 days old!

A great big THANK YOU to my friend Courtney, who was an angel yesterday. She drove down with baby Aidan to pick me up and haul my C-sectioned butt up to the hospital to spend the afternoon with Kyla. She also dropped off a delicious meal for the freezer, complete with brownie cake treats (oye, Courtney, mama don't need THAT! LOL). Daddy is getting burned out from all the running around we have to do (since I cannot drive yet), and I needed some rest, so I slept in and spent the afternoon/evening with Kyla. Daddy dropped Keifer off after daycare with Auntie and Uncle, and he and I were able to do the 8PM feeding together- which hasn't happened since I was in the hospital.

Our Kyla girl was very alert yesterday- which makes me hopeful that a change COULD be coming soon. The nurse gave her a bath, and went over all the steps with us, since it has been a few years since we've bathed an infant (and a small one at that!). It was so fun to watch our girl get bathed, and the wonderful nurse also let us take her into one of the family lounge rooms to 1)bathe her and then 2) feed her minus any type of monitors!!! I think the scenery change did Kyla good: she was alert and looking all over the place the whole time and took 44cc's!!!!! Of course, she still needed the remaining CC's in the tube, but wow, we were impressed. The nighttime report was also positive: at 2AM, our girl drank almost 40 on her own, and then the 5AM she only did 20. But, she's moving along.

I'm off to nap here this AM - I just helped get K1 (Keifer) out the door to daycare, with Daddy off to work. I will nap for the AM, and then daddy is picking me up during his lunch to bring me to the hospital. My parents are coming down again, will pick up K1 at daycare, and bring her home for dinner. We'll get home in time to put her to bed- we try to at least put her to bed these days, since her life is about to get upset by the new sissy.

Thank you for the continued prayers and support- and thanks to our Pastor Joy, who came again to visit yesterday, and spent an hour and half holding a sleeping Kyla and just chatting with me. It was so very nice and peaceful, and Kyla clearly loved it, too, as she was out cold! :)

8 days old

Here is our girl yesterday- at 7 days old, upon my arrival at the hospital. She had burped up some nasty leftovers from her previous feeding -but the onesie was so cute on her and so true: our angel girl (2).

Kyla Whitney is 8 days old today, and status quo on the feeding issues. I spent most of the day at the hospital that past 2 days, and she is a very tired girl. She feeds every 3 hours - so she eats at 8, 11, 2, and 5. Some feedings, she'll suck for anywhere from 5-15cc's, and her goal for each bottle is 55 cc's. So, the remainder of what she doesn't finish is done through her tube. One ounce = 30 cc = 30 ml.

Today, she barely wanted to wake up for us. We are still being reassured that things are OK; she is healthy and will wake up for brief periods here and there, but they are OK if she refuses to even attempt to suck, and let her feed through the tube. Gestationally, she's still only 37 weeks (tomorrow) so we have to wait it out until her little self decides its time to wake up and really EAT!

And, mama is proud. NO tears today (yet). I ache when my arms aren't able to hold my girl whenever I want, but I know she is in the best place, and really, things could be a lot worse for her. For now, she is always in my thoughts every second of the day.