It has been awhile

I didn’t realize it has been so long. Where do I start? I will start yesterday and move back. Yesterday I had to take Lily and Isabelle to their checkups. Lily had her 2 year check up. It was just a little off schedule. I forgot with everything going on. She did great. Her weight was 32 lbs and height was 37 inches. Lily was such a big girl. She received her second dose of flu and the H1N1 vaccination. Dave and I were not sure about the H1N1 but the doctor recommended that the kids get it because of Isabelle. We have never had the kids or ourselves get flu vaccinations.

Isabelle is doing great. She weighs 15 lbs. I had to take her off her monitor because she was moving so much. It took sometime but over the last six weeks I have been weaning myself from the need to put it on her. For about the last three weeks she has not used the monitor. Her doctor said she was doing very well. Isabelle is rolling over and is tolerating some tummy time. Last night Isabelle enjoyed her tummy for at least 20 minutes (this was big). She reaches for her toys and has a strong grip. When Isabelle smiles her whole face lights up. We have been blessed with this little girl. She also gets to start eating cereal.


Halloween
We always go to my cousins house. She lives in a nice development. This year we had pizza and then Amanda had activities for the kids to do. They each had to find a pumpkin in the yard and then they got to design a face on it. The adults got to do the carving. My Uncle Jerry was put to work. The kids then had to sit on balloons that had prizes inside them. This was harder than it looked but the kids had a great time. They did some other activities and then it was time to go get some treats. This year Lily was an elephant (her favorite), Isabelle was a giraffe (this is what the incubator was called-I felt it suited her very well), Nolan was Wolverine and Brooke was Hannah Montana (the wig only lasted for a few houses). When the kids were finished we went back and made smores. We had a great time.

Dave and I both got to have a little me time. He went to his annual Nascar race and I went to Longaberger (Dresden). I had a great time with my mom, Oletta, Krista and Amanda. The last time I left for a whole weekend was a long time ago. I’m still waiting for my Aunt Krista to email me pictures. I didn’t take my camera. Dave and I also went to a WV football game and had a great time.

Brooke and Nolan are both in an activity now. Brooke does her ballet, tap and Irish. She loves to dance but Irish is her favorite. Nolan has started wrestling. Dave stopped coaching high school but it was for a good reason. Nolan is so happy that his daddy is helping him. Dave has Nolan practicing on Brooke. I think Nolan really enjoys it.

I will try not to wait so long to post again. Have a great day.

Uncle Jerry

What is it?

This is the inside of my hard working husbands car. You may think why is she showing this. Well I had to venture into this mess last week. I was looking for something and thought I may find it in his car. I didn't find what I needed but I did find a package addressed to me. I looked at the return address and saw that it was from a coworker of mine.(Barb S.) I then looked at the date stamped on the package, it was April 6. This was during the time I was at UVa with Isabelle. When Dave came home from work I asked him about the package and he said he didn't really remember putting it there. Later he said he vaguely remembered putting it there when he got it out of the mailbox. His intentions were to give it to me on the weekend. As you can see from the picture Dave is not a very neat person. I knew this when I married him but thought I would be able to help him. I guess I've haven't done a very good job. (Love ya honey)

I received a very nice book and card in the package. Maybe I needed the inspiration now and that was why it was misplaced. Anyways just wanted to share. Have a great day!!!

Student of the Week

Nolan was very excited to tell us he was chosen as the student of the week. He came off the bus with a big smile and said he had something to show me. I am so happy for him. This is a great confidence boost for him.

As I'm sitting here writing my post I here a noise in the room that will one day be the kids play room. I need to take the trash out so I will look in the door from outside. The room is blocked off from the house. I only go out there when I need to do the laundry. With a family of six I should do it every other day but I hate having to go outside to the laundromat (house joke). I thought I was going to see a mouse but we have a bird in the room. Dave wanted to take the plywood down from the kitchen so I wouldn't have to go outside. I hope he sees why I didn't want him to. I didn't think birds would be the problem. The room is the old kitchen. Back when the house was built the kitchen had a dirt floor. Later concrete was poured so when Dave tore the room apart we have a dirt gap between the studs and the concrete floor. This house has lots of things that need to be done and one of these days we will be able to sit back and enjoy it, but right now it is really getting on my nerves. I hate clutter and it is everywhere. Enough about the house.

Here are the new additions to the Choiniere family.

Those of you who know me, know that I'm not a cat person. Dave loves cats and the kids love Granny and Pa's cats. I knew that some day we would probably have a cat. I have told Dave from the beginning that I would deal with my issues but I will not change the litter box. Well when Dave went to New York he came home with 3 kittens. The mother had left them and he just couldn't separate them. They have been staying at Dave's parents house. Granny has been taking care of them. Dave has told the kids that the kittens will come home when he has their playroom finished. I'm not sure when this will be but maybe this will help get things done sooner. The cats will be outside cats but with the weather turning Dave doesn't want them to be outside yet. Nolan has the black one and its name is Sylvester, Brooke named hers Buster and Lily named hers Cow. We tried to get her to change but she said I told you Cow, so Cow it is. Isabelle is to young for a kitten but when she is bigger we will get a dog.

Have a great day!!!!

Lots going on

This is the picture we gave for Grandparent's Day. It is never an easy task getting everyone to look at the camera.


Dave began putting the play set together on Saturday. My Uncle Jerry came to help after working 12 hours. He is such a great Uncle. He has helped Dave with many projects. As you can see in the picture Brooke and Nolan were ready to help. Dave is wondering how he got stuck with this job. Dave's dad also came for a few hours and then they had to fix his brake line.







Isabelle has been a great sleeper since last Wednesday. She has been taking her last bottle somewhere between 8:30 and 9:30 and then she doesn't get up until 7am. This has been a wonder treat. She is also sucking her thumb and I think this has helped to put her back to sleep a couple of times. We took her for a follow-up on Friday and Dr. Rogers said she looks great. She weighed 12 lbs. 14 ozs.

Isabelle is such a happy baby and loves to smile. Her face just lights up.

It is so funny seeing her suck her thumb. She likes to keep her other fingers up and she makes lots of noise.

I will post next about our new additions to the family.

Body Art

Today Isabelle's service coordinator (WV Birth To 3 Program) came to our house. I put a movie on for Lily and then came downstairs. The meeting only lasted 25 minutes and during that time I could hear Lily moving around upstairs. When the coordinator left I began making lunch, instead of going upstairs (just sandwiches). It was already 12:30 and Lily needed to eat and get a little cat nap in before we pickup her brother and sister. Lily came downstairs and I noticed her arms first. She used stamps up her arms and then she lifted her shirt and showed me her tummy. She had colored her tummy with a marker. I just thought you would enjoy the pictures. As you can see she is very proud of herself.

Isabelle was 3 months old yesterday (adjusted)

Her weight was 11 lbs 3 0z last Friday. She has become more aware of her surroundings. Isabelle is smiling and laughing (no noise). We have been doing more tummy time since her hernia isn't in the way and her neck is getting stronger. We go back to UVa next Friday for a checkup. We also have two visits next week for the WV Birth to three program.


We also had an eye appointment on Monday and things are not completely where they should, but they are better. Her right eye is still stalling. The doctor said he wants to continue to monitor it because it could cause problems later. Isabelle has a higher chance of her retina detaching. I don't have to take her back to him for another 4-6 months, but he wants us to see an optometrist in 3 months.


I also had to take Brooke to the eye doctor on Monday. We have been trying to get her right eye stronger. First she got glasses, which made some difference. Then she tried wearing an eye patch on her strong eye so she would use the weaker one more. This hasn't worked real well. She doesn't like to wear an eye patch. It was hard because she had t-ball and ballet, plus with Isabelle coming we weren't great at enforcing it. Dr. Mark said he wants us to see a specialist in Morgantown. He has given Brooke 8 weeks to try and make her right eye stronger. If this doesn't work there are drops that paralyze the strong eye and make her use the weaker one. We didn't tell Brooke that we are against using them. We are hoping that she is scared enough and will just wear the eye patch. She has been doing great the last 3 days. She reminds me as soon as she gets off the bus. If you could just say a little prayer for Brooke.


Happy Friday and enjoy your three day weekend!!!!!!!

Back To School

This year has been a lot easier for me, since I'm not working. I was able to go to orientation and even got to put Nolan and Brooke on the bus. Nolan is in kindergarten and Brooke is in Second grade. I just can't believe how much time has passed.


Nolan couldn't wait for school to begin, but he was very relaxed about it. He just wanted to see his preschool buddies. Brooke on the other hand couldn't go to sleep and then she woke up at 1:30 in the morning and couldn't go back to sleep. At 6 o'clock she was ready to begin the day. She was just so excited.

Brooke was like a mother hen with Nolan. She made sure he was sitting with her and told him she would walk him to his classroom. Daddy gave them both a job on the way to school. They had to look in the fields for deer. They are the first kids on the bus in the morning and the last ones off in the afternoon.

Nolan had a great day and so did Brooke. Brooke did have a little drama. She didn't realize her morning work had fallen off her desk and didn't have it finished when they were checking it. She had to use a red pen to finish the word search with the class. She wasn't to happy about that. After I told her it was not a big deal and we would just throw the word search away she was ok. She didn't want Daddy asking about the red pen. She tries to be perfect with everything but word searches are not her thing.

Lily enjoys watching and waiting for the bus. She waves goodbye to them and then she will ask me where they are. I think she is enjoying having all the toys to herself. It has been pretty quiet around here. I am working on the clutter around the house. It's easier to get rid of stuff when you don't have helpers who want to keep everything.

Isabelle has been doing great. She continues to be her feisty little self. We take her to the doctor tomorrow. Dave will actually get to come with us, since he has been working four 10 hour days. I enjoy getting to spend time with him. He has had a few Friday's off, but this is the first one that we get to do something. Usually he is doing other side jobs. I have the best husband. He is working hard so that I can stay home. I hope he knows how much I appreciate it.

Going Home

Isabelle had a great night. She is definitely back to her normal self. We will be going home sometime this morning. I will try and update everyone in a few days.

Feisty Girl Is Back

Isabelle needed another dose of the reversal medicine. Dr. Rogers said the pain medicine was just to much for her. As a precaution they did a chest x-ray to check Isabelle's lungs and it showed normal lungs. Around 4 Isabelle was given her reversal medicine. She has been awake since and is eating and peeing. Dr. Roger's said he would feel more comfortable with us staying another night to keep an eye on her. Her stats are much better and she is doing a lot better. Dr. Rogers checked her hernias and is pleased with the results.

Here are the before pictures. We had to reduce (push in) her hernia two times a day.

Here is the after. It will be nice to put shorts or pants on her and not worry about her hernia.

Rough Night

Isabelle had a rough night. The doctors gave Isabelle Tylenol and it didn't take care of the pain so they gave her a stronger pain medicine. She seemed to be doing well although she wasn't eating much and hadn't had much pee in her diapers. After her pain medicine she was given Tylenol again 4 hrs after the first dose. At midnight we asked to see the doctor because Isabelle was so lethargic. She chocked on her pain medicine and spit it all back out (which was a good thing- not her chocking but getting rid of the medicine) He came in and did an exam and then said he needed to consult with another doctor. The monitor was not picking up Isabelle's oxygen level and her heart rate was all over the place. The nurse got another monitor and it was doing the same thing. I hooked up our apnea monitor to Isabelle and it did its job. The monitor may get on my nerves but I'm so glad we had it. The doctor came back a little while later and said that he wanted an IV started and was going to give Isabelle a medicine that would reverse the pain medicine. She was not reacting well to the other medicine. The pain medicine was to strong for her. It was about 2:30 when they got an IV in and then around 3 Isabelle was given the reversal medicine. Within a few minutes Isabelle began to open her eyes and was more like herself. The doctors and nurses have been monitoring Isabelle very closely and she seems to be doing well. She drank 2 ounces for me around 7 and had a pee diaper. If she continues to eat they will take the IV out. As long as things go well we should get discharged sometime this afternoon. The doctor said he got rid of the prescription and said we will stick with Tylenol.



Another doctor just came in and said that they are going to go ahead and stop the IV. If Isabelle takes another feeding without any problems and continues to pee we will go home this afternoon. The doctors say she is doing good and that the reversal medicine did its job. I will be so glad when she gets a little bigger.

Recovering

Isabelle is doing well. She does have some issues with pain, so she has been given pain medicine. She has been very fussy. The recovery nurse came out asking if we were feisty pants parents. I just laughed because she is feisty every night from 7 to 10. Isabelle kicked her IV out and they couldn't get another on in. The nurse said most of the time babies are not as mobile so soon after surgery. Isabelle was arching her back and getting on her side. I am so glad that she has so much fight in her.

She also has a fever and has been given medicine for it. Isabelle's nurse Sara has been checking on her frequently. Dr. Johnson, the intern with Dr. Roger's said that the hernia areas look good and it is normal for fevers to develop after surgery. He also said that the big thing is for her to pee and poop. Dr. Roger will do rounds in 3 to 4 hours. Please continue to keep Isabelle in your prayers.

Hernia Surgery

Dr. Rogers just called to tell us that he was able to take care of both hernias. The surgery took an hour and a half and Isabelle is doing well. We haven't been able to see her yet, but I just wanted to let everyone know. I will posted more later. Thanks for your prayers!!!

Everyone has been doing great. Isabelle turned five months (adjusted two months) on the 3rd and weighed 9lbs 8ozs last Friday.

Dave and I had to take Isabelle to UVa for a consult on her umbilical hernia. Most of the time they don't do surgery but Isabelle's skin is thin and they are afraid of what could happen. So we will be taking her back on August 19 for surgery to repair her hernias. It turned out that she also has a small hernia where her first surgery was. Dr. Rogers will be repairing both hernias. He is the one that did Isabelle emergency drain surgery back on March 19. We are glad that he is the one who will do the surgery. The surgery will be done on Wednesday and we will stay in the hospital one night and then we should come home on Thursday. Please say a prayer for Isabelle.

Dave has been busy with painting and working on the house. I will work on adding some pictures of his most recent project. As for the rest of us we like finding more things for him to do. The kids can't wait until he gets their swing set put together. Dave is looking forward to putting it together. The box says for two people it will take at least 24 hours. We always have lots to do and not enough time.

Time is going by so quickly. Isabelle has been home for almost 3 weeks. We have been to the eye doctor and things are looking better. Isabelle is not out of the woods yet, but her eyes are on the right track (doctors words). Today was the last day for our home health nurse. She has been coming two times a week. She would weigh Isabelle and check her temp. Isabelle weighs 8lbs 6ozs. She has been eating a lot and is finally getting use to sleeping in her bassinet. I was getting tired of sleeping on the couch and decided after two and a half weeks we would try the bassinet again. She has done well the last two nights. I guess she is growing up.

Brooke, Nolan and Lily just love their Baby Belle. They have been very good about washing their hands and Brooke is a member of the hand washing police. I put lotion on her ear this morning and when I was done she asked me if I thought I should wash my hands. It is so hard to believe she will be in the second grade.

Monday was the first time that I ventured out with all four kids. I've felt a little tied down with Isabelle's monitor but Monday I didn't have a choice. No one was available to help. Brooke had her dance camp at 9:30 and I couldn't let her down. She has been going around the house practicing Irish step dancing since her recital. Brooke talked us into signing her up for Irish dancing in September. She is so excited.

I asked Nolan to tell me what he did this week other than drive me crazy and he said that I drove him crazy. When I asked him why he said because I won't give him any more chocolate cake or snacks. He has it pretty rough.

We will be getting together tomorrow at my mom's house for my brothers birthday. He turns the big 30 tomorrow. My mom decided to fix him dinner and he requested his favorite. He wants homemade pizza not steak. I was a little disappointed but its not my birthday. I'm looking forward to some family time. I know that Lily will be happy to see her Uncle Jimmy. She calls him on her cell phone all the time.

WELCOME HOME ISABELLE

We were able to bring Isabelle home on Saturday. Dave and I stayed with her on Friday. She did awesome. I felt like a first time mom all over again. You would think it would be a piece of cake. I have a feeling I will be very cautious with Isabelle. She just seems so fragile. She is on a monitor, which is very loud. I have to mix medicine and formula into her milk. The formula gives her more calories. A nurse will be coming to our house for the next three weeks. She came yesterday and Isabelle had gained 3 ozs since Friday night. She now weighs 6lbs 13ozs.

The kids were very excited to see their sister. We are doing lots of hand washing and have to limit our visitors. It is hard to not let people come over to visit but we have to do what is best for Isabelle. The doctor gave us strict orders that we need to avoid large crowds, perfumes, smoke and being around those that have allergies issues (it could be more than allergies). We have to use precaution because her immune system is compromised. We don't want her to go back to the hospital. So please don't take it personal.

We go to the pediatrician on Wednesday and the eye doctor on Thursday.

We want to thank everyone for their support and prayers. Please continue to pray for Isabelle.

Rooming In!!!!!!!

Isabelle had her eye exam today and the doctor said things look better--the power of prayer. This means we will be rooming in with Isabelle tomorrow (Friday) and if things go well we should have her home on Saturday. I'm trying not to get to excited yet. I told Dave I will believe it when we are all in the van and leaving the hospital. It has been a long journey and Isabelle is our little miracle. I look back at the pictures of her and I'm amazed at this strong little girl. God is truly amazing!!!!



This picture is one of our favorite. Dave's ring really shows how small Isabelle was.

Cutting about 12 inches

Brooke decided she wanted to get her hair cut short. Daddy wasn't big on the idea at first. I recently got my hair cut and it wasn't long enough to donate to Locks of Love. Brooke said that she wanted to donate her hair, so I had to change her appointment so it would be after her ballet recital. Brooke loves her hair cut. I think she looks so grown up.

Isabelle is very close to coming home. The eye doctor checked her eyes again and determined that she didn't need to go to UVa right away. He will check her eyes again tomorrow (Thursday). This will determine what the next step is. If her eyes are better or no worse, then we should be able to room in on Friday. This means we will stay at the hospital with Isabelle and be in our own room. They have not decided if we will need to room in for one or two nights. Hopefully this is what we get to do. Worse case we will go to UVa for laser surgery and need to stay for a week or two. After all this time what would another week or two be. It would be great to bring Isabelle home this weekend.

She weighs 6lbs 6oz and has been eating on demand. It is great to see her little face without any tubes.

Another Hurdle

I had intended to write a very encouraging blog today. Isabelle has been doing well. They did a study to see if she was having reflux issues and discovered she did. She began a medicine yesterday. Dave and I gave her a bottle last night and she took all 52mls. She was alert and was lifting her head off of my chest. Isabelle seemed to still be hungry so her nurse gave me another 15 mls. She drank it with no problems. I felt really good about our visit last night.


Today around 11 am Dr. Clawson called to say that we may need to go back to UVa. It seems that Isabelle's left eye is worse and she may need to have laser surgery. Dr. Clawson said that the eye doctor would make a decision and call us. I called my mom and she responded with I will start the prayer chain and then call you back. In the meantime Dr. Clawson called back to say that the eye doctor was going to take another look at noon and consult with Dr. Carter (eye doctor in UVa) then make a decision .


I am very emotional (as usual) and Dave said he would call the doctor. I am to the point where I don't know how much more I can take. I feel we get so close and then Isabelle has another hurdle to overcome.


After the doctor took another look at Isabelle's eyes and consulted with the doctor in UVa they have decided that surgery is not necessary right away. He will take another look on Sunday or Monday morning and see if things have changed. If things are worse we will be going to UVa and may need to stay for two weeks. I hope this is not in God's plan, but if it is we will deal with it.


Please continue to pray for Isabelle.

Sometimes life is so crazy. We have been so busy, with birthdays, t-ball, dance, and visiting Isabelle. The birthdays and t-ball are over and dance is almost finished. Brooke has her recital this weekend but we have practice the rest of the week. I don't know what we will do when we have Isabelle home. I will probably feel like I'm forgetting to go somewhere.

Isabelle has been doing very well. She has been off oxygen since Friday and has been doing great. We are still working on her feedings. Isabelle takes about half from a bottle. The last two nights she has almost finished her bottle. She is getting closer. We gave her a bath last night and she enjoyed it. Her weight is 5lbs 7ozs. Sometimes it is so hard to believe that she was 1lb 12.5 ozs. My due date was on Monday and Dave and I decided to have a little talk with Isabelle. We gave her a date that she has to be home by. I guess we will see if she listens or is like her sisters and brother. We don't have a date set for bring Isabelle home. It depends on her. When she is taking her bottle completely we should be on our way home. We are getting close.

4 of a Kind

Isabelle

As of last night Isabelle weighs 4lbs 14ozs. She is doing well (knock on wood). Over the weekend they put her back in a crib and have put her on micro flow for her oxygen needs. She could come home on this if she needs it. She is taking some of her milk from a bottle. We are working on getting her to take more. Last night she took half of her feeding from the bottle. Isabelle is beginning to stay awake for longer time periods. She has the most beautiful eyes. I will work on getting more pictures of her.

Lily

On Sunday Lily turned 2. She had a good time, we did a little party for her and Brooke. Lily is such a sweet little girl. She wants to do everything her brother and sister do. I find myself letting her do things I would never have let Brooke do. It is hard to stop her sometimes. She began sleeping in a toddler bed Sunday. Her and Brooke are sharing a room for now. Lily didn't get out of the bed yesterday morning because Brookie was still sleeping and she didn't want to wake her.

Nolan

He turned 5 back in February. Nolan loves to be outside and likes to wrestle his sisters. He is so much like Dave and wants to do everything his Daddy does. If I need help doing anything Nolan is usually the one to help.

Brooke

She has become such a beautiful girl. Brooke loves to read and play school. She wants to be a teacher when she grows up. This year she has lost her two front and bottom teeth. It is so hard to believe that she will be 7 on June 1st.

We have been very busy with t-ball, field trips, field day, birthdays and visiting Isabelle. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Taking rides in the wheelbarrow.

Isabelle does have Mersa. She has started a new antibiotic. Yesterday she gained a lot of weight so they did a chest x-ray to check her lungs. There was no big change in her lung condition so she is getting a diuretic to get rid of the extra fluid. There are not feeding her from a bottle because they want her to save her energy. Her nurse last night seems to think she wants her bottle. Isabelle is really sucking on her binky. Her respiratory flow level had to go up to 4 but her oxygen level is usually at 21%. I was told that it will take about a week to get her back on track.

Roller Coaster

We have been on a roller coaster ride for the last week and a half. Before we left UVA I thought Isabelle might need blood. She has had a number of transfusions and by looking at her I felt she looked like she needed one. The doctors were keeping an eye on her red blood cell count. It has been low for weeks but she was making her own red blood cells, slowly. She began to have more episodes so the doctors decided to draw blood to check different things. In order to check her levels this meant they had to draw blood. This was t0 much and she needed a blood transfusion. On Thursday she received blood. This brought her levels up but not high enough, so she got her second transfusion Friday morning. Isabelle seemed to be doing ok on Friday, but Saturday was a different story.



On Saturday the doctors stopped Isabelle's feedings. She had blood in her stool and had a red, warm spot on her leg. The area infected was the IV spot from her two blood transfusions. I was told that it could be an infection or belly issues (not tolerating her feedings-NEC). A blood culture and urine culture were started Saturday. Dr. Clawson informed me today that her blood culture has grown something. She isn't positive but they seem to think it is mersa (skin infection). Isabelle was tested for mersa when we came back to Winchester and the results were negative. It seems that she may have gotten it at Winchester. So as a precaution she will be put in an isolation room and will begin a different antibiotic. On the positive side they don't feel that it is her feedings that are the problem. They will begin increaseing her feedings again. Once again Isabelle has another obstacle to overcome.

Welcome Back Princess Isabelle

We are back in Winchester and I'm so glad. Isabelle is doing good. Her primary nurse was so glad to see her. When Dave and I returned Wednesday night she had already made Isabelle a sign. It said Welcome Back Princess Isabelle--how sweet. Dr. Clawson is making adjustments on vitamins and calories. She has started Isabelle on some different medicines. Isabelle has a little jaundice, so she is taking medicine to help her liver get rid of it. Since she was getting nutrition from an IV for awhile this sometimes happens when they begin eating. Isabelle is getting lots of things added into her milk. She doesn't really care for them but she needs it. Please pray that her little tummy can handle the feedings. She had some trouble with spitting up last night. Her temperature is also being a problem. She has been a little cooler since we can from UVa. The nurse said that sometimes it takes a little while to adjust or she could have a infection brewing. We really hope this is not the case. Isabelle has a few more hurdles to get over and then it should be all about growing. She continues to be a little fighter.

Winchester Here We Come

Isabelle is scheduled to go back to Winchester tomorrow morning. I decided it was time to check out of the Ronald McDonald house. It has been my home for 47 days (minus a few quick trips home). We figured we would owe around 650 to 700 dollars. When I went to the office to pay for my stay, I was told it was already taken care of. Once again we have truly been blessed. I thank those of you who have helped pay for our stay.

Isabelle update--She continues to go up on her feedings. They have added calories to the breast milk and some vitamins. She did lose a little weight. This should be from the adjustments of her TPN and lipids, that she is no longer getting. Not a concern right now. She has been a little fighter and continues to do well.

Since I will be going home I will not be posting everyday. I will try my best.

On Our Way Soon

The doctors gave me some wonderful news during rounds today. We should be able to go back to Winchester in a day or two. The plan is in place, Isabelle just needs to continue to do well. I was told that if Isabelle continues to do well there is no reason we cannot go back to Winchester. So hopefully we are on our way.

Isabelle had a great day. We had a very good nurse today. She had no problems with me doing what I wanted. I changed Isabelle into a cute little outfit that her Nana bought her. It is pink with frogs on it and the feet are frog faces.

Isabelle's face is clear of the tape that went across her forehead. She is beginning to really look like her siblings. As you can see she is just so darn cute. She still has the double chin from her lipids and her hair has a little reddish tint to it. I wanted to show a picture of her now and two months ago. It is amazing how much she has grown and changed.

May 4 around 4lbs

March 4 1lb 13 ozs

Praise GOD!!!!!!!!!

Two Months Old

Isabelle had a great weekend. She weighs 4lbs 9ozs. Her IV came out, so she is no longer getting lipids and her TPN. She will only be getting breast milk and caffeine. Isabelle is only hooked up to her leads for the monitor, her feeding tube and her nasal cannula. Dave and I gave Isabelle her first sponge bath. She did very well. Her feedings are up to 28 mls. Since she is no longer getting her TNP and lipids her full feeding number is around 40 mls. I have included some pictures from today.

Hope you enjoy.

Relaxing after her bath

The tape on her forehead was from the CPAP, it will come off soon.

Resting in Daddy's arms

Dave did this while I was pumpng and it was a little dark. Still thought you might enjoy.

Six Weeks In Charlottesville

Six weeks ago today Isabelle was transported to Charlottesville, VA. She took the 2 hour 15 minute ride from Winchester in the ambulance below (NETS 1).

When she arrived Isabelle was around 900 grams. Last night she was 1900 grams (4lbs 30zs). She is gaining everyday. The more she gains the more milk they give her. Today she had 10mls and had very little left in her belly. The night nurse will increase her amount around 11pm. She should get about 12mls tonight and then keep advancing every 12 hours. Isabelle could be at full feedings on Sunday.

Respiratory wise--Isabelle did the same thing as yesterday, 6 hours nasal cannula and 3 CPAP. The doctors said they would see how well she did on the nasal cannula today and then make a decision as to if she can be on it all day. Her little head is getting molded from the CPAP hat. She hates when they put it back on her.

We have been discussing going back to Winchester with the doctors. Isabelle needs to be doing a few things before we can go to Winchester. She should be at full feeds and off of her TPN and Lipids. As her mls increase her TPN and lipids decrease. She is on the right track. I am ok with her not going home yet, but it would be nice to get back to Winchester. I know that Isabelle is where she is today because of prayer.

Another day of growing and a step closer to going home.