Catching Up

Yes we've been busy! We left this sleeping sweetheart...

...to visit Lake Powell!

I was very hesitant to leave Brooklyn. I have not missed a day visiting her since she was born. But Roger and I needed the break from life for the weekend. So we left the baby with her second mom's at the hospital (thanks Jessy and Rahndi for taking such good care of her), and enjoyed the sun and water. I didn't have doctor clearance to ski or tube, danget, but everyone else entertained me with their mad skills on the wakeboard and surfboard.

Thank you so much Jen and Kelly for a great trip!! Shall we go again next month?! :)



We were itching to see this cute face, she didn't disappoint us...wide awake and looking cuter than ever when we showed up. Did I mention she gained 1/2 lb. while we were gone? Promise I'm not switching out my milk for whipping cream!

Then we had a shower for Heather and I - so so much fun! Heather is due with baby boy August 20th (yes our kids were supposed to only be six weeks apart - oops.) Thanks Brooke and Nat, you outdid yourselves!

And finally, I started back to work this week. What an odd feeling knowing our little squirt is one floor above where I'm working. Yesterday was my first day back - it was insane - but good to be back in my routine. I visited for five minutes during my lunch break, then again after I got off shift.

In clothes for the first time!

Progress Report:

• She hit four pounds last night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes!
• Brooklyn is off high flow and on a nasal canula. She still is on room air.
• She passed another eye test - one more in two weeks and then we're done. I'm so glad... they are awful to watch. I stood by the sink with my back to her while they did it and cried with her the whole time.
• Hardly any breath holding. Maybe one every few days that requires her nurses to stimulate her.
• And finally attempting to bottle feed her once a day. Wish I could say she did well with this one, but I can't. She shows no interest. Oh well, we'll keep working on it. Good thing for feeding tubes!

Progress

And we are officially on high flow as of yesterday! Yay! So is she still holding her breath? We can say, cautiously and with total surprise, that she has not held her breath since 1:00pm on Monday. Wow. I'm shocked. Apparently, getting rid of the Cpap and the vent were a good decision.

Isn't she cute? I had forgotten what she looked like under all of that stuff.

Always sleeping with her mouth open....

Look at Jessy, our nurse, laugh in this one. So darn funny. Brooklyn looks like she's getting ready for karate classes or something. :)

And still lovin the binki....

Dad and baby, having a bonding moment....look at her feet - just chilin out in there. :)

Wonder what they're talking about?

Brooklyn LOVES getting her head rubbed. Here's videos of her last night getting her head rubbed.

Round Two for Roger

Roger got to hold Brooklyn for the second time yesterday! Forty minutes he held her and she didn't make a peep. She didn't even fidget. For those that now how wiggly she always is, you know how fun this was for him! Here's your picture overload....(I might have gone camera happy, Roger told me I'd taken enough pictures. Haha.)

Getting her out of her isolette. What a process, but so much easier than doing it with the ventilator tube!

GIFTS

I am so grateful for the gifts in my life.

Gift: Showing up the day after that last breakdown and seeing this sweet sleeping face. So peaceful. How I needed to see her.

Gift: The infamous foot. This will always bring a smile to our faces, no matter how rough the day. She always, always, always has one foot stretched out.

Gift: Again, the very day after my meltdown, being told she is coming off the vent. Right now. I was stunned. Roger wasn't surprised. How Brooklyn hates Cpap, but I'll consider it one of our gifts for now.

(Giving her little nose a rest from the Cpap. Her poor face is hammered from the ventilator tape. She kinda looks like and old woman here. She's going to kill me someday for posting this pic. Love how she's workin' the elf look again!)

Notice the binki? Still loving it. Classic Brooklyn pose for ya.

Gift: Roger. What more can I say? Where would I be without him? He loves his girls.

Gift: Sister visits. This is Meg's hand - holding Brooklyn's tiny one. Pictures don't do this tiny body justice. Thanks Meg for fitting in a run up to hospital to see the baby before you party with the Blands this week!

Gift: Nail clippers. So lame I know. But Brooklyn always makes herself cry when she scratches her face. So today I brought up nail clippers with a magnifying glass and fixed the problem. I might have been sweating by the time I was done I was so nervous. Has anyone else clipped a three pound baby's nails?!

Gift: Binkis. Someday I won't say that. But these tiny things are miracles for us right now. Look at the size of these! The purple one is a "preemie" binki. The pink one is a "mini-preemie" binki.

Gift: That we have a baby to love that is still with us. Some friends of ours lost their precious baby boy this last week after living only 30 hours. The funeral was yesterday. How do you ease that type of sorrow? I felt grateful for our trial....I know they would have traded us places in a second.

Brad and Megan, words don't say enough. You two are incredible people. The Lord sent you a choice spirit, a son that had proven himself worthy to live with his Savior again after such a short time here....and a son that will be yours again someday to hold and hug. We are so very very sorry he earned his angel wings so quickly. Our hearts go out to you and your family.

Gift: Friends. Family. Our support troops. Those that blogstalk us and won't admit it. To each and every single one of you - thank you for being one of the many gifts in our lives. We appreciate all that you do.