Keepin' Busy

What's up everybody!! We are coming to the end of day three here at home and I am totally loving it! I get to hang with Daddy and Mimi way more than I ever did at the RCNIC. They are even here at 3 in the morning when I get up to eat (I'll touch on that a bit later). Also, I have all kinds of cool things here to play with and a ton of books for people to read to me. For being here for only three days, we have been super busy.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was a lot of fun because Mimi, Daddy and I went on our first field trip to return some things to Babies-R-Us so we could exchange them for this wicked cool swing. You are probably thinking, how cool can one baby swing be. Answer, really cool. It has six different speeds (although I am not allowed to go past Level 2), it hooks up to Daddy's iPod, plays nature sounds, and swings in three different directions. They had one at the RCNIC and I liked it so much that Daddy decided to get one for me. I didn't see the swing until we got home because, as you know, car rides make for a great napping opportunity. So, I didn't actually see anything in the store because I was still zonked out. Man, I even missed it when an older gentlemen saw me and said I was "born to shop". Man, Mimi laid the smack down in a hurry and said "Oh no she wasn't." Daddy said it was really funny because that is exactly what Mommy would have said. You see, Mommy and Daddy don't want to be about having "stuff" and always thought that shopping just to shop is pretty silly.

Once we got home, we hung out and Daddy started straightening out the house and assembling my swing. He said that it was a piece of cake to set up and I totally love laying in it and swinging. Oh yea, I met my first outside of the hospital friend on Tuesday too!! Gwynn came over with her mommy, Alison, and I got to snuggle with Alison for a long time while Daddy played with Gwynn. Daddy says that when I get older that I will get to play with Gwynn too but I have to get bigger first. I can't wait because I think that Gwynn and I are gonna be BFF(s) for a long time. Later in the day, Papau and Grandma and Poppy came over for dinner and to see me. It sure is exhausting having all these visitors. I just go to sleep if I get too tuckered out. All my naps are making Daddy and Mimi think that I have my days and nights mixed up because I like to stay up from 3-5 in the morning. So, I guess we will be working on sleeping better at night between my feeds.

Today was busy too. I had my doctor's appointment at my pediatrician's office and it went really well. I am growing like crazy! I weighed in today at 7lbs 14oz and Dr. Fix was really happy with how strong I am. Of course, this came as no suprise to Daddy or me but it's great to know anyway. After we got back from the doc's office I took a nice nap and then Grandma and Aunt Katie came by to hang out. Well, I can tell you this, I caught a great nap in their arms.

I also got mail today!! I got a really nice letter from one of my mommy's nurses that helped deliver me and then I also got an awesome hand made card from one of Mimi's friend's sons. It said for me to get better and if my doctor's appointment is indication, I am getting better and stronger. So, thanks Tyler for the awesome card. I love it!!

One of Daddy's BFF(s) (Uncle MJ) came by for dinner with his wife, Julie (with baby on board) and gave me all kinds of loving. Man, I could sleep for ever on Uncle MJ's chest. But not Aunt Julie's. Man, that kid can really kick like crazy. I was laying all nice and cozy with Julie and the WHAM. It didn't hurt but startled me and Julie. Everybody got a good laugh out of it.

To close the night out, Mimi gave me a massage. I like massages and they really relax me. In fact, I think I will go take another nap. Daddy is hoping this doesn't mean a 3am party at my crib. Thanks to everyone for keepin' in touch, I'll blog to you soon.

Love Always, Lily

Back Home

Hello from Maid Marian Court!! Yup, that's right, we made it home....again. It has been a super busy day for Daddy, Mimi and me. It all started with Daddy and Mimi coming to the RCNIC and then these people from The Enquirer came to take pictures of us and my nurse, Cayse. It turns out that there are a lot of totally awesome people that follow the blog and one of them is an old friend of Daddy's who works for the paper. She has followed our story for some time now and decided to write a column on the great job my nurses have done and how lucky we are to have access to such awesome health care. Daddy got to read the article before it is going to print for this Sunday's paper and he says that, Jeanette (the author), did a fantastic job. Unfortunately, they could only talk about two of my nurses because of how many words are allowed. If you are one of my nurses, Daddy wanted me to send out a BIG THANKS and to make sure you know how much you mean to us. You are the best!! So, if you are a Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky-ite, go get the paper this coming Sunday and check out the article about my superstar nurses.

Along with the reporter, came the paparazzi. I am not kidding, this lady had two cameras and they were going off like crazy. Not to mention, they were bigger than I am. So, after they took a zillion-billion photos, the nurses started doing my final assessments to make sure I could go home. Well, you read where I am blogging this from so you know how it went. Luckily, there wasn't much waiting from the time they gave us the "green light" and the time we were walked out of the hospital. I just made sure that they fed me and burped me and we were on our way.

I love car rides!! Well, I love sleeping in cars. They are sooo relaxing. We got home around 2pm and settled in. It is soo nice here. Daddy and Mimi even took me for a short walk but the sidewalks were pretty bumpy and I wasn't a big fan of that. I think Daddy will be using the Bjorn for a lot of our walks. I can't wait to use that thing because it is just like kangarooing. Daddy straps on the vest lookin' thingy and then places me in and secures it and off we go.

This evening was cool too. Grandma and Poppy came by to spend time with me. It's really great being here. Tomorrow will be our first full day at home and I have doctor's appointment later on this week. Nothing crazy, just a follow up appointment with my pediatrician. That's about it for the day. I gotta go play with Daddy and Mimi before I eat and go to bed. Goodnight everybody.

Much Love, Lily

Au Revoir RCNIC, Part Dieux

Happy Sunday everyone!! Well, I have been doing really well since my surgery and the doctors are ready to send me home for the second time. Hopefully I get to stay home for good this time and my only visits here will be my check ups and to quickly say "Hi" to my nurses. Daddy says he doesn't want me to be doing anymore sleepovers at the hospital and that he is soo totally ready to have me home forever. Well....at least for the next 18 years. I am ready too, so tonight I am gonna have my last great night with my nurses.

This weekend has been pretty cool. Yesterday (Saturday), Daddy was here early in the morning and stayed until noonish. We snuggled a bit, he fed me and then I took a really long nap right after Daddy read me "Itsy Bitsy Spider". Daddy left for a little while when I was taking a nap so that he could take a bike ride. Man, when he got back he was as pink as one my outfits and his arms were super warm. He called it "sunburn" and said that a smarter person would have stopped by CVS and bought some suntan lotion somewhere along the ride. He also said that I am not allowed to leave the house this summer without it and that he will be putting suntan lotion on me often.

Today, Papau came to see me in the morning and then Daddy and Mimi came right after church. Daddy says that everytime he comes to see me, someone else is holding me. He thinks I am the most held baby in the RCNIC. Which is totally cool with me because I am like the snuggle queen. Oh yea, Poppy came later in the afternoon and we hung out for a couple of hours. I love having visitors but from now on, they are gonna have to come to our house instead. Of course, when Daddy says it's ok for me to have visitors.

So the plan tomorrow is for Daddy and Mimi to come in the morning to hang out and get things ready to go. Then the doctors are going to do one last belly X-Ray to make sure everything is on the "up-and-up" and if it is, they are gonna send me packing. So, Daddy and I are crossing our fingers and are praying really really hard that everything looks great. You should too! Hopefully the next time we blog, it will be from home. Well, I am gonna get back to hanging with my nurses for the last night. Blog to you soon.

Love, Lily

Ouucchh!!

OK people, surgery stinks!! I mean, the doctors said that I totally rocked and was like the best patient ever but it still wasn't fun. Daddy got here early in the morning as did Mimi and they held me until the doctors came to get me. Daddy told me that everything was going to be OK, that he knew that I was going to be OK and that he would be waiting for me when I got out. Oh yea, and that he loves me more than anything in the whole world. Mimi was just telling me how much she loves me and how proud of me she is. And then around 8:30 the doctors came to take me down to the OR (that's fancy talk for Operating Room) for my procedure.

Daddy and Mimi got to walk down with me and then they gave me a kiss and had to go wait in the waiting room until the doctors had done their thing. The whole ordeal only took about an hour and before I knew it I was waking up.

Man, that stuff they use to put you out really makes you wacky. Daddy was there shortly after they got me back to my bed and I was able to wake up a little bit for him but these drugs really make me tired and I slept most of the day. I tried to eat around 2 but was still so groggy that I didn't do so well. I was really hungry since I hadn't eaten all night and my throat was a little scratchy from the breathing tube they used during surgery and when Daddy gave me the bottle I went after it like it was the last bottle on the planet. One problem, my excitement mixed with the grogginess made me forget to breathe and I had a few bradycardia episodes. This happened on the first couple of feeds but I ate like a champ again at my night feeding. I only took 50 mLs but they are walking me slowly up to full feeds. If I can do that, they will take my IV out and it won't be long until they send me home.

Until then, the nurses are giving me a ton of love and are giving me tylenol for my discomfort. My incisions are only 2 cms a piece but they are pretty uncomfortable and I let out some good cries when they start to bother me. The docs say they won't be bothering me much longer and that I will never remember having the procedure when I grow up. I can handle that because right now, I wish I didn't have to have the surgery at all.



Anyway, thanks to all you awesome folks who have been praying for me. Daddy tells me about all the people who follow this blog and about all of you who are praying for us. He was telling me that sometimes the best gift you can give someone is as simple as saying a little prayer. So, thanks for all the gifts you've been sending our way. We love you all soo much!!

Well, I am gonna get some more sleep and am going to try to flush out the grogginess. Hopefully I wake up feeling somewhat like normal tomorrow. Daddy promised to be here first thing in the morning to give me tons of lovin. That's AWESOME! Goodnight rockstars!!





Love Always, Lily

Get It Done

Hello everybody!! Guess what! I cracked the 7 pound mark yesterday. These protein shakes have done a totally fantastic job. Not to mention, they are quite tastey. I have been eating soo much that I practically tapped out all the "juice" that they had for me here and the nutritionists had to quickly order some reinforcements and get a little creative with my feeds to stretch the little milk I had left. They used a special formula to help buy us some time and my shipment of the good stuff came today. Let me just tell you, Daddy was not a happy camper when he found out that I was running so low. But he is doing much better now that my feeding is being taken care of.

So my "poop" analysis came back from the lab yesterday and the doctors say that it looks like I have a malabsorption issue. How would you like that job? "Hi, what do you do for a living?" Oh, I inspect poop". No thanks, sounds like a stinky job to me. Daddy says it probably pays pretty well. I dunno. Anyway, my tummy basically has a hard time processing certain types of sugars and sometimes they do that "fermentation" business and causes the gassiness. The only way to be real sure that it is what they think is to do an endoscopy but my GI doctor says I am too small to do that procedure now and that it can wait. My tummy seems to like the milk that I am on and luckily the insurance company will be picking up the tab for my food. That was a real worry for Daddy because as I said before, that stuff is pricey. We're not sure if it was my doctor's smooth talking or daddy's call this morning and talk of litigation if they didn't pay. You see, they originally said that they wouldn't pay. Either way, we are super-duper happy and very thankful that we can stay on the donor milk and don't have to float the bill.

My surgery is scheduled for Thursday morning. I am a little nervous but my surgeon's are superstars and Daddy says that they are the best around. They are going to make two super tiny cuts and go in and fix everything and then they are sending me back to my bed in the RCNIC. The whole thing when it is all said and done will take about an hour or so. And since I am so tiny, the surgeons say that my pain won't be soo bad and that I probably will only need a little tylenol. So, I am really thankful for that.

So, please pray for a quick and easy procedure and a fast recovery. I know that you will.

Other than that, I keep on getting stronger. Daddy says he is so impressed with how strong I am and how I can lay on my tummy and move my head where ever I want it to go. He said I will be able to do a push up in no time. I sleep great and I eat like a champ. Daddy has even read me a few new books that my Aunt Jocelyn and Cousin Paige got for me. I really like the Itsy Bitsy Spider because Daddy sings it to me. I am glad that silly spider finally figured out to crawl up the outside of the water spout instead of up the inside. He kept getting flushed out.

Well, I am gonna get a bath and head to bed. I am getting to like this bathing stuff and I smell good afterwards too.

They aren't allowed to feed me after midnight because of my procedure. This should be a fun night for my nurse. Daddy says it's a small price to pay to get my hernia fixed and not have to worry about it anymore. OK, off to bed. Sweet dreams.

Love, Lily

Power Shakes

Hey everybody!! I am sorry I haven’t posted since Wednesday. The weekends get kinda busy around here and before I know it it’s Sunday night and I haven’t blogged a single letter. I trust that you had a good weekend. Mine was really good!

I guess you could say the weekend started for me on Thursday. Since Daddy wasn’t going to the gym in the morning, he stayed a little later than usual and read me two new books. One was "It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny" and "The Little Engine that Could". These were some really good stories. The first was about P.J. Funnybunny. It seems that P.J. isn’t happy being a bunny and tries to be all kinds of animals to see if he likes it better. He tries to be a moose, a possum, a pig, and a skunk. He didn’t try being a skunk very long at all. Daddy says P.J. was just having a little bit of an “identity crisis” but that he finally figures out that there isn’t anything wrong with being a bunny. In fact, the story ends with him going back home very happy that he is a bunny because he realizes that he was created to do the things bunnies do. Besides, like Daddy says, "the grass isn't greener on the other side. The grass is greenest where it is watered". Then the story about the little engine was really good too because it’s all about not letting your lack of size determine what you can and can't do. Daddy told me that the moral to the story is that I can do anything that I set my mind to and for which I am willing to work. Kinda like Tough Chicks, even though I am small and was born premature, I can do all the things that a regular term baby does and even more. Small and mighty, that's me!! I really like these kind of stories.

Daddy came and hung out with me Friday night and we had some visitors stop by. One of Daddy’s friends was in from out of town and hadn’t had the chance to meet me so they came by the hospital and we got to know eachother. I was wide awake and a little leery when Daddy placed me in the arms of a stranger. Especially when daddy had to give the “how to hold a baby” speech. Luckily, all Daddy’s buddy needed was a little guidance and I nestled right in. Daddy tells me that he and mommy have such an amazing network of friends and that he hopes that some day I have friends like this. I am sure I will.

Saturday was a beautiful day I am told. It’s hard to say from my crib but everyone here was saying how great it was outside. Daddy came over in the morning and then left around noon to go on a long bike ride. But he didn’t get out of here before I had the chance to spit up on him. Let me tell you, I got him good. I had just eaten like 100mLs and thought I’d give a little back. Don’t worry, I usually don’t spit up and usually only do it when I am trying to get rid of my food from the “other” end. Daddy came back after his ride and hung out for another few hours. We just snuggled, chatted and I napped a bit. Yea, it was pretty sweet.

To top off the weekend, Daddy came after church today and we spent much of the day together. I am eatting much larger volumes and they have even started fortifying the boob juice with protein so that I get the calories I need. Daddy calls it my protein shake. Like the ones he drinks when he gets done doing his training stuff (less the "jice" of course). He says that protein shakes can help to make you grow big and strong which sounds good to me, so keep 'em comin!! I am taking in 100mLs per feed and it blows Daddy's mind that I even have room in my belly for soo much milk. But, I am getting pretty good at making room for the new stuff as I eat, if you know what I mean. Daddy says it's a good thing he changes my diaper after I eat because I may lose my appetite if he did it before. Whatever!! Anyway, this protein stuff really does seem to be working great. I weighed in tonight at 6lbs 11oz and am 19.5inches long. It won't be too long before I crack the 7lbs mark.

Since my tummy is doing pretty good, the docs are going to schedule my hernia repair for sometime this week (we won't know when until Monday or Tuesday) and then I will be able to go home a couple of days after that if all goes well. I don't look forward to the surgery but Daddy and I both want to get it taken care of so that we have one less thing to worry about when I come home for good. Please keep the prayers and good vibes comin' cuz we definately feel them here in the RCNIC. You guys are rockstars in my book. See you soon. I am off to bed....

Love, Lily

The Results are In and the Verdict Is.....

Hello friends!! Do you like my new wubbadub? His name is Ducky and I suck on the pacifier that is sowed to his mouth when I am fussy and he helps calm me down. I don't want you gettin the wrong idea, it isn't very often that I get fussy, just when I am hungry, but Ducky helps me to relax when I start to get a little kranky. Daddy loves how I hold on to Ducky when I am using the pacifier and he doubly loves it when Ducky helps me to stop crying. He says that everyone could use a wubbadub every once in a while. Apparently, I can really belt out a good cry when I am upset and daddy says that I must have inherited Mommy's vocal ability. "How else could such a sound come from such a small girl?" He asks. I am told that Mommy was a small woman but always surprised people with her powerful singing voice. I bet I will be a great singer too. I can sing along with the CD that Mimi Cameron and the music guy here made. Yea, this joint has a music guy who goes around and makes CDs for us kids. Some with their parents or grandparents singing to them.

Daddy says that he thinks mommy is singing and dancing over me and how well I am taking our situation. Of course I am tired of all the nurses and doctors pushing on my tummy but I am getting much better at letting them do their thing without giving them the "what for". I am told that we just have to be patient and let the doctors do what they do so that they can find a fix. I think I can do that but one area in which Daddy says I need to practice patience is eating. You see, when I get hungry I want my food and I want it like five minutes ago. This weird thing happens where every three hours I will go from being perfectly content one minute to really upset the next. I am ready to eat. Mimi says I go "Zero-to-Sixty" in no time flat. Daddy just asks for a little warning so that he can get the bottle ready. I say, "Hey, I get hungry every 3-4 hours. I know it. You know it. So have my bottle ready for cryin out loud" On the plus side, Daddy won't need an alarm clock when we go home for good.

Oh yea, my biopsy results came back negative!! WOOHOOO!!! This is great news. I mean, we kinda knew that they wouldn't see anything crazy weird but it is nice to know for sure that I don't have that Hirschsprung Disease they were thinking of. Phew! So my feedings are going well even though the docs still don't know what is going on in my tummy. I certainly haven't lost my appetite and have been crushing the bottle. I pigged out on 3oz of formula today at one of my feeds. As for the formula, the surgeons have pulled in the GastroIntestinal (we call them GI for short) doctors to look at my case to see what they think since there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with my anatomy. They have suggested that we go back to the donor milk to see if I can tolerate that better. It seems that some babies have a hard time digesting some formulas because of the "high-fructose corn syrup" they use. Daddy says that this syrup stuff is a very complex sugar and that the doctors told him that sometimes the belly can't digest it and that it ferments in the belly; causing gas and distension. I don't know anything about fermentation, but it doesn't sound too cool. So, we shall see how this goes. Maybe I just need to stay on the "boob juice". Hey, I could call it milk, but one of my nurses called it boob juice tonight and I think that is a more fun term than milk. It's kinda boring to just say "milk"

Anyway, so that's where we are. I am still here at the RCNIC while the docs try to figure me out. I am still growing. I weigh around 6lbs 9oz and I am developing new skills almost every day. I hold my own wubbanub, I have a very strong neck, I told you of my incredible vocal stylings, I can lift my head and turn it where I want to, I make great eye contact, and I totally kick tush on feeding from the bottle. Oh, and let's not forget my man burps, I am pretty good at that too.

Well, beauty sleep awaits. I will keep you posted on any news. Keep on rockin'!!

Love You, Lily

Happy Easter!!

Hey everybody, Happy Easter!! I hope that you had a great weekend hunting for the easter eggs that the easter bunny brought for you. I can't wait to do that. I am soo happy that the Easter Bunny didn't forget us kids here and stopped by the RCNIC. He (or wait, is it a she?) Hmmm....anyway, the Easter Bunny brought me a stuffed animal and a book courtesy of the Ruth Lyons Foundation. I love the stuffed animal and can not wait for Daddy to read me my new book.

So, what's new? Since my last post I have had a number of tests so that the doctors can figure out what in the world is going on in my tummy. On Friday, Daddy came to see me early since the doctors ordered a berium enema. I really don't like that test because it is very uncomfortable. So, we went downstairs to have the test. Daddy says that I was a very brave little girl and that he is super-duper proud of me. The doctors were looking for these things called "strictures" in my belly but they didn't see any which is a good thing. So, since I did so good on the first test the doctors ordered an Upper GI test. That's the one where I have to swallow the chalky contrast stuff and they take pictures of my belly as it moves through. That stuff doesn't taste all that great. I did great on this test too. Daddy says that all this is great news but that it still leaves us a bit in the dark as to why my tummy keeps acting up. The doctors seem to think that I may just have an immature belly from the two times I had NEC. Sometimes when preemies get NEC, daddy says that it can cause the belly to mature much slower than other babies'. They still want to run one more test. They call it a biopsy. Daddy says that it won't hurt but that it will be about as uncomfortable as the berium enema. So, I don't look forward to that test.

Today was a pretty good day. Daddy and my mimis went to church and then came to see me. Mimi McHugh brought me a couple of new books with bunnies as the main characters. Daddy hung out with me for a long time today. Long enough to "kangaroo" for like two whole hours, read and nap together. You know that totally ROCKED!! Then Daddy topped it all off with not one goodnight book, not two goodnight books, but three totally awesome goodnight books. Daddy read me all the books that Mimi bought for me. I fell right to sleep. Daddy talked to me a little longer, sang me our goodnight song, tucked me in, gave me kisses on the forehead (just like he used to do for mommy) and wished me sweetdreams. Daddy and I make a great team and I just can not wait to get home for good so we can get on with our lives together.

So, that's about it. I am gonna go get my beauty sleep and get ready for my test tomorrow. Could you pray for a good result? I know that you will. Thanks for everything. Have a great start to the week! Blog to you soon!!

Love you all, Lily

Aaannddd We're Back

Hey everybody. I wish I could tell you that my first whole day at home was totally awesome, but I can't because I am back at the RCNIC at Children's. Daddy calls it Deja Vu because I am in the exact same pod and in the exact same bed as I was yesterday. Daddy says the bed was still warm from the last time I was in it and that if I ever want to visit my awesome nurse friends here, there are other ways to do it. It totally stinks being back because our house is really awesome.

So you are probably wondering, "WTH" (What the Heck!!). Well, let me tell you what happened. When they released me yesterday afternoon, I was perfectly OK. My belly was nice and soft to the touch and all my other tests looked great. So, they let me go. Later on in the evening my daddy and mimis noticed my belly was getting a little harder and that I was getting a little more touchy about them feeling my belly. Luckily, my first pediatrician appointment was this morning. Sidenote, my pediatrician is like the nicest lady ever. OK, back to my story. We get to the appointment and by this time my belly is really distended. Daddy told Dr. Fix that he has never seen my belly so large and they agreed that I should probably get some x-rays to see what was goin' on. You want to know the great part of my Dr's office? It's at the same place that Daddy works out and it also has a satelite campus for Children's Hospital. I am not too sure what the heck a satelite is but to get my x-ray, we just had to walk down the hall.

I am not the biggest fan of x-rays. I mean, who would like being stripped down to their underwear, placed on a cold dark x-ray table and then pinned down so you can't move while some poor technician takes your picture. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. Once the doctors got a chance to look at the X-rays they decided to try a suppository to see if that made my belly go down. Well, the suppository definately worked from a pooping perspective but my belly still wasn't going down. At this point, Dr. Fix and the docs at Children's agreed that the best place for me to be was back at the RCNIC. So, here we are. Back in the same pod and the same bed.

We got back to the RCNIC around 3:30 and the doctors here did all of their assessments. I am not a fan of that either. I wish they would stop taking off my clothes to push on me. But daddy says that they only do it because they care about me and want to send me home for good next time. One thing that they did find is that I have a inguinal hernia and they think I got it when I was bearing down super hard to poo. Apparently, this is a fairly common occurence but the thing that stinks is that for girls, it requires surgery to fix. Now, don't go gettin all panicky on me. The doctors told daddy that if they can push the hernia back in place (which they did) most of the time surgery can wait until I am older and it is done as an outpatient procedure. Daddy told me that outpatient is just a way of saying I come to the hospital and go home the same day.

So the plan now is to have another berium enema test tomorrow to see if there are any strictures that have developed that were not able to be seen on the last test. The docs seem to think it has to be something anatomical going on instead of a food intolerance. I am really not looking forward to this test because the last one was not fun at all. So, please say a prayer for me and one for daddy to stay strong. I think we are holding up well but we still get a little discouraged from time to time.

I will keep you posted as to my progress. I love you all.

Love, Lily

Home Sweet Home

Hey everybody! Greetings from 6903 Maid Marian Ct!! That's right, I have finally made it home after spending the first 85 days of my life in the hospital. Man, is it nice and quiet here. There aren't any beeps or sirens going off and the only baby crying is me when I am ready to eat. I am really excited to be home and to get to start a new chapter in my life with daddy.

Daddy and both my Mimis came to Children's Hospital around 9am this morning so that once the doctors did their rounds on me, we could go home. It would figure that on the day that I get to come home the doctors would be running behind schedule. So, once they took care of all the other kids in my unit, they rounded on me and gave me the "green light" for Daddy to take me home. The nurses gave daddy a whole bunch of material and information for him to read. Then they tucked me into my carseat, which I wasn't so happy about at the time, but then I settled down once we started moving.

I loved the car ride!! Well, let me be more clear...I loved the car ride in the parking garage. I slept the entire way home holding on to both Mimis' fingers. Daddy is a great driver and wasn't even that scared with me as a passenger. We finally got home around 2pm and Daddy walked me through the front door. What a pretty house we have. I can feel mommy all around and I get to see her everywhere in pictures. It is great to be home!

The rest of the day went great with all the grandparents (less Florida Papau) stopping by to see me without any monitors . I get a ton of lovin from them and it's great not having such strict visitation rules. Of course, Daddy is keeping visitors to a minimum but it is just nice being able to have more than 2 people visit at one time. I have eaten three times so far at home and am ready for bed again. I need to go #2 because my belly is getting a little big and I don't want to cause Daddy too much concern. I am sure he is nervous enough as it is just having me home.

Well, that's about it. I have my first pediatrician appointment tomorrow morning. Daddy said that she is a very nice doctor. I can't wait to meet her. Stay tuned as I continue to blog from the comfort of my new home. It's great here. Hopefully I will get to meet Tucker soon. He's still staying at Mimi and Papau's until we get settled in. Talk to you soon. Thanks for everything!!

Love Always, Lily

Gettin' Close

Hey Everybody!! I hope that your weekend was as fantastic as mine. Things are going so well that if I keep up the good work, we'll be bustin' out of here on Wednesday. You see, I am crushing all the food they give me (like 60 to 70mLs per feed), I am becoming more "regular" and I totally rocked out the Carseat Challenge on Saturday. I am not sure why they call it a "challenge". They just plopped my lil bottom in my carseat and sat me there for thirty minutes to see how I did. Peace of cake. I guess some babies have a hard time holding their heads up and that can be a little dangerous. Not to worry, I hold my head up just fine. The hospital actually has a "carseat technician" that comes around and makes sure that my straps fit just right so I am both safe and comfortable in the car. Pretty awesome. I am getting sooo excited to ride home with Daddy!!!

On Friday, Daddy came down after work to hang with me for a little bit. We snuggled in the recliner and he read me "Tough Chicks" again. I think we are both looking forward to getting home to where all my books are so that we can have a little variety. Don't get me wrong, I totally love "Tough Chicks" because I am one, but a girl can only hear the same story so many nights in a row. Besides, I don't think Daddy reads it anymore. He's got it memorized. The other book Daddy has been reading me is "The Parable of the Lily". Cool title, isn't it? Well, Daddy says that it is the perfect time to read the book because it is an Easter story about a farmer who sends a gift to his daughter (without her knowing the gift is from him) and the girl really doesn't know the value of the gift because it came in a crate full of dirt. She totally forgets to take care of the gift and one day she knocks over the crate and a bulb rolls out. She gets so mad that she tosses the bulb into the yard never to think of it again. Until....She wakes up on Easter morning and walks outside to see the most beautiful flower growing in her Daddy's flower garden. It was an Easter lily. Daddy showed me the pictures in the book and the lily really is the prettiest flower ever. He said that he always gave mommy lillies because mommy had a way of making life exciting, beautiful and fragrant. Just like a Lily. And that is where I get my name!! Anyway, back to the story. When the girl realizes that the gift was from her daddy, she realizes it must of hurt his feelings the way she didn't care for the gift and she asks him to forgive her. Then her daddy says that forgiveness is what Easter is all about. What a great book! Puts me to sleep everytime. But Daddy says he loves it for a different reason this week. He thinks it is really fitting if I come home this week because it is the week of Easter and that Easter isn't just about forgiveness, it''s about rebirth and when I come home, Daddy and I get to start a new chapter in our lives together. We are both really excited about where the road's gonna take us.

Weekends are awesome because I get to spend even more time with my grandparents. Poppy swung by and Mimi and Papau came by today(Sunday) and chilled with me for a but. Not to mention, Mimi Cameron snuggled with me for a long time too. Another plus to coming home is that Daddy won't get yelled at for having more than two grandparents visit at once. See, Children's only allows two people by my bed at one time. It makes it a little hard to visit but they have their rules and they are there to keep us kids safe. It's cool.

So, that's about it. I really hope that this time, the third time, is a charm and that I get to finally come home to daddy. I think I am ready from a health standpoint so please continue to pray for that. I know you will. I weighed in tonight at 6lbs 4oz. I am slowly puttin' on the weight but I am growing like crazy. I am now growing out of my preemie clothes and into newborns. Pretty cool because I get to start sportin some new gear. Look for some pics here in the near future. OK, gotta go get the beauty sleep. I love all of you.

Goodnight, Lily

Up To The Challenge

Hey everyone!! This week has been going great so far. The nurses and doctors started letting me eat more from the bottle and today they said that I could eat as much as I wanted from the bottle. So, guess what I have been doing. Thats right, I have been piggin out and eating like 50 mLs from the bottle every feed. Of course, Daddy has to stop about half way through so I can let out a couple of burps to make room for the rest but I am doing fantastic on the bottle. They have me on a mixture of donor milk and formula. It tastes pretty good and is gonna really help me put on the weight.

I can tell you one thing I don't like....prune juice!!! Yuck!! That stuff doesn't taste anything like formula or milk and it makes me go like crazy. I don't like that stuff at all. Daddy says going like crazy beats not going and that before too long we will get it down to a good balance so that I stay "regular" without being too "regular". Everything in moderation, I guess.

When Daddy was leaving for work today, the nurse asked him if I have taken the "Carseat Challenge" and he told them that I have not. What is the carseat challenge, you ask? This is something that the hospital does for all of the children who are getting ready to go home. They place the baby in the carseat, make sure it is sized correctly, and for about thirty minutes they watch them to see how they do. Daddy brought in my carseat tonight and tomorrow I am going to take the challenge. Wish me luck!! Daddy says he thinks I will do just fine and that he wouldn't be suprised to have me home in the next week or so. That would be totally sweet!!

So, since I am doing so well and they are letting me eat as much as I want from the bottle, I decided it would be a good idea to yank out my nose tube when the nurse wasn't watching. It is soo much easier to breath without that thing. I am down to one tube, the PICC, and then the sensors. The PICC should be coming out in the next day or so and hopefully that is the last of the IVs (especially the kind that go in your head).

Other than that, there isn't too much to report. I get to spend tons of time with my mimis and daddy comes by all the time. I am such a lucky girl. I'll blog with you all very soon.

Love You,

Lily