Pictures!

Our precious baby smiling in her sleep.

Emma kept wiggling away and slouching in the chair while we were trying to get her 2 month picture.

Emma loves to SMILE!

Emma smiling at Maddie while she was visiting her. Maddie had just moved away from her when I took the picture. Emma sure loves her puppies Maddie and Tucker.

The typical way Emma sleeps with her hands above her head. She also NEVER keeps socks on because she is always kicking her legs.

Another picture of Emma smiling away.

2 Months

Dear Emma,
Where has the time gone? Today we celebrate the fact that you are two months old. You would think that Daddy and I would get use to little girls growing up so fast to our surprise your sister will be 7 and 1/2 this week. You have made many growths in this last month. We left the NICU just a month ago with our little peanut who weighed in at 6 pounds 14 ounces and we were lucky if we could get you to take 50 mls every 3 hours. As of this week you weigh in at 8 pounds and will take as much as 90 mls every 2-3 hours. You have also taken a big notice to your surroundings. You love to stare at the many pictures on the walls. Nothing beats your love for ceiling fans though. You will sit and smile and laugh at them whenever you get a chance. Thankfully they are in every room of the house and the grandparents both have them as well. On the talk of smiling you are starting to smile more and more each day. You melt our hearts when you smile at us and we can see that little dimple that you and your sister both have. You also have started making baby sounds more often and we love to have conversations with you. While you have all your cute moments, the last few days you have shown us that you have to have a complete meltdown at some point between 6 and 7:30. It is pretty much like clockwork that we can expect it to start. You are still sleeping 4-5 hour stretches at night and REFUSE to sleep throughout the day. You are definitely a Daddy's Girl and will quit crying the moment he picks you up or takes you from someone.
We think back about 2 months ago and how our lives changed so drastically and can't believe how far you have come. You have proven to us that you are a fighter and you are going to be everything people say you can be and more. You continue to bring Daddy and I closer each day and we love the way you round out our family. We not only celebrate you being 2 months old this week, but we celebrate Wednesday the fact that you were discharged from the NICU 1 month ago.
May God continue to bless you and our family Emma. Mommy and Daddy thank you for all you have done to make our lives better and all that you will continue to do that will make our lives better. God blessed us with you as our baby for a reason and each day we see that reason a little more.
WE LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK - FOREVER AND EVER,
LOVE,
Daddy and Mommy

2 Months Old

Emma at 1 month old.

And Emma today at 2 months old. She is growing up so fast.

Video from today

Our Weekend!

Here is a little recap of our weekend:
Friday-We headed down to Natural Bridge Elementary where I work to let the 4th and 5th grade classes meet Emma. Since we run on an inclusion model at my school I don't just work with my special education students, I spend time in the regular education classroom. The rest of the kids had wanted to see Emma after the day my students got to see her. Seeing as I had to print of my IEPs we went ahead and made the visit. We made a brief appearance at the 4th grade picnic, but were getting mauled and it became overwhelming for Daddy, Emma, and I. When we went to see the 5th graders, I had them stay at their desks and walked Emma around and it was much better. After a visit at the school we headed home and then made a run to Wal-Mart.
Saturday - In the morning, I got up to go to some yard sales with a friend and Emma and Daddy slept in. We then hung out around the house and headed to have a cookout and hang out with the McIntire's that night. Emma had fun visiting with her future best friend Kylie(who is 1) and her big brother Braden(almost 3) who kept her entertained. We then headed home and turned in for the night.
Sunday- This morning we tried to go to church, but Emma had her plans and we didn't quite make it. We have a hard time getting the 3 of us ready some mornings. We hung out around the house and did some cleaning. We are trying to get some of the clutter from coming home from the hospital taken care of finally. We went down to the Martin's house so Daddy could get a haircut and Emma had a bit of a meltdown. She seemed to be hot and not enjoying the heat, takes after her Mama. So we came home and have been trying to calm her down. She has had an AMAZING day with her feedings. She has taken 3 ounces a couple of times and will have taken over 600 mls today which is phenomenal for her. Right now she is laying in her crib(the first time - she sleeps in our room normally) and it seems to be calming her down. So since we finally have her settled Daddy and I are going to head to bed ourselves.
Tomorrow our baby girl will be 2 months old and I start my last week of maternity leave. It isn't that bad though because I only have to work one week and then summer vacation starts.

Video from this Morning

Here is some video of Emma from this morning. She is hanging out in her Nap Nanny which is a device that was designed to help children with reflux. She seems to enjoy laying in it. We were attempting to get ready for church, but Emma had other plans and we didn't quite make it. Guess we will try again next time. She was a very happy baby smiling away at Tucker(our Jack Russell).

Updates

We have had two fun filled days, but it is late so I will post about them tomorrow. Will also try and get a video up tomorrow.

New Pictures

The pictures with the blue blanket are some random shots that we got of Emma tonight. She is growing so fast! It is hard to believe on Monday she will be 2 months old and it will be time for another picture with her teddy bear.

We tried to get some pictures of Emma with the beautiful quilt that Great Grandma Swersky made for Emma, but it didn't go over very well with her.

Our attempt at getting a family picture. Not the best pictures, but we are glad to finally have some pictures of the 4 of us.

8 Weeks Old

Today Emma celebrates being 8 weeks old.  Today in the car Jason and I were talking about how it is hard to believe that 8 weeks ago we welcomed her to the world and how all our lives changed as well 8 weeks ago.  She has grown and changed in so many ways in the last 8 weeks.  It is amazing to see the changes she has made since her first weeks in the NICU.  

Emma's doctors appointment with Dr. Bob went very well today.  Her weight today was 8 pounds!!! We were so proud of our baby girl.  This means that she is doing better with her feedings and she is going up on the growth chart.  She will continue to have breast milk that is fortified.  The fortifier helps her get in some extra calories.  It is hard to believe that at 8 weeks old she still isn't even to the weight that they predicted her to be at birth.  Her oxygen sats were at 99 which is great and her lungs also sounded wonderful.  Dr. Bob said he thought she sounded good and wondered if the x-ray just was hazy from when it was developed.  He put a call in to Dr. Kane about getting a repeat x-ray and as of this evening we haven't heard that she needs to have one.  Emma finally lost the little stump of umbilical cord that she had left.  She only had a very small amount of umbilical cord because they had put a line in at birth.  The stump only came off with the help of Dr. Bob.  After 8 weeks, we can finally see Emma's belly button stump free  Dr. Bob wants to see Emma again in 3 weeks to get another weight check and check her over.  

We spent the day with Grammy and Pop Pop.  Emma was a wonderful baby while we enjoyed my early birthday lunch today.  She slept away the entire time and let me enjoy the sushi that I didn't get to eat last time because I was pregnant.  Tomorrow we are hopefully sleeping in - Daddy and Mommy are run down and tired from the last few days.  Then while Daddy mows the lawn Emma and I are headed to run a few errands before Grammy and Pop Pop come to visit.  They leave for their trip on Friday and won't be back until June 14th.

Again thank you to all of you for the constant prayers and support through Emma's journey and taking part in her story.  God has blessed us and we hope that He blesses all of you as well.  In the next week or so we will be changing our blog to a family blog to allow people to keep up with Emma and Cloey as well as the going ons in our life as a family.  We hope that you will all continue to follow and keep up with our family as we watch Cloey and Emma grow into amazing girls.

Gassy Baby

Emma has had a pretty rough day.  She spent a majority of the day being gassy and miserable.  This required Daddy or I to hold her for most of the day.  She is currently sleeping away and seems to be feeling a bit better.  We head to Dr. Bob(pediatrician) in the morning for a check up.  He had wanted to see her after her appointment with Dr. Kane(peds surgeon) to make sure they both stay on the same page.  Hopefully we will get good news that her breath sounds are great and that the x-ray was just a bad one from Friday.  We are also going to have Dr. Bob look at clipping Emma's tongue.  We have noticed that it is pretty tight and causing her to click and get air while eating.  

Tomorrow after Emma's appointment we are spending the day with Grammy and Pop Pop.  It is so nice to have them living close.  Having both our parents nearby allows for the girls to spend a lot of quality time with both sets of grandparents right here in Virginia.  Emma will be going on her first birthday dinner celebration.  It is a family tradition to pick somewhere to go to dinner.  Mom always has to go with where I pick, her birthday is the day before mine.  I haven't gone on a birthday dinner in a few years because we lived so far apart.  Tomorrow we are hitting up the Chinese buffet for lunch.  We have to celebrate early because mom and dad are headed for the Alaskan cruise and time in Seattle on Friday.  Hopefully Emma enjoys her first celebration.  I can't wait to eat the sushi tomorrow last time we went I was pregnant and couldn't eat any of it.

X-Ray Results

From the surgical aspect of Emma's x-ray, Dr. Kane was very pleased with them. He did notice that Emma's x-rays from the last time to this current x-ray are a bit hazy. With that in mind he wants her pediatrician to listen to her breath sounds on Wednesday when she goes for her check-up. Her breath sounds were good last Friday, her color is good, and she isn't displaying any signs of respiratory distress. We are praying that it just wasn't a good film and that everything is just fine. We should hopefully know more on Wednesday. Please pray that everything is okay with Emma.

New Video

Watching Emma's legs kick away in this video shows me why I felt constant kicks before she was born. She always has her legs and arms moving.

Fun Weekend

I am not going to post much tonight. We have had a relaxing weekend. Spent lots of time with Grammy and Pop Pop at their new house in Staunton - so excited that it is only 35 minutes away. Other than that we have just been hanging out at home trying to get some stuff done. Since we live on Emma's time we haven't gotten a whole lot done. She has wanted to be held most of the weekend. Will try and post a video and some pictures tomorrow.

Some Pictures

A picture of Mommy and Emma. We were getting ready to head to a get together I was going to with some friends. Her and I look so nicely coordinated in our outfits. A picture of Emma taking after Mommy and pondering about life in general. This was after she finally calmed down at her appointment with Dr. Kane. We almost got a picture of her smiling, but the camera just wasn't fast enough.

My favorite outfit!!! We all know how much I love wearing flip flops or anything with flip flops. When I was in Target and saw this outfit I knew she just had to have it. The first time I was there I passed it up, but gave in and bought it the second time around. It worked out nicely to have another newborn outfit for her since all she really had was sleepers and a few other outfits. Well at least that is the reasoning I am giving myself for buying the outfit.

Big Day!

Emma's follow-up appointment with Dr. Kane went very well today. He was pleased with her progress and thought she looked and was doing great. She did have to go and get a couple chest x-rays and we will hear the results of those on Monday. She was not a fan of getting checked over, getting her picture taken, or her x-rays done. Otherwise she was a trooper. Between her appointment and her x-rays we went up to the NICU to visit any of the nurses that took care of Emma during her stay. We were only able to see one nurse who took care of her and two of the charge nurses that were on during her stay. It was nice to hear them talk about the progress she has made and how much they loved seeing her again. Emma goes back for another check-up with Dr. Kane in August. We feel so blessed that she is doing so well. God has worked miracles in our family and she is by far the biggest one. Another positive note of the visit was that Emma got weighed today and weighed in at 7 pounds 7 ounces. Our baby girl has gained 4 more ounces. We go to see her pediatrician on Wednesday so we will see if she has gained more and what he has to say about her weight gain. Right now we are at about the 6th percentile on the growth chart she is moving on up there. She has officially outgrown her newborn sleepers, because she is sooooooooo long and moved on to a 0-3 month sleeper tonight.
A picture of how long and lanky our baby girl is getting.

Dr. Kane checking out Emma.

Dr. Kane with Emma. At this point she was not happy at all. We plan on trying to get a picture of her with him at each appointment to watch her grow. She will have to go regularly until she is 16.

The whole family with Dr. Kane. We are so thankful to have been blessed with a wonderful surgeon to fix Emma's CDH.

Updates

Yesterday(Wednesday) we took Emma around to meet some of her loyal followers. We headed to Central Office for her to meet the folks that I work with in the Special Education Department. We then headed down to Natural Bridge Elementary where I work to meet some of my co-workers. My students were also able to get a peek at Emma. We had Jason stand in the Principal's office with her behind the floor to ceiling windows and they were able to look in at her. They were all amazed by her and excited to see me. I asked them if they had been behaving and they all told me good. It wasn't until I asked what the teachers would tell me that they all started to spill the beans. It was nice to see them all and they felt extra special because they were the only students to get to see Emma right now to avoid her getting any germs. After our time there we headed to Kling Elementary where Jason did his observation/practicum hours and another place where Emma has lots of loyal followers for the teachers and staff there to meet her. After all of the visiting once we got home she was a pretty worn out girl and a bit fussy. While taking care of her we forgot to eat dinner. We ended up eating around 9pm.
Today we enjoyed a walk around downtown and stopped during our walk to have lunch. Emma seemed to like the walk and only fussed a few times. While we stopped for lunch she didn't make a peep. I then headed to a get together with some friends with Emma for the afternoon. Then once we got home Grammy and Pop Pop had came down to see Emma. We will be helping them move in tomorrow.
Tomorrow is the big follow up appointment for Emma. We are headed to UVA to have her appointment with her Peds Surgeon Dr. Kane. We also plan on going by the NICU and seeing if a couple of nurse they we didn't get to say good-bye to are working to visit them. Please say your prayers that Emma has a wonderful check up and that everything is going well. Mommy and Daddy can't wait to go to the appointment and hear good news, we are both a little on edge while we wait for the appointment.
Will try to get some video tomorrow. Take Care and God Bless!

Another Late Night

It is once again after midnight and we are still awake. We haven't quite got the going to bed at a decent time down yet. Most nights Emma is asleep and we don't have an excuse for staying up late, but tonight she is wide awake. Thankfully she isn't fussy, just checking the world out. We had a nice and relaxing day. This morning it took us awhile to get out of bed. We enjoyed laying in bed together and talking to Emma. She was looking around and making her nosies. The day was also spent battling Emma to eat. She still doesn't like to eat and gets very frustrated and overwhelmed. Thankfully as the day went on she picked up her eating and ended up having a decent day. We also had visitors today in which Emma just contently hung out. Tomorrow, well I guess today actually, we are headed to central office to meet the people in the special education department, and the school where I work for my co-workers to meet Emma. Since we don't want Emma to get sick I don't plan on taking her to see my kids just yet. We are also taking her to the school where Jason did his observation hours for this year for them to meet her as well. All of these places have been very generous and supportive to our family during our time in the NICU and once we came home.
On a very positive note - Daddy managed to finish all his classes today, which means he did it exactly on time and did not require any extensions. He had to bust his but these past few weeks because the month of April was dedicated to Emma and her medical needs while she was in the NICU. We are so proud of him and the fact that he has yet another semester under his belt. He now has a few weeks off before starting his summer classes.
Another positive note is that it is almost Friday. That means that we are getting closer to Grammy and Pop Pop (my mom and dad) becoming Virginia residents. We are headed down there on Friday to help them get moved in and I am sure we will spend quite a bit of time with them in the next week before they leave for their vacation.
Friday is our big day to go back to Dr. Kane(Emma's Peds Surgeon) for her follow up appointment. Daddy and I both have the natural instinct to worry about this appointment. We are praying and ask that all of you pray for a good check up for Emma.
Well since it is 12:30 and we have to get up at 7:00 and start getting ready I should head off to bed. Good night and God Bless You All!

New Videos

Progress

Hard to believe the changes she has made from her first days in the NICU to here recently. Below: Emma's 1st Day in the NICU April 1, 2010

Above: A cute idea that has gone around blog world. You take a picture of your child with a stuffed animal each month to see their growth changes. We decided to use the teddy bear the Cloey made for Emma.
Below: Emma just hanging out.

More to Come Later!

I have loaded and edited all the pictures and have a couple new videos to load. We had a busy weekend with big sister Cloey here. I will post pictures and videos tomorrow. Going to try and be asleep by midnight tonight.

Quick Updates!

* The Zantac seems to be helping Emma out with her reflux.  She doesn't seem to be as fussy anymore so we are hoping that means the reflux is more manageable with the Zantac.

* Emma continues to enjoy her long stretches of sleep during the night.  I guess she knows that Mommy doesn't do well on little sleep.

* We got Emma first itemized bill from her stay in the NICU.  Before they run it through the insurance it is $270,000 and that doesn't include the doctor's fees.

* Emma's Walk is going to become more than just a crazy idea.  Will discuss the details once I know more about them and talk with my Dad.  I am so happy that her walk will become a reality and we will be able to spread the awareness about CDH.

* Cloey comes back again this weekend and we can't wait for her to spend more time with her little sister.

* Emma is starting to babble and coo more and it is just precious.

* Daddy is busily trying to finish up his classes for the semester.  Spending the 32 days in the NICU kind of put some of his work on hold.  He has a 10 page research paper and a final exam to finish by Tuesday and then he will have a week or so off before summer classes.  With that in mind once he is done I will be able to work on uploading and editing pictures to post.

* I know it has been a week since I uploaded a video so I will get some footage tomorrow and post it.

* My Dad and Mom move from New York to Virginia a week from tomorrow.  We can't wait for them to only be 40 minutes away.  I feel that my Dad getting the teaching job at Mary Baldwin College was part of God's greater plan.  My Mom is a nurse and having her close to help us with the numerous doctors appointments and care that Emma will need is going to be a blessing.  It is also going to be amazing to have them so close so Cloey and Emma can see their grandparents more often (Jason and I too).

Many blessing to all of you!!!

Emma's Weight Check

Emma went back to see Dr. Bob today for a weight check. The results were very exciting for Daddy and I----- Emma gained weight!!!!! She is up to 7 pounds 3.5 ounces. We were very excited that she had gained. Dr. Bob also went ahead and had her get her immunizations today since we were there and it was safe for her to get them. She got one in each leg and then had an oral one. She only cried for a brief minute after getting them. Guess that is what happens when you have been poked and prodded and had a major surgery all within the first month of your life. We also discussed Emma's reflux issue and she was prescribed with Zantac. Hopefully this will help with her reflux which is causing her to be fussy and not eat as much as she should. We go back for a follow-up with Dr. Bob on May 26th after our appointment with Dr. Kane(Emma's Peds Surgeon) on May 21st. Keep up your prayers, they obviously worked for the weight gain. God is good and the power of prayer is amazing!!!

So Many Great People

Through all of this we have learned that there are so many great people that are supporting Jason and I as we make our way through this journey with Emma.  We have gotten monetary gifts that will help with hospital bills, gift cards for restaurants for our time in the NICU, gifts to put a smile on our face.  Today we received a large box from the women who work in the Special Care Nursery at what I know as Foote Hospital in Jackson, Michigan.  My mom worked there for over 20 years and these great women sent us a special box of goodies today.  Emma received all kinds of wonderful gifts - it was like a baby shower in a box.  They also sent us a Foote Hospital knit hat, a birth sign, and a picture of Jason and I with Emma.  From the box you could tell she had her own cheering squad in the Special Care Nursery there - we will definitely be taking Emma by to visit when we head back to Michigan this summer to spend time with family and friends.

Tomorrow we head back to the doctors for Emma's weight check.  She has ate well every day, but today.  We think part of the problem with today was that she was so tired.  She woke up at 7:00am and only took a few 15 minute cat naps up until about 7:00pm.  Daddy finally swaddled her and then wrapped her up another time to calm her for the evening.  Since then she has been sound a sleep.  Hopefully this sound sleep will bring back our happy smiley baby since she has been fussy today.  

I was wanting to create a memory book for Emma with advice or thoughts from all her blog followers.  If you would like to have something put in the book, please email me at cloeybird at hotmail dot com (Sorry had to write it out like that, but don't want to get a bunch of junk mail).  Just include Emma's Follower in the Subject so I know it is for the memory book.

We will update about the doctors appointment tomorrow.  Hopefully she is gaining weight because she has a minimal wardrobe right now because she only fits in select newborn outfits.  

Again thank you all for the support and gift you have given us big or small throughout this time.  God Bless all of you!

Emma

Dear Emma,

On March 31st you made me a Mommy and today I celebrated my first Mother's Day with you.  I look forward to all I will teach you just like my Mom has taught me so many things along the way.  Today I have reflected on the journey that it took for you to get here:

It took...

-Daddy and I nearly 4 years of marriage to decide to add to our family.

- 20 weeks for us to find out you were a girl.

- 39 weeks 1 day for you to decide to make your arrival.

- 4 hours and 16 minutes from the time my water broke to the time you were in the world outside of my womb.

- Over an hour for you to be whisked away from us to the nursery before they came back with the news you had CDH.

- Almost an hour to get to the University of Virginia where you had been transported.

 - A couple hours before they had you stable and settled in the NICU so we could see you.

- A week to see you eyes.

- A week for your surgery.

 - 4 hours for surgery to be done and completed

- 16 days before we could hold you.

- 32 days before we could bring you home.

- Nearly 6 weeks before we could introduce you to your sister.

But through all of this wait I realized that it took me less than 1 second to fall in love with you.

Everyone comments to me that I am a strong woman with what I have been through.  I wouldn't be the woman that I am without the help of your Pop Pop and Grammy.  They have taught me and instilled great values and strength in me and I hope I will teach you the way they taught me.  I worry about you each minute of each day and I always will.  This worry is what assures me that I am a Mommy now and my life is forever changed.

Thank You Peanut for an amazing 1st Mother's Day.

I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK - FOREVER AND EVER,

LOVE,

MOMMY

My 1st Mother's Day

Today was my 1st Mother's Day and while it was a great day, I consider last Sunday to be my Mother's Day present.  Emma coming home from the NICU was more of a present than I could ever ask for in a million years.  Here is a breakdown of how we spent Mother's Day:

- Got up and went to church.  It was so nice to be back at our church and listen to the message.  Today the message was about God giving you peace to help you through problems in your life. This message couldn't have hit home any better.  The peace that God gave us during Emma's time in the NICU was the peace that helped us make it through the long and rough battle.

- Came home ate lunch and took a nap.  It was very nice to take a two hour nap while my precious little girl napped as well.

- Spent some time with Emma.

- Had a yummy dinner of Chinese.

- Watching two of my favorite shows Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters with two of my favorite people. 

Video Summary

I had to load this video to You Tube because of the length. Enjoy! I watch it all the time to be reminded of the many ways Gog has blessed my little girl.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_m1y_pjG-Q

Emma from 5/6/2010

They Finally Meet!

My Crazy Idea

The last few days, my "pay it forward" idea has been in my head. Not quite sure how to get it started up or where to even start for that matter, but I am determined to make it happen. Hopefully through this blog people can help lead me in the right direction to make it happen. I want to have Emma's Walk to raise money for CDH Awareness. I am thinking that it could be a 5k run/walk around the weekend of March 31st (CDH Awareness Day and Emma's Birthday). It might be far fetched but that night on my way to the NICU I made my deal with God that I would find a way to "pay it forward". If you have any insight or input on this idea send me an email.

New Video

Here is a new video because people have been putting in requests. You can see how much Emma has changed. We will try to get more video tomorrow and I plan on tackling the pictures while Jason is on his way to get Cloey. Enjoy!

Night 2 at Home

Well night two at home did not go as well as night one did with Miss Emma.  She had a fussy day yesterday and Jason and I knew we would be in for a fussy night with her.  It seemed as if she was having a bit of an issue with gas.  It would have been the perfect day for Peppy to be around her since he thinks her fart faces are so funny.  We tried to comfort her and finally at 1 am Emma finally calmed down and fell asleep.  Not 15 minutes later the power went out and was out for a few hours.  Nothing like trying to take care of a baby with a flashlight.  Since she had spent most of the day before fussing she slept from 1 am to 6:30 am woke up for a bottle and then slept until 8:30 am.

After getting up we all got ready for Emma's first doctors appointment.  We started getting ready at 8:30 am and just made it out the door at 10:30 am.  Adding a baby to the mix of getting ready slows us down a bit, it makes us wonder what it will be like getting ready when we throw Cloey into the mix.  We LOVED the pediatrician that a friend of ours recommended.  Dr. Bob was very personable and great with Emma.  He was very pleased with Emma, but does want her to work on eating more.  She has her good days and bad days with eating and the last day wasn't a good day.  This is the same problem we had with her before leaving the NICU on Sunday.  He wants her to eat between 60-90 mls every 3 hours.  Emma would rather have between 30-40 mls every 2 or 3 hours.  So we will be working away with her on feedings again.  She has to go back next Tuesday for a weight check with Dr. Bob.  She didn't lose any weight since being discharged, but she hasn't gained any weight either.  She got her first shot and Mommy did well and didn't even cry.  After the appointment we headed to Target to get a new style of bottle to see if it will help with her eating and gas problems.  Dr. Bob suggested the Playtex Drop-Ins and the Dr. Brown's bottles.  We bought one of each and have had some success with the Playtex bottle so far today.  

I know I said I would try and get pictures up, but I am beat after last night and sadly Jason and I haven't napped when she has napped the last two days.  With all that in mind Daddy and I are two tired parents.  Thinking tonight will be an early bed time for all three of us.  I promise to put pictures up tomorrow.  I know everyone is itching for some new pictures and video clips.  Big Sister Cloey comes on Thursday to finally get to meet her Little Sister.  I can not wait to see the interaction and joy on Cloey's face once she finally gets to meet Emma.  I have a feeling it will be a pretty emotional evening.

Emma's Time

Sorry no pictures today. We have quickly learned that we are on Emma's time and do things as she allows us to right now. She was a bit fussy today and we spent time trying to console her. Daddy was finally able to get her to fall asleep and she has stayed asleep finally. I will try and get pictures posted tomorrow after her doctors appointment at noon. Sleep tight and God Bless all of you. Mommy is off to bed before our baby girl is up for a feeding.

Emma's 1st Night Home

Emma had a wonderful first night home. We are wondering if the car ride wore her out because she slept most of the day and night yesterday. When we got home Nana and Paw Paw brought us some KFC for lunch and we hung out. After lunch Daddy and I decided we should take advantage of Emma sleeping and get some sleep ourselves. We all ended up getting in a nice 3 hour nap. After getting up and hanging out for awhile Daddy and I decided that we needed to eat dinner. Since we don't have any food in the house and I neither one of us wanted to leave Emma to go and get groceries we ordered Papa John's for dinner. A top priority will be getting to the store at some point to get groceries - only problem is that it is so hard to leave her and we are keeping her away from crowds right now so she can't go to the store with us. After dinner Daddy and I caught up on some DVR while Emma enjoyed her swing. The swing is something we have learned that she loves. We then headed to bed around midnight after giving her a bottle. Emma then slept for 5 hours, woke up and ate, and then slept for another 4 hour stretch. She allowed Daddy and I to get some nice sleep since that has been hard to do for over a month while she was in the NICU. This morning Daddy is busy working on getting caught up on homework since the semester is coming to an end and he is a bit behind from being at the hospital so much. Mommy has been taking care of some stuff around the house. Here shortly I need to head to CVS and pick up Emma's multivitamins with Iron since she is a breast milk baby. Then otherwise we are just hanging out and enjoying our time at home. Tomorrow Emma has her first appointment with her pediatrician and she is getting shots. Her follow up appointment with Dr. Kane her surgeon in Friday May 21st and her Neonatal follow up appointment is scheduled for Monday November 1st.
I am hoping to get pictures put up at some point today, but am not making any promises. We live on Emma's terms here and we will have to see if she gives me a stretch to get the pictures loaded on the computer and then on to the blog.
God Bless and keep up the prayers for Emma!

To Emma

Dear Emma,
Today we finally were able to bring you home. What a day of such joy that has been for us. We have showed you all around the house and loved on you without any machines, tubes, or probes hooked to your body for the first time. In the 32 days we spent in the NICU you taught us so much and you didn't even know. You were able to remind Daddy and I of the faith and relationship that we need to have with the Lord. With that in mind Daddy and I will raise you in a home that shows you the importance of this relationship. You brought Daddy and I together in a way that we never thought our relationship could be brought together. You forced us to lean on each other and let it all out through the good times and bad. You have gained quite a following with the help of technology through your blog. Through this blog and your healing process you have showed others the importance of a relationship with the Lord. You were able to get people who never pray to pray.
So peanut, we know you will do big things one day. Daddy and I can't wait to watch you grow and develop into an amazing person. You and your sister are the most important people in our lives and we will do anything for you. This being a quality that we gained from your grandparents who stepped up to the plate in HUGE ways for us during this time. Thank you for all you taught us and all of your followers. It is hard to believe that such a tiny person can change the world in so many big ways. Keep fighting away and being the little superstar that you are and always will be.
WE LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK - FOREVER AND EVER,
LOVE,
DADDY AND MOMMY

32 Days Ago

32 Days ago we became NICU parents much to our surprise. As Emma made her way to UVA in the Newborn Emergency Transport, my Mom and Dad drove Jason and I to UVA. As I sat in the backseat of the car my mind wander wondering just what the outcome would be for my precious baby. It was at that moment that I prayed and told God that when my baby got through all this I would find a way to pay it forward. It was at this moment that Jason and I realized our faith and relationship with the Lord was going to be strengthened in a way we could never imagine. Little did we know that our little girl would strengthen so many other people and their relationship with the Lord.
April 1st Emma was officially admitted into the NICU at the University of Virginia Medical Center. Emotions filled us as the stability of our little girl was going to be a roller coaster ride. After waiting in the waiting room for what seemed like an eternity, we were finally able to go back and see Emma. Tears come to my eyes right now as I type this and think about all the machines, tubes, and IVs that were keeping our baby stable. We wanted to pick her up and hold her reassuring her it would all be okay, but that wasn't a choice for us. It would be 16 days before we would be able to hold our baby and then it would be with tubes and probes all over her body. We held her hand and gave her kisses letting her know that it would be okay and that we loved her. The next day was the big "ECMO Scare" - just when things were looking wonderful we thought she was going to be put on the heart and lung bypass machine. Thankfully that experience was just a scare and that procedure didn't take place.
Our next mountain to climb was waiting the week for surgery. That had to be the longest time of my life. It was important that Emma stayed stable for that week. We prayed all day long that she would continue to stay stable. Prayers worked and she went to surgery and came out a star. Next it was time to climb yet again another mountain and recover from surgery. Emma continued to be a star - a nickname and honor that she earned in the NICU. Our last mountain was a rough one for the 3 of us. Emma needed to eat and gain weight. The only problem was she spent the first couple weeks of her life with tubes crammed down her throat and the pain meds were causing her to not want to eat.
Well this weekend Emma climbed the mountain and stood at the top in all her glory. She picked up on eating and gained weight like she was suppose to do. She doesn't like for anyone but Mommy or Daddy to feed her right now, but that is okay with us.
So 32 days ago our baby entered the NICU, but today we left the NICU with a healthy baby who is eating. Emma still has a long way to go and it scares us to think that she only has one full lung. While we are worried that she will have breathing issues down the road, Daddy has plans for her to be a track start even if she only has one full lung. Today when we left it was both a sad and happy day. The relationships that you create in the NICU are amazing. The doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, and the rest of the NICU staff become your own cheering squad.
Coming home today I thought about that first night in the car on the way to UVA and how I would pay it forward. It has come to me in the last few days. Jason and I will find ways to help the Ronald McDonald House that was our home away from home for over a month, we will become advocates for CDH and get the message out there, and we will try and help the NICU by donating clothes, books, and supplies that families without might not have while spending their time there. It may not be a lot, but it is our own little way to pay it forward and be thankful for the Lord getting Emma through this tough time and home where she belongs.

God is Great!!!!

Not gonna post a lot right now, but Emma is HOME!!!!!

Will post more later.

Another Change

As of this morning it has been decided that there is a 99.9% chance that we will be discharged tomorrow.  That means that Emma will be staying at our house tomorrow night.  The thought of this reminds me that God is Good!  We are rooming in with her again to night in the NICU so I can nurse her throughout the night.  As long as she has gained weight tonight, nurses well overnight, and takes some breast milk from the bottle.  Words can not express what Jason and I are feeling as we get ready to leave the NICU.  Keep up those prayers!  God bless all of you and we will forever be grateful for everyone and their thoughts and prayers.  Our little girl is a fighter, survivor, and blessing.