Day 16

Good Morning Everyone!! 

8:30 AM- Baby Girl got her first real bath this morning! Since the PICC line is out, she got a fully submerged bath. Mom wasn't there for it (again, no communication b/t parents and nurses) but I will definitely be there on Thursday for her next one. The nurse said she actually seemed to enjoy it! No fusses from this little one. She was a happy girl when Mom got there. She had 2 cc's of residuals and no poop for Mom. She was very alert and we worked with her pacifier almost the whole time she was feeding. She does so well with it! I'm a proud Mommy
: ) She promptly conked out at the end of the feeding, so I took her paci and prayed with her before I left. I also put her new onesie on today and thank GOD it had a huge neck opening so I didn't maim her putting it on. I did significantly better today with that!
11:30 AM-  Mom and Dad both came to this touch time, and as always when we're both there, we tag team little girl and her diaper change. This is a very calculated move. Mostly because she chooses these moments to projectile poop everywhere. We used 3 diapers again today and were laughing harder than we have in quite awhile. I gagged this time, people... it was very yellow and very...textured. And it just kept coming. Don't worry, through my gag reflexes, I said, "Thank you Jesus for her poop, keep it coming!" I'm sure one day she will think the fact that she crapped on Mom and Dad will be hysterical. The nurse said she had 8 cc's residual this time : ( But for some reason, no one had told her that we extended the feeding time to 45 minutes instead of 30, and also she had fed her and then given her the bath, so the jostling could have contributed to her not digesting everything. God is so great... and I'll tell you why. The relatively large number of cc's she gave back (double her highest amount so far) did not worry me. I didn't immediately break down into tears and chew my lips until they bled. I didn't feel like someone was sitting on my chest b/c the anxiety was too much to handle. I knew that next time would be better.  I trust that next time will be better. The doctor came around and said how well she's doing and that basically all we are waiting on is for her to get bigger! Such wonderful things to hear coming from him. Dad was able to hold her for an hour this afternoon. We have to work on his holding skills... I think maybe he hold the baby burrito like a football? I kept trying to explain to him that for her to digest well, her head needed to be above her feet. But her noggin kept slipping down farther and farther as the hour went on... it was actually quite funny, and I know we both have many things to work on before she gets home. Which hopefully won't be too long now!
2:30 PM- Sweet baby only had half a cc of residual this time around! Awesome!!! Mom was very excited, to say the least. I know my God is delivering! The nurse had changed her already by the time I got there (no poop), so I just got to sit with Ms. Avery and talk with her and pray with her. She is so funny already. Makes such animated faces even when she's sleeping. I've taken to calling her "my scrunch girl", bc she screws up her face a lot in a comical way. Not like she's going to cry or anything. She melts me! (have I mentioned that before??) Even when I'm dead tired, I can't imagine skipping two touch times in a row during the day. Seeing her even when she's in her milk coma completes me. I'm about to pump a little early and go to take my afternoon nap before her 8:30 touch time. I know I should be working on my Thank You notes (I promise they are coming soon, I'm SO sorry they are this late! I'm very punctual with cards!) but as I've said, it seems, a thousand times- I feel as though all I do is go to the hospital, come home and pump, go to hospital, rinse and repeat. The small amount of time I do have, I try to rest. So I beg not to judge or be upset if I haven't called, returned a text/email or reached out in some way. You guys are always on my mind, unfortunately there just isn't enough time during the day and right now, Little Scrunchy Girl has to be my number one. I admit I'm not very good at balancing yet, but that will come with time. I beg your patience with this new mom!
5:30 PM- She only had 2 cc's this time, and the nurse said she was a happy girl sleeping on her tummy!
8:30 PM- Avery had 3 cc's residual this time, and no poopy diaper. I got to hold her for about an hour, and this was by far the best part of my day. She was so alert and just staring right at me. I kissed her cheeks (they are filling out so nicely!) and nuzzled her cute button nose. Unfortunately, she lost about 8 grams this evening : ( I really need her to start fattening up! I was disappointed as always, but holding her makes me forget about being upset. She has my whole heart!
11:30 PM- 1 cc residual and no poop. She did however give the nurses a big diaper sometime after this so Praise the Lord for that!!

God is so faithful and wonderful to us. This was a great day on all accounts. Sorry this is so short, I'm pumping before heading to the hair salon to get my roots done b/c they are out of control. This has been pretty much the worst birthday ever so far (writing from tomorrow!) so hoping that the day turns itself around at some point.

Even though Mom's having a bad day, I continue to love and praise Jesus for all He's doing in AG's life! We pray for healthy weight gain tonight, and I believe that God will answer this prayer. I'm sending a big 2-7 THANK YOU to everyone who prays for us and for Avery and please don't stop... they are working and we are grateful : ) xox