tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43145561780502270092024-02-18T21:25:30.279-08:00Our Little Sophie SunshineUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-13229925384236810832010-03-16T21:13:00.000-07:002010-03-16T22:12:01.632-07:00All in a weekTUESDAY: We visit the 4F clinic and get another non-stress test and an anatomy ultrasound to see how the baby is growing. Dr. Mueller lets us know that although lots of test results are coming back normal, the baby's growth is just not where they want it to be and she would probably be better served in the care of the NICU. My C-section is scheduled for 9am the next day.<br /><br />WEDNESDAY: Ready to go! We are terrified, excited and hopeful - we have no idea what to expect with this baby at 33 weeks and 4 days gestation.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqO9TjTvWh8KHrKHgyX_yKoQSObjep0Out97JkWfM_E3KazuHeA2jgHCvXYRuTtn9PUy-VbnrERBHe7n175SesA3VGv-5oDrLslLkuoAGcTWaLWpL_8aAjmhsU7EIJtdsYr0D86my92vg/s1600-h/DSC_0645.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqO9TjTvWh8KHrKHgyX_yKoQSObjep0Out97JkWfM_E3KazuHeA2jgHCvXYRuTtn9PUy-VbnrERBHe7n175SesA3VGv-5oDrLslLkuoAGcTWaLWpL_8aAjmhsU7EIJtdsYr0D86my92vg/s200/DSC_0645.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449449235519367154" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMS8jUOi-WOLpBw7sURJhypETPVCXsRxiAKUAFEaVLHTPVRkINtunthfvldYXcYpmCNdwrGovfCNh3O386dl0BH6UcR7hGL0sQPv2SP6BoaSi0viM0vI24DbVfO0rgK0k6GemvRbExCnw/s1600-h/DSC_0648+copy.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMS8jUOi-WOLpBw7sURJhypETPVCXsRxiAKUAFEaVLHTPVRkINtunthfvldYXcYpmCNdwrGovfCNh3O386dl0BH6UcR7hGL0sQPv2SP6BoaSi0viM0vI24DbVfO0rgK0k6GemvRbExCnw/s200/DSC_0648+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449449388511644658" border="0" /></a><br />anticipation<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAFm5tRkNrTZ7WCyzezqPr6Me2P2cOK7sGPsB3h6lyH7jt0Y8Pl5HiHl539iNewQV0wzFJmk-y1VNEcH-gfERRRSxFsLvxKt8UyXxKqGC-19UwSw_hdHMXhB3rchOGxHaq1G3NZ45kAs/s1600-h/DSC_0659+copy.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAFm5tRkNrTZ7WCyzezqPr6Me2P2cOK7sGPsB3h6lyH7jt0Y8Pl5HiHl539iNewQV0wzFJmk-y1VNEcH-gfERRRSxFsLvxKt8UyXxKqGC-19UwSw_hdHMXhB3rchOGxHaq1G3NZ45kAs/s200/DSC_0659+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449449881400076578" border="0" /></a><br />9:53 am - the NICU team working on the baby in the O.R.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOc_TATIXpMC5AfrY-Y0tbNEUEVWBbvzO3iHJWoMYjhFCcKeLBqhnrMvLWzOX6gWjPY6xxDzwxYnFuY7tnHua7WwjZhx1TSFlH22YpyuDe37U83e8Aw4_WlSFC1NmjdPq8OcnrrcIswys/s1600-h/DSC_0678+copy.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOc_TATIXpMC5AfrY-Y0tbNEUEVWBbvzO3iHJWoMYjhFCcKeLBqhnrMvLWzOX6gWjPY6xxDzwxYnFuY7tnHua7WwjZhx1TSFlH22YpyuDe37U83e8Aw4_WlSFC1NmjdPq8OcnrrcIswys/s200/DSC_0678+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449451232865462722" border="0" /></a><br /><br />and into our lives on two tiny little feet<br />walks Margaret Hanae True<br />1420 grams - 3lbs 2oz<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvF1EnDlCOZzdeQCPHc2Vk1_ro4WCdixA8j21ik6ir-og2TttAKreGrNq97thyatvADWBAzofuQgqLEFiEgo370FYKNvF9o2IBt6iuBLDyu2xM8QWJ1d8L_JYJwvxBYDd35OAylJshyphenhyphenY/s1600-h/DSC_0924+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvF1EnDlCOZzdeQCPHc2Vk1_ro4WCdixA8j21ik6ir-og2TttAKreGrNq97thyatvADWBAzofuQgqLEFiEgo370FYKNvF9o2IBt6iuBLDyu2xM8QWJ1d8L_JYJwvxBYDd35OAylJshyphenhyphenY/s320/DSC_0924+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449452818411684930" border="0" /></a>THURSDAY: Maggie's doing amazing. No need for breathing tubes or any other real life support other than an IV for nutrition and her feeding tube. She is remarkably stable and is enjoying her feeds. We can't believe how well she is. It's so strange to sit in the NICU with a baby whose alarms never go off -- she just needs to eat and grow.<br /><br />FRIDAY: Maggie's feeds keep going up and they let us know that if she keeps doing well she'll probably be transferred to St. Catharines for level 2 care as soon as there's a bed.<br /><br />SATURDAY: I go home and have to leave my Maggie in the care of the NICU nurses.<br /><br />SUNDAY: She just keeps doing fine! feeding and growing.....<br /><br />MONDAY: Maggie weighs in at 1475 grams -- more than her birth weight.<br /><br />TUESDAY: In record time, she is transferred home-ish...to the General Hospital in St. Catharines. We are so relieved and proud of her and we can't wait for everyone to meet her. She is so cute and cuddly and seems to have Kie's laid back personality.<br /><br />There are no words to say that will mean as much as how it feels to have her close to home, to have her in our arms and to know that she's well and safe and coming home to us forever....soon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7HQEBWFP_APftdiEE_TkQqJHOH8jwSh29Tup6oGC_5Q9Fl6wCjxnfZHIhjgjWCvB7V44NVfxptw20VGq8KN7w9CcZejAJBs9D3-g1tsay0252oQnYRI9Rl4fkrvmC7934hki6Ud_k6Y/s1600-h/DSC_0746+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7HQEBWFP_APftdiEE_TkQqJHOH8jwSh29Tup6oGC_5Q9Fl6wCjxnfZHIhjgjWCvB7V44NVfxptw20VGq8KN7w9CcZejAJBs9D3-g1tsay0252oQnYRI9Rl4fkrvmC7934hki6Ud_k6Y/s320/DSC_0746+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449465382939379346" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-75168530351820853062010-03-05T18:06:00.001-08:002010-03-05T18:21:39.448-08:00Keep on keeping on.....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35BjScL_VgOhAxuknwHg47wOznCsOZUkNFU8scoiykHsEyr0f3oKacffiGVUH-UaGh2CHwKoOBUlTyu5FJATIGHXzy6FrbcOET8XQeAhjvCYZjQIaN_6FFUzkJ7lv6SibVc1CZla9IqE/s1600-h/421px-Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On_Poster.svg.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35BjScL_VgOhAxuknwHg47wOznCsOZUkNFU8scoiykHsEyr0f3oKacffiGVUH-UaGh2CHwKoOBUlTyu5FJATIGHXzy6FrbcOET8XQeAhjvCYZjQIaN_6FFUzkJ7lv6SibVc1CZla9IqE/s320/421px-Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On_Poster.svg.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445340287225948306" border="0" /></a><br />So we had our usual Friday visit to the 4F clinic today. (the 4F clinic is the high risk pregnancy clinic at McMaster) The good news is that everything is still looking OK so far. Baby is doing well enough to not need to be born yet and the doctor said that we won't know what the future holds until we see what kind of trend is happening with baby's growth. We won't know any more about how she is doing until we get another ultrasound on Tuesday to check her growth over the past 2 weeks. I've had so many ultrasounds in this pregnancy I feel like I should be bringing my own gel to my appointments. All of this just reinforces how glad I am to be Canadian and not have to worry about health insurance or the cost of these procedures.<br /><br />Anyway, so it's back on bedrest. I'm trying to find ways to feel productive while I can't do anything. I knitted my first sock. My life is pretty simple right now. Just moving slowly through the days....getting further along than I ever thought I would.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-26906751644688720592010-03-03T09:49:00.000-08:002010-03-03T10:05:44.116-08:00Bumpy Road Ahead<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxmMxiC8TVF1XeRjxKtBBX8gBvqICizks0oB7sENfreTa4KbwiohFBo-Zb8HWYSuoi6JPjTZubKRyFZb_czd_4kCRqK4jgnhdrvR4ruKDqslGShPYbv9MUrlJCnfGd8BwlNuvrPFsndI/s1600-h/3-1-46.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 181px; height: 92px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxmMxiC8TVF1XeRjxKtBBX8gBvqICizks0oB7sENfreTa4KbwiohFBo-Zb8HWYSuoi6JPjTZubKRyFZb_czd_4kCRqK4jgnhdrvR4ruKDqslGShPYbv9MUrlJCnfGd8BwlNuvrPFsndI/s320/3-1-46.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444466520655074418" border="0" /></a>So here we are in week 32 of the next pregnancy. Quite honestly, I'm amazed that I've gotten so far without too many problems. At the 27 week 3 day mark, I exhaled -- but we've hit some rough road.<br /><br />I've been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, again, though this time it seems to be holding off. My blood pressure is well contained with medication, and I haven't had any other side effects. The big concern this time is that the baby doesn't seem to be growing as much as she should. I've been going in to McMaster for ultrasounds to check umbilical blood flow and non-stress tests (where they monitor baby's heartrate) twice a week for a while now. They are waiting until next Tuesday to measure the baby again to let us know if she's still not growing, and then a decision will be made about how to progress. In the meantime, I'm supposed to be doing kick counts every few hours to ensure that the baby is OK and still moving around. I have been seriously hyper vigilant and find myself pretty much constantly checking. I feel like they've handed me a glass egg on an uneven spoon to hold in my mouth....terrified that I'll drop it, or miss something, or that things will go pear shaped while I'm not paying attention.<br /><br />Kie has been amazing, and has taken on all of the responsibilities of the house and Sophie's care so that I can be on bedrest. I wouldn't have gotten this far without him.<br /><br />So we wait, again, to see what's going to happen. And our hopes for a birth where the baby gets to stay with us in room and we all leave the hospital together are dashed, but we know that whatever happens we've driven this road before....and we got through it. It's just not the path we wanted to take again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-61157922960727694862009-10-29T20:28:00.000-07:002009-10-29T20:34:28.151-07:00Wink!!<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzEtFdBTYWFeUwFQloGsyIU3z3oTiAG80yywhRocxTlYr2YUog1JKG_ExmgxiEdOSntuotgfGSafC37Sg99nQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-90796474643224892232008-09-07T14:09:00.000-07:002008-09-07T20:42:51.629-07:00What I did on my summer vacation......<div align="left"><a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243390247453625538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupdaLKxUzi_rtosLFHPX25O4nkGMWFctiCw-xB2Cc_KuSk9v_VRcmrNeAyITHEBuTmN50z9x-RHcX-b1klw4PyWYSUQj8Q1o3VGUGq6PweWPEn4gDDGkDiDR3pk2t-MSFij8MD9q5eus/s320/Sophie_9_20.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Hey everyone!<br /><br />We had a great summer and Sophie did so much growing and changing....she is getting so big and she learns something new every day.<br /><br />In July she started to get up on her hands and knees and loved to play on her tummy...around this time we got her into a little kiddie pool at her grandma and Jiji's house.....she absolutely loved it. I watched her dip her face into the water and come up with a look of surprise on her face....then I was surprised to watch her do it again....and again....without fear. She's so crazy sometimes how she will just do something she's never done before and not be afraid. She inspires me to try to be more brave.<br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVWSnHuqsiJNBzhXkrhvRxMOatXYf1hfKEMHV5nY5ipt4Exe6W9AX59S_qC4gwnksdMnsCL0GruY4WUlhJP0vsrZiJvRE74qBBa54VrfJPT7Vjbbppnv_1sHGxICVDkM_E16PPQtIeVQ/s1600-h/Sophie_9_88.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243390981631530258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVWSnHuqsiJNBzhXkrhvRxMOatXYf1hfKEMHV5nY5ipt4Exe6W9AX59S_qC4gwnksdMnsCL0GruY4WUlhJP0vsrZiJvRE74qBBa54VrfJPT7Vjbbppnv_1sHGxICVDkM_E16PPQtIeVQ/s320/Sophie_9_88.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>In August, we went to a cottage up north and spent a whole week relaxing and playing with lots of Sophie's cousins. She loves to watch kids play. She gets so excited - it's like you can see the fire in her that makes her want to get up and run and join in the games. Sophie loved relaxing and having afternoon naps in the hammock under the tree. It was the first time I traveled with a baby...difficult, but fun. Daddy had to stay behind to work so it was really hard for him to have his first week away from his girls.<br /><br />I've been counting the days down to getting back to work, not gleefully, but with some hope that I can regain some of my spirit from being able to do more creative work all day. It has been hard to draw or paint or design much with a busy girl in the house. She wasn't doing great napping, either...until this month. Suddenly it's like she is on a perfect nap schedule and I have some time in the day to myself that I can count on. I'm really glad for this, because she needs the rest to grow, and because when she goes to her Grandma's (who is THANK GOD taking care of her for us when I go back to work) she will be on a pretty good schedule.<br /><br /></p></div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243486712115435058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDul7A6gkBuaAUHrR1tGUtvQ2p_A-MucuhVetZkoNJmVnOFp5Go47p7DyB1d948QhXWmxCzExH0rJWI5QdVccWyHlqP1Oof7I45qRQ1qUuAx2iCEKZ-3zH-EehZAfVpin0wHrfn4Jn0s/s320/Sophie_9_208.jpg" border="0" /></p><blockquote><p align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#006600;"><em>Sophie loves to pet the kitty...and to our amazement, Ophie (the cat) takes what she can get. So, ear pulling, eye poking and even spitting up on the fur has become tolerable to our kitty.</em></span></p></blockquote><br /><p>We haven't been to the doctor for a long time...mostly because everything is perfectly normal and she is doing so well. I think she must weigh about 12 pounds or so, and she has doubled her intake of solid food in the past week! She loves her peas, squash and yams....not so much my homemade applesauce (reacted with a choking sound and then spit it out and stuck her tongue out) but we try lots of new things all the time. She loved the avocado/banana concoction I gave her for lunch the other day, and I've never seen anyone gobble up swiss chard faster than her. She finally learned (thanks to Grandma R) to open her mouth for the spoon, so feeding her has become much easier and cleaner...no more fighting for the spoon. She does, however, try to drink her food from the bowl.<br /><br />Last week, Sophie's rocking and backwards push style crawl was replaced with an honest to goodness, hands and knees coordinated - I'm going over there and you can't stop me - crawl. She hasn't stopped since. We knew this was going to happen but I still get a little pang in my heart when I see how quickly she is growing up and moving and getting more and more independant. </p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUV3KC2Sqf6fNK9nLY2ZN9xH3dEyI2lYp5BAO_-ps-iRary7GQ-Gm-09qlXOnz6GbrgJGWxsdNnAa9vMOzs2YowZPZFaWrarihqxsccih8T4rZqYyr6gMe2AJG5tMVjNld6dL3XmEShY/s1600-h/Sophie_9_170.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243490162153934818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUV3KC2Sqf6fNK9nLY2ZN9xH3dEyI2lYp5BAO_-ps-iRary7GQ-Gm-09qlXOnz6GbrgJGWxsdNnAa9vMOzs2YowZPZFaWrarihqxsccih8T4rZqYyr6gMe2AJG5tMVjNld6dL3XmEShY/s320/Sophie_9_170.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>I am so proud of her. She is just such a force. One day Kie and I watched her reaching for something that seemed impossibly out of reach for her little arms...she didn't give up and just kept grabbing and grabbing until finally she managed to graze it with her fingers. This determination and strength is probably what kept her alive and fighting through the pregnancy and her extremely early beginning. I told Kie that we should have named her Will.<br /><br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243484865583660066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEZGga3B9px_fWC6RjB4w7q9sB0E-LMaRE0M5lTSHW97Cz9DVX_lG4t8UVXNudKFoq0FXSgxnv2qXJfNZx-maFAqUn1l5Z1FmNoYbdgdY9VBVWkH2vWW91hbgeat1s9yI6SfbIV3RWeA/s320/Sophie_9_157.jpg" border="0" /><br />I am greeted every morning by her gigantic smile and big dimples (like daddy's). She has even (please knock on wood for me) started to sleep 12 hours lately. She's leaping and bounding right to her first birthday....less than one month away.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com63tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-23449540194342360662008-06-24T19:58:00.000-07:002008-06-24T20:34:52.055-07:00On Solid Ground!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3N5AgSVW5a0uptZi9eZl14wOPYudj3Ns0sb6WpFbV1AvS9m9piS8-o3uCFT-5jd6xzWHhNebQTlZC0adabmAi5U_igobiERFpqP3XUybwnWDjpZSTMFXdYzz8rGEY1dG2pX2b6iPVuM/s1600-h/Sophie_9_70.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3N5AgSVW5a0uptZi9eZl14wOPYudj3Ns0sb6WpFbV1AvS9m9piS8-o3uCFT-5jd6xzWHhNebQTlZC0adabmAi5U_igobiERFpqP3XUybwnWDjpZSTMFXdYzz8rGEY1dG2pX2b6iPVuM/s320/Sophie_9_70.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215654741154590002" /></a><br />It's hard to find toys that both entertain and fit an eight month old baby who has the capabilities of a five month old baby, but is the size of a newborn baby....<br /><br />we adapt. we make do......<br /><br />But FINALLY........<br /><OBJECT class=BLOG_video_class id=BLOG_video-1360554c0eceeb46 height=266 width=320 contentId="1360554c0eceeb46"></OBJECT><br /><br />Sophie has grown so much so quickly and is constantly making sounds.... She loves her activity centre and is now tall enough to use it without the phone book!<br /><br />I used to hate it when my parents' friends would look at me and sigh, "they grow up so fast...."<br /><br />now I understand what they mean. <br /><br />Sophie is almost 10 pounds. She is starting to eat solids and is teething like crazy (although no protruders as of yet). Her hair seems to grow by the minute and she is getting a temper that shows itself like a cross between me on a bad day and a land bound shark who is trying fervently to shimmy himself back into the water. We love every ounce of everything she is doing, and we are trying so desperately to drink it in...but it all seems to be with a sense of foreboding......am I really seeing RED hair on her head? is she ALREADY making growling sounds when she's angry and grimacing at me? Did she really just try to stand up on her own? <br /><br />tonight she grabbed my glass off of the living room table and tried to drink out of it. <br /><br />I think we're in for it. <br /><br />we can't wait.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-91163784544611735632008-04-20T18:32:00.000-07:002008-04-20T19:08:13.789-07:00Milestones<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCdP8gMUwmBoTxtVeAXMkQJuIstTh0Q6DHsdGgl050qM8nvaVCEN6H5Atp6tT7V9mXk1HAjgFpBzmdNM06KgBsSFjAaomh44DrrQMHTBHhV8lpPaJ4cEGupMW92eoYHsfy4F8oT68Uoo/s1600-h/Sophie_9_43.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCdP8gMUwmBoTxtVeAXMkQJuIstTh0Q6DHsdGgl050qM8nvaVCEN6H5Atp6tT7V9mXk1HAjgFpBzmdNM06KgBsSFjAaomh44DrrQMHTBHhV8lpPaJ4cEGupMW92eoYHsfy4F8oT68Uoo/s320/Sophie_9_43.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191512680953174498" /></a><br /><br />wow....<br /><br />6 months have gone by since the terrifying and amazing day when our Sophie was born. In six months, I don't think a single day has passed without us realizing how incredibly lucky we are to have gone through it all relatively unscathed. When I am feeding her and I happen to catch a glimpse of the little scars on her hands from her IV, or when she stretches a certain way and looks like a giant version of her formerly tiny self that we used to stare at for hours...we are so grateful. <br /><br />This month, Sophie hit the 8lb mark! She is fitting into her 1 month clothes and her little toes reach all the way to the ends of her sleepers. We moved out of newborn sized diapers and into the stage 1 size, and she finally got to wear the sleeper that my mom bought for her before she was born - when she found out I was pregnant. I used to stare at that sleeper and think that I couldn't imagine the GIGANTIC creature that would fill it out, and I surely couldn't imagine snapping those little snaps all the way up to MY baby's chin. It was moment for me. I have them every day. I think that probably every mom does. <br /><br />Sophie met with some play therapists whose job it is to gauge her development and suggest play activities for us to try together. They were really impressed with her muscle strength and focus...she follows objects all around the room and looks for where sounds are coming from -- exactly the things she is "supposed" to be doing. They judge her by her due date - January 4 - so they tell me that she should be doing the things a 3 month old should be doing - and she is. More that this, though, she is doing things that WAY bigger babies do, and it looks so crazy, because she is the size of a newborn but has the ability to sit up with support and she holds her head so steady. She loves to play with her floor gym and hit the things to make them play music. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-mSEXP3bLCLJ3sikeSe745ZnvelFkM7jnA9mIwdoTG9QuHNK280khTgR7vC9XQNhgQvAqJDkpLWfpl7N4ARRKXZi63lIR6s5XtktvEtAJ9C21pUyQ-OiA0bvMKbgRGelQcICxN5CXfbk/s1600-h/Sophie_9_28.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-mSEXP3bLCLJ3sikeSe745ZnvelFkM7jnA9mIwdoTG9QuHNK280khTgR7vC9XQNhgQvAqJDkpLWfpl7N4ARRKXZi63lIR6s5XtktvEtAJ9C21pUyQ-OiA0bvMKbgRGelQcICxN5CXfbk/s320/Sophie_9_28.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191511439707625874" /></a><br />Earlier this month, I put her down for a nap on her tummy (I KNOW -- not the recommended position but she was hospital trained and is on a monitor so it's OK with her doctor) anyway, I put her down for a nap on her tummy and came in later to look in the crib at her giant grin smiling up at me. She rolled over. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTGgIri-1B4JlGbXxz-q_X9adca5Fn9CTog9Q2lYOH736UkkGxew9O36K5-l8TL-SwfPpP8dozUN7HgqJ_F6cZp4RQWM8dR-UvO4jfMEh3709gnvo9nV7WoEPGWOPbut1RoMiB-qsgmY/s1600-h/Sophie_9_82.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTGgIri-1B4JlGbXxz-q_X9adca5Fn9CTog9Q2lYOH736UkkGxew9O36K5-l8TL-SwfPpP8dozUN7HgqJ_F6cZp4RQWM8dR-UvO4jfMEh3709gnvo9nV7WoEPGWOPbut1RoMiB-qsgmY/s320/Sophie_9_82.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191512423255136706" /></a><br /><br />Every day she changes so much and brings so much joy to my life. She makes me want to be a better person. She makes me want to do the things I need to do to be a happier person. She makes me feel like all of these things are possible. All in all...she is the best thing that ever happened to me. I just hope that I can in some small way repay her the favour.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-4177169974701143692008-03-24T20:02:00.000-07:002008-03-24T20:19:16.474-07:00Out of the cold......<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-02gMrh6aGqQ0u0Ezqq_llzq_s_GvT_zI4zbH6CORKXz6DXzWmZu6e_5Upx-HsdDnKOf2HS5mUgK0PCqpoxqSAnuN1G0Nqt5Vu-9qgDI0IZC8vMp1J4E_2hGycdfXypOpvo3lAnpOwiM/s1600-h/smileyface.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-02gMrh6aGqQ0u0Ezqq_llzq_s_GvT_zI4zbH6CORKXz6DXzWmZu6e_5Upx-HsdDnKOf2HS5mUgK0PCqpoxqSAnuN1G0Nqt5Vu-9qgDI0IZC8vMp1J4E_2hGycdfXypOpvo3lAnpOwiM/s320/smileyface.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181511997895104370" /></a><br /><div>HELLO EVERYONE!!!!!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>First of all, so sorry for the incredibly long delay in posting, but every minute of my life has been consumed with diapers, bottles, playtime and listening to a baby monitor for any signs of unhappiness. Life has been pretty sweet for the past few months since our girl came home. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>We've been trapped in the the house all winter, avoiding RSV ( a virus that can make preemies really really sick) which means the only places Sophie was allowed to go were to her medical appointments and to grandmas houses. It's been tough not going anywhere, but so nice to be able to spend so much time with our beautiful girl.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>For Easter, I made her a little fuzzy chicken sweater and some little felt shoes to wear to the party at Grandma's. </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXixIJYcnguJ6tMlUknl8jHq7au3D1yeqTLaCLb1oSDC5_dREHZl7m8vamXxZFMbkHN2F8HiMUcsARIchIp0m9O3cSQfRB2iyYzjL8rUpWthLXbj5iX-ZNeSqz_jslAf7qfDdNSbBYyA/s1600-h/easterchicken.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181510550491125586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXixIJYcnguJ6tMlUknl8jHq7au3D1yeqTLaCLb1oSDC5_dREHZl7m8vamXxZFMbkHN2F8HiMUcsARIchIp0m9O3cSQfRB2iyYzjL8rUpWthLXbj5iX-ZNeSqz_jslAf7qfDdNSbBYyA/s320/easterchicken.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpRlKht5bYDMD3Pr8YYZ-t878zDE5wunAvXAg04pQycT0n49o85p0UwVET2jHot_NeHCZywwPUWrR9cEVMDSGG7flk9ladHlN8mKIkD72HSffV9bM46ucQ9EhC_0pNiqs-T1z7I80BiM/s1600-h/easter.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpRlKht5bYDMD3Pr8YYZ-t878zDE5wunAvXAg04pQycT0n49o85p0UwVET2jHot_NeHCZywwPUWrR9cEVMDSGG7flk9ladHlN8mKIkD72HSffV9bM46ucQ9EhC_0pNiqs-T1z7I80BiM/s320/easter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181510937038182242" /></a><br />She looked so cute. She always looks so cute to us. We are absolutely in love with her. <br /><br />She is doing so well health wise. At her last doctor's appointment she weighed in at 7lbs 3.5oz, but I'm pretty sure she has hit the 8lb mark now. She eats really well and sleeps so good....we are so fortunate. She has been sleeping from about 8 at night to 3 in the morning and then a bottle and back to bed till 8 in the morning. It took some time to get into a routine but now we all operate like a well oiled Sophie care machine. <br /><br />Once Sophie came home we realized how many people were so truly touched by our experience. Sophie's (second) cousin in T.O even wrote her school speech about her! She got an A+! Way to go Madeline! I am so touched that her young cousins think she's pretty special. <br /><br />Life is so busy now, but I'm going to make more of an effort to update more often...so keep checking up. I really find that the writing is therapeutic, and I love to hear from everyone. Thanks!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-1899073444504369462008-01-04T22:48:00.000-08:002008-01-04T22:49:37.725-08:00she's home!she's home. we are loving it and going crazy and pinching ourselves.<br /><br />I'm exhausted and I'm going to try to catch a nap between feedings while Kie stays up and peeks through her door.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-80754982641011604982008-01-03T18:29:00.000-08:002008-01-03T18:59:04.924-08:00The big news.....Sophie has been doing so well, getting bigger and stronger every day. She eats really well from a bottle and is slowly learning to breastfeed - though she needs to get bigger to get the endurance to keep going. With all of the progress she has made, and the amount of time she has been in hospital, we finally heard the news we wanted to hear.<br /><br />Sophie is coming home tomorrow.<br /><br />(let me say that again so it sounds real to me)<br /><br /><strong>Sophie is coming home tomorrow.</strong><br /><br />I keep trying to not get too excited, because after everything I've seen and felt and all of the ups and downs --I just don't want to add any disappointment if anything doesn't pan out. But she only needs her car seat test and an apnea monitor in order to be discharged tomorrow - her original due date.<br /><br />I keep trying to imagine what it would have been like if none of this had happened and if I had gone full term and she was actually born now. I wonder if I would be as incredibly ecstatic to bring her home. I wonder if I would appreciate our amazing families as much as I do now. I wonder if I would have chosen the same colour for her bedroom and I wonder if I would appreciate what a miraculous gift she is as much as I do now.<br /><br />Being at the end of the NICU road and at the beginning of a whole new one, I can't help but take a minute to look back at the craggy pass we just got through and wonder how it all happened. I didn't know that I had the strength to do what needed to be done and to see the things that I saw. I didn't know that I had the patience to wait...and wait......wait......wait. I didn't know that I would be able to appreciate this experience and see it for the good it has made in my life. <br /><br />We all would like to thank every single person who has shared their love and support for us over this past 3 months. We (Kie, Sophie and I) are stronger only because you all shared your strength with us. We couldn't have done this without you guys. Thank you all so very very much.<br /><br />I don't know what to expect with a newborn in the house. I mostly just think that I have absolutely no idea what it will actually be like. I just know that this is the beginning of something really amazing. I am sure I will keep writing, and I hope you will all keep reading, and keep sharing in our girl, our Sophie Sunshine.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-5025511854470213702007-12-29T18:40:00.001-08:002007-12-29T19:16:29.567-08:00Home (sort of) for the Holidays!<div><br /><br /><div>I lost it. I cracked....<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="left">Friday the 21st I went into McMaster to visit Sophie and heard, yet again, that there were no beds available for her to be transferred to St. Catharines. The nurse asked me how I was doing and I said: </div><br /><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><br /><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><blockquote><br /><br /><p>Fine...............no wait.<br />Not fine. <em>(*queue the uncontrollable sobs<br />and ball-bearing sized tears)<br /></em>You need to go get the social worker<br />(Karla). I need to talk to her now. I'm done. I'm done.....<br />I'm taking my baby and I am going home.</p></blockquote><p><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><p align="left"></p><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><p align="left">So, Karla comes to see me and explains that there's nothing they can do, and that it would be unethical for me to take the baby now, and that it's only a little while longer to wait for a bed and that she thinks I need to go home and rest....yadda yadda yadda. I continued to cry and beg for them to do anything ANYTHING to get my girl closer to home and out of the level three NICU she had outgrown. I even told them to ask St. Catharines if I could put her in a box in the corner of the old people's ward and I would stay and care for her myself. I hit the wall.</p><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><p align="left">Then, like out of an O.Henry Christmas story, a magical thing happened. A nurse practitioner named Sandy came over to me and told me that she would do her best to make things better for me. I had never seen her before in all of our time at the NICU, but here she was and she was going to help me! She disappeared into the hubub of the NICU and left me to wipe my mascara tears off of Sophie's head. Shortly after, she reappeared, and let me know that there was a bed available in Niagara Falls and it was ours if we wanted it. YES! WE WANT! WE <strong>REALLY</strong> WANT!<br /></p><p align="left">I love you Sandy nurse practitioner. I have a fantasy that I call the McMaster NICU and ask for Sandy and they say, "Why, there's no Sandy that works here...." and then a bell rings and I know that Sandy got her wings....</p><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQX3r1LIPD0jWuVOe2MkKFunmaiLAAwivn7fHeu6TvS85UBa65j3ti9sF_xfoKxXAEztsGCX-N_HtTa1voDgYrj906D5KGTu_6zchccOaufbufOyBE0Fs1sz3rHrhyphenhyphen9YexI7k0iGKSp6Q/s1600-h/xmasfamily.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149595131557346306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQX3r1LIPD0jWuVOe2MkKFunmaiLAAwivn7fHeu6TvS85UBa65j3ti9sF_xfoKxXAEztsGCX-N_HtTa1voDgYrj906D5KGTu_6zchccOaufbufOyBE0Fs1sz3rHrhyphenhyphen9YexI7k0iGKSp6Q/s320/xmasfamily.jpg" border="0" /></a> This is the first Christmas in my life that we didn't have a tree. We didn't buy gifts for each other and we didn't bake. I have a Christmas theme every year and for a year in advance I am preparing a gift wrap and decor colour scheme. This year there was only hurried wrapping of a few simple gifts with no thought as to how they would look together under a tree. Somehow, though, we still had Christmas. Spending our afternoon with our beautiful girl and our families and being so grateful for what we have made it through...being so grateful for the people we share our lives with. I'd like to say that I found the true meaning of Christmas....but I still missed baking, shopping and wrapping gifts in my extra special way. We're having a family Christmas in January, when we can all be together.<br /><br /><p>So, long story short....our girl got her wings and came to Niagara Falls to spend the rest of her time growing in the NICU there. Our amazing holiday was spent letting various family members hold her. The most amazing thing was seeing my brother Gord hold my daughter for the first time. They're hospital pals and all we wanted was for them to be home for Christmas together. </p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbJtDrKnJvcCn8weKxruqNjyX_bu9SkMDSKuuSahRu-Vh2MLWSy6XM4do91vumLn_A2qvEE8TdShfpog126E_Jx-VmXjhhx045101uWxZBkapITbikMseUD2DYj-prfd-Rx44p_v2ofA/s1600-h/wgordy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149594646226041842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbJtDrKnJvcCn8weKxruqNjyX_bu9SkMDSKuuSahRu-Vh2MLWSy6XM4do91vumLn_A2qvEE8TdShfpog126E_Jx-VmXjhhx045101uWxZBkapITbikMseUD2DYj-prfd-Rx44p_v2ofA/s320/wgordy.jpg" border="0" /></a> So, we got our Sophie sunshine home for the holidays, but she still isn't <em>home</em> home. She is gaining weight steadily (she's 4lbs, 4oz now) and has no more tubes. She eats from a bottle and is still learning how to breastfeed. She doesn't have a lot of stamina, so I don't make her try for too long, but I've been pumping for 3 months, so I don't want to give up now. She is still having little battles with reflux, and desats to the '80s once in a while, but she is really stable and looks just like a newborn baby. Her due date was January 4, so we hope she's home by then. </div><div> </div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3CLqTYawCG9usfTwakKnFMhr6gWgYF0VomRyRSjgVco2R9NcC8SWuU9rtC4yiY5A7iTt4WrgMZ_zPpCvmLh5o0rjpiZGK3emV_yUPnxw2I-SRQxgk9jwkAt6Euq9JtZOYK4psqBkqQg/s1600-h/smiling.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3CLqTYawCG9usfTwakKnFMhr6gWgYF0VomRyRSjgVco2R9NcC8SWuU9rtC4yiY5A7iTt4WrgMZ_zPpCvmLh5o0rjpiZGK3emV_yUPnxw2I-SRQxgk9jwkAt6Euq9JtZOYK4psqBkqQg/s320/smiling.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149599490949151762" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-49052853621493413032007-12-14T12:09:00.000-08:002007-12-14T12:38:43.563-08:00In town on the clownWe've spent the last week in Hamilton thanks to Ronald McDonald house. Ronald McDonald house makes it possible for families with children in the hospital to stay in town with them for only $10 a night. They also provide dinners, free laundry facilities and soap and free long distance anywhere in the world. When we arrived at the house we were greeted with a hot dinner and an amazing room. It's huge and clean and has a four poster king size bed. It's nicer than our house.<br /><br />The incredible kindness and my gratitude for the people at the house started me thinking about all of the hands that have helped to support us along this journey. I thought about Dr. Nwebube in Grimsby, whose gigantic hands wrote my blood pressure prescription and ensured the safety of my baby while in utero for those weeks. I thought about all of the nurses in Grimsby, especially the one who massaged my neck the night I couldn't sleep because of the pain and worry. I thought of the hands of Dr. Patricia Smith, who was the first to touch our Sophie and who welcomed her with the words, "It's a tiny tiny baby girl..". All of these hands, all working together to help us, to help our baby girl. More hands, in Hamilton, the amazing nursing staff of the NICU, who taught us how to use our hands to soothe Sophie back to sleep.The hands of Dr. Marrin and Dr. SantAnna, who kept our girl safe. Finally, I thought of the hands of the people who made the dinner for us at Ronald McDonald house.<br /><br />All of these people worked together without knowing each other and without knowing us. All of these people gave so much kindness and gentle care to our family. All of these amazing people who just <strong><em>do</em></strong> these things because <strong><em>it's what they do</em></strong>. I am in awe.<br /><br />Sophie is doing amazing. She weighs 3 pounds 7 ounces now. She's on the path to come home. We met with her doctor yesterday and he said that if she gets another negative eye swab on Tuesday then she can come out of isolation. She can then be transferred to St. Catharines if they have space for her. We just love seeing her blossom and it's really like she's a newborn, even though she's 10 weeks old. She cries and smiles and is learning (slowly) to breastfeed. I told the nurses that I feel like breastfeeding this 3 pound baby is like trying to park a Buick in an econo spot....<br /><br />We are going crazy wanting this to be over. Both Kie and I feel exhausted, like we need a vacation, and the hardest part is coming up. Sometimes it feels like we've been running a marathon and we're almost done - until someone moves the finish line a little bit further away. The only way we've made it through has been on the support of all of <em>your </em>hands, our families and friends. We love to read your comments and they keep us going. We thank you all so much.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-49411925432014669902007-12-04T10:28:00.000-08:002007-12-04T10:42:41.363-08:00The road homeHey everyone<br /><br />It has been a whirlwind of activity for the past few days, with Sophie getting better and better and gaining weight like crazy. It seems like all of a sudden she was a big healthy baby and the nurses started to talk about her going home! HOME!<br /><br />She's still in isolation while we wait for the result of her eye swab for the pseudomonas bacteria. You really can't tell she has any kind of infection, and she just seems to be getting bigger by the minute. Her nurse (Bonnie, who we absolutely love) is working to get her into a cot in the next few days. Bonnie is working with us on discharge planning, so she lets us take Sophie out of her isolette, bathe and diaper and dress her on our own. I love taking care of her, and it makes me want to hurry her up to get home.<br /><br />In order for her to be discharged, she has to be off of the caffeine, have had no spells for a week and breastfeeding every meal and gaining weight. It seems like a tall order, but our girl is up for a challenge. Bonnie said we're probably looking at 3 to 4 weeks. It's hard not to try to push her to get home faster. I would love to have her here for Christmas, but she needs to come when she is really ready. I tried breastfeeding for the first time on Sunday, and Sophie did really well. She didn't fuss too much, and even took a couple of sucks. Yesterday we tried again and she did even more. Bonnie said she's a smart girl. We think so too.<br /><br />All of this talk of home made us realize how incredibly underprepared we are to have her here. Once she is breastfeeding, I have to live with her at the hospital, and I haven't got her nursery ready at all. We've scurried in the last couple of days to register for baby stuff, find a car seat, look at cribs and furniture, buy paint for her room and clean it out to get ready for painting. While we were at Toys R Us last night looking at car seats, I had a sudden surge of joy that this moment had come. We are so very lucky and grateful to have our beautiful girl, and I can't wait to have her at home. I have a feeling that I have absolutely no idea how much my life is going to change when she's here but I can't wait to see what it will become.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-76571985663607394742007-11-30T21:55:00.000-08:002007-11-30T22:30:45.029-08:00Here's your Baby!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmxFl1M8dbfUe9BfRFG4w6bVuSC8ywjrqlBRjdxpts_S7TEyklr9EqfC3z2kZFJgSYFuHN2IK-N7p7sUczXwUvSGUNXe6cdiQc266pxY32p-2XePvis96QLYAxW80X45maLXmKZeipJQ/s1600-r/Sophie_0387.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138887488141942930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJodj4pEIYilLHru3INkxhBr9qDMR6p_o5z8M3QmQQnViZ-7yUDwXhgL-xMZrQRIqOLihaR5cjwfOT7MSIbVnkh-133dfYAOwFjYGcwquIaaDQwhJcaO3NNfARoY8k9nZZzNDUglNrrVw/s320/Sophie_0387.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sophie hit 1227 grams Thursday night and was taken off CPAP at 12 pm Friday. This means that she is breathing completely on her own with no assistance and no extra oxygen. She is doing great. She still has moments of apnea where her oxygen level goes down, but she quickly recovers and does some quick breaths to catch up and bring her oxygen level back up. We are so proud of her. I told her she was the strongest person I know.<br /><br /><br />The best part of being off of the CPAP is that her face is visible.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDjqRih1vCqfzfp0fk1M6okuwe7L0V0SaNujntVwyg4Xb-YAeXTiZcBdQWhwQ24Jr78yHoc9XDxmcyXFuERB2lBRu_RK4XlDZvUcP_N4Qp_3oBjyv91S4x0Q0u1IKxWJzRgwFnHNT6Rs/s1600-r/Sophie_0402.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138887569746321570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYdZXns7uKKogib9DMm5V8TBGlujpegqYmZYSjArltKV2Wr8VzZpb2jj1Eo9UJU5jZoHEZbL-MVblSNPeaReo2B2bB4i2CIaisbxlMHcF_hwONQCj6FLpHmLMw5SlWtEutSenyQyNXME/s320/Sophie_0402.jpg" border="0" /><br /></a>We were both so excited to be able to kiss her face and to see her nose and cheeks. When we got there and saw her asleep in her isolette with nothing on her face I was so happy that I cried. I was so happy to see her breathing on her own and sleeping so peacefully. I was so happy that she is older and more able to regulate her breathing. Mostly, I was just in awe of how incredibly beautiful she is. I thought that this must be what it feels like to look at your baby for the first time after you give birth.<br /><br /><br />So many times since she's been born I've wondered about the "normal" birth experience we had all missed out on. There have been times where I felt cheated out of my pregnancy experience and wished desperately for that "here's your baby" moment that always seems so amazing on TV. Our experience was amazing, but we were never handed a baby to hold and marvel at. This, the first time I've seen my beautiful girl's face almost completely unobstructed, knocked the breath out of me. I feel as though I got my moment. I keep getting my moments. Every day there seems to be some new opportunity to touch her, bathe her, dress her, or change a diaper. We are invited more frequently to take part in her care. This only makes me yearn for her to be home even more.<br /><br />I don't know what it will take for her to come home. I'm not sure if we are looking at weeks or months. All I know is that every other night, when she gets weighed I pray for that magic number to go up faster. I just want my baby girl home. We both miss her so desperately. Every visit we wash our hands before we go home so that we can smell the soap that reminds us of her. Kie and I both have had excited moments when, late at night, we have found a spot on a hand or on an arm that has remained untainted all night and still smells like Sophie. We close our eyes and inhale it deep while dreaming of the day she will be home with us.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-34754630693544575492007-11-29T00:11:00.000-08:002007-11-29T00:31:39.914-08:00Sophie's Patrice<div>Sophie is having a wonderful time with her nurse Patrice. She bundles her up and tucks her into bed so perfectly and I can tell she loves it. Patrice taught me that Sophie likes to have her head and mid section covered with both hands. It makes her feel safe. Lorraine and I couldn't make it to the hospital yesterday but we felt secure knowing she was with Patrice. Thank you so much.</div><br /><div></div><div>Sophie is slowly gaining weight and it really shows on her legs. Her last weigh-in was 1186grms.... she's so close to 1200. My father last saw her at 886grms or so and he noticed she looked much more baby like. She has some chubby cheeks now.. at both ends of her. Also her feeds are gravity fed, 'bolis' method I think it's called. It takes her 10 minutes to eat and now she seems to wake up early before her next feeding time. She gets 16ml every 2 hrs and I think they will increase that. She gets weighed again tonight so hopefully goodbye cpap.</div><br /><div></div>Here's a picture of Lorraine drying off Sophie after bathtime.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138176895351145938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfQaSmiRWS0xCa_tzdlFFzc-HWhUh74pRpIc8srxxSxpBN3vMIrRaXMQ3dh8_q3f5GEQFKFBv4_5yRfFeA2u2xfVz6pXdkvA8H-6WyJ4jk-UWaLC4drhezVLqr54Sk9NdlKYW78qVMbU/s320/Sophie_0334.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-57602637066225986002007-11-28T23:48:00.000-08:002007-11-29T00:36:02.043-08:00Happy Birthday Dad<p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifSpLDL3e9E_cwzHPabPULs4SwS9Jl6t8GGqC3jpsM7F9bQEKs-B4GWpbeyu656pIl9OdoA6yfo1gfGoDCHsaIzBDtMkcGl0nkJFauM7ExRmKbKENw2AXIZwYNu5Ryeq2lGULDq39sDEw/s1600-h/Sophie_0215.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138170117892752834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifSpLDL3e9E_cwzHPabPULs4SwS9Jl6t8GGqC3jpsM7F9bQEKs-B4GWpbeyu656pIl9OdoA6yfo1gfGoDCHsaIzBDtMkcGl0nkJFauM7ExRmKbKENw2AXIZwYNu5Ryeq2lGULDq39sDEw/s320/Sophie_0215.JPG" border="0" /></a></p>This is my(KIE) second post and I want to share a memory with you.<br />My dad makes me feel safe. When I was little my favourite thing was spending time with my dad. I used to lay on his chest while he napped and I can remember he would take a deep breath in through his nose... pause .. then 'pooof' slowly exhale from his mouth. I would rise up and slowly sink back down. I felt so safe and comfortable. I think my Sophie feels this way with me.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-2850746015546568642007-11-24T20:53:00.000-08:002007-11-24T21:50:23.577-08:00Eye-solationWell, it's been a pretty eventful couple of days. Thursday we decided to stay home, figuring that Sophie had been doing so well and we needed a break. Kie called to check on her, and they said that she was in isolation because she had contracted an eye infection from the water in her CPAP. I was really worried that this infection would be a setback, or that it was the start of the scary stuff we had managed to evade so far. On the rollercoaster ride of having a preemie, I didn't know if this was a little dip or a slow approach to a huge downward plunge. We were really concerned and felt a little guilty for not being there for her. <br /><br />Friday we went up and met with Bonnie, her day nurse, (who is amazing) who let us know that Sophie had NO problems, just a simple eye infection that wasn't a big deal and that we get the bonus of having her in a private room. Sophie had been moved from her spot in the NICU (which is kind of like a ward with 2 beds on each side) to a private room in the back of her "pod" (which is how they refer to the wards). She has her own sink and table and a window with a view. We have to wear gowns when we go in (to keep from bringing any bacteria into the rest of the pod). <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMq246Xa_aa6T_b_8uXz3vqc1I4UfU0VkYPgRJqgb9Q8KOf6cURUrAlhH2pvXX8cesk9mNSkFo0LTMHzONV8CuSjc0vhI0by1ERY7bLnv46bXfmSd70fb43wuynmxDq1mBUzv9fMpnLFs/s1600-h/me_gown.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMq246Xa_aa6T_b_8uXz3vqc1I4UfU0VkYPgRJqgb9Q8KOf6cURUrAlhH2pvXX8cesk9mNSkFo0LTMHzONV8CuSjc0vhI0by1ERY7bLnv46bXfmSd70fb43wuynmxDq1mBUzv9fMpnLFs/s320/me_gown.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136640272016754034" /></a><br />Other than the gowns and the new room assignment, nothing much was different. We were really pleased to see that she was doing so great. She's just getting some antibiotic ointment put on her eyes to stop the infection. She didn't seem bothered in the least...she didn't even seem to have any yuck in her eye. She has gained 62 grams since her last weigh-in...she hit 1110 grams! They told us that when she gets to 1200 they will try her off the CPAP again. She really looks so much bigger and sturdier. She is getting dimples on her knees and a pudgy face. She has way fewer spells of apnea so we think she will do great when she's breathing on her own. <br /><br />We got to do bathtime and cuddle for a long time. We helped nurse Marion (our favourite) with washing and drying. Enjoy the video....we enjoyed our time so much. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GSesrpEjA0I"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GSesrpEjA0I" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fOZffXGJImI"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fOZffXGJImI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hoTw0lzA_jI"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hoTw0lzA_jI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/u4yFEHSk0pU"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/u4yFEHSk0pU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-71151715552100600222007-11-19T21:01:00.000-08:002007-11-19T22:02:06.913-08:00The Kilo Club<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NdxX9he-a3M"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NdxX9he-a3M" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br />We were ecstatic to be there tonight for Sophie's official weigh-in and entry into the "Kilo Club"....she has finally made it over 1000 grams! (Imperialites - that's 2.2 pounds). As you can see, she weighed in at 1029 grams, which means she has almost gained a pound since she was born. <br /><br />After her weight and bath, Sophie spent some time with her Daddy. My instincts made me want to scoop her up and steal her away, but I know that Kie needs her just as much as I do. He hasn't held her for quite a while, and he really needed to feel her in his arms. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8BQwhRXo6pQ"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8BQwhRXo6pQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Sophie has spent a lot of time in our arms, but her first cuddle from a grandparent came from Grandma, who really needed it. Grandma said it was just like medicine. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BuMywRZkOk4BBg1vBW3aNw0XIyuUmDEciBY-wmJ4Ls_Elc_alqERQMX3yFfce8wWMKLT2xXzYNca_IweW4x4-CSC3WFWPK5If-nA71U4K_aYeSWQSELpNA5GBG6-d-mXOt34eNLfOAA/s1600-h/Sophie_0297.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BuMywRZkOk4BBg1vBW3aNw0XIyuUmDEciBY-wmJ4Ls_Elc_alqERQMX3yFfce8wWMKLT2xXzYNca_IweW4x4-CSC3WFWPK5If-nA71U4K_aYeSWQSELpNA5GBG6-d-mXOt34eNLfOAA/s400/Sophie_0297.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134792735999804738" /></a><br /><br />Times have been pretty rough for her lately, and some special Sophie time was just what she needed. She said, <blockquote>"We can’t wait to get her home and hug her. I think it will be 8 more weeks and we will save up the cuddles. We love you Sophie! Thanks for your courage and strength and helping us all to get through these difficult times. Uncle Gord is rooting for you."</blockquote><br /><br />Sophie's doctor said that she probably will be staying in Hamilton for some time, which is a mixed blessing. We are so confident leaving her at McMaster. The care is amazing and everyone there is really professional and so kind. We just want to pick up the building and drop it a little closer to home. I worry a little about driving in the winter, and I really wish sometimes I could just drop everything and go for a quick cuddle. <br /><br />Sometimes I feel like my baby is still in utero.....just not mine. It's weird to hear the nurses talk about her as her gestational age (she's 34 weeks now)...it's like she isn't real yet...like she's not "done". Kie's mom and dad talk about how amazing it is to be able to watch this process - to see a baby grow. We really are lucky to know Sophie and see her grow as she should have inside of me. <br /><br />I have to admit that I had been feeling really guilty that I wasn't able to keep her growing in my body. I thought that the way this happened wasn't right, and that I had put Sophie at a disadvantage by not being able to continue the pregnancy. With all of the amazing comments, thoughts, gifts, and prayers we have received on her behalf, I feel like this is really how it was meant to be. Sophie's experience is touching so many people in so many different ways. She is not yet supposed to be born, and has already taught us so much. I am so proud to be her mom and I feel so honoured to have been chosen to be her parent. <br /><br />Thank you all for your amazing response to our beautiful girl.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-53688428652042724862007-11-15T21:48:00.000-08:002007-11-15T22:15:24.017-08:00The GrindHey everyone<br /><br />We went up today to meet with Sophie's new doctor and to have a visit with our girl. We usually meet once a week or so with the doctor, nurses and social worker to get an update on Sophie's progress and to ask any questions or discuss any concerns we may have. It is really amazing to have all of these people in our corner, helping our girl to grow and supporting us through this process. Today's meeting went really well. We met Sophie's new doctor and he let us know that she is doing really well. They have done all the investigation possible to try to find out why she is having so many apneas (forgets to breathe) and bradycardias (where her heart rate goes below 100), but ultimately it's because she's little and it's what preemies do. I had hoped to hear she'd be home for Christmas, but the doctor said 7-10 weeks until she's ready for that. Basically, we are just waiting for her to grow. <br /><br />We're so fortunate and grateful that her stay in the NICU has been pretty uneventful. Her journey could have been a lot scarier and had more challenges than what she has experienced. I think, though, that this point in the experience presents a different set of challenges for everyone. We have to wait and be patient for her to grow. I have never been very good at either waiting or being patient. I always pop the toaster before it does it on its own....<br /><br />Kie and I have been trying to balance our "normal" life with the NICU experience, and it wears slowly on our souls. We ache for our little girl. We want her home with us and we want to experience what it's like to be parents without nurses and doctors and machines. We want to hold her without a time limit. We want to change her diapers and bathe her ourselves. We just really feel ready to have our girl home with us and to start our new lives as parents. We just have to wait until she's ready for that, too. <br /><br />The past month has been so difficult, and I keep trying to find reasons or lessons in what's going on. With Gord's leukemia and Sophie's early entry into the world, it's been made crystal clear that we <strong>have</strong> to make every moment count. I guess all of this time spent waiting and watching her grow just makes us more aware of how every single moment of our time with her is magical. I just want to write it down so we remember this when she's screaming in the grocery store, or when she has a keg party in our house when we're away on vacation.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-60032889741052527532007-11-14T20:45:00.001-08:002007-11-14T21:44:51.508-08:00Dad's First PostHello all, this is my first post as you can tell by the title. Well my wonderful girl is having a great night. She is spending the night with her (mom&dad's) favourite nurse Marion. Sophie got to come out for some much needed kangaroo care. I let Lorraine cuddle her first, just cause Sophie asked for her. Looking at my wife and daughter together instantly melts my heart. The way Sophie 'sinks' into her mom's chest, you can tell she needs her momma. When she rests on her mom, I can see her numbers reflect her happiness. She had no 'spells' while sleeping. <br /><br />Finally it was my turn. Lorraine had to restock Sophie's milk supply. She definitely didn't want to leave her mom and started to cry a little. She shifted and rustled until she was comfortable. Then for about 3 minutes she was wide awake looking around. She could hear all the alarms and bells going off and darted her eyes to the right. She is so smart, I can tell she hears things the way I do. In the next instant she was asleep. She tucked her hand under her head and dozed off to sleep. This was my second time doing kangaroo care with her so I really enjoyed it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-26226502957578146142007-11-11T13:05:00.001-08:002007-11-11T13:11:16.821-08:00Baby in a Bucket<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WFgzBSLzX2YV_zXH37YaJCYRcx-J2Xlr5Jhn79lWO_fYQfuOsOrureuMmFfze9ksvZSVFSLABhpIP7TmOMYYiSg0v1FMMKozEfxVhhph7RsHasgB7nSEGSL6EXHKNCoPo6A2kcnQRL0/s1600-h/Sophie_0279.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WFgzBSLzX2YV_zXH37YaJCYRcx-J2Xlr5Jhn79lWO_fYQfuOsOrureuMmFfze9ksvZSVFSLABhpIP7TmOMYYiSg0v1FMMKozEfxVhhph7RsHasgB7nSEGSL6EXHKNCoPo6A2kcnQRL0/s400/Sophie_0279.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131692082507926002" /></a><br /><br />I think this is my favourite picture. Sophie got her first bath in a "tub" (which was more like a 2L ice cream container) and she loved it. They don't normally do this, but her nurse wanted us to get a cute photo...I think we succeeded. <br /><br />Sophie is still doing really well with her breathing. She still has short apneas, and her oxygen levels go down, but she can bring herself back up fairly quickly. Sometimes she needs to be shaken to get her to wake up and breathe, but not as often as before. Her feeds are going great and she is eating 10.5ML every 2 hours. They think she may have a reflux problem, so they're giving her medication to help her move it all along. <br /><br />She is really such a light for everyone, and we are constantly amazed at all of the smiles that she brings from people. Even people we have never met have left comments on her video for her and are cheering her on. Thank you so much everyone.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-89602013378854385362007-11-08T03:53:00.000-08:002007-11-08T04:48:10.914-08:00Still shiningThe past few days have had us thanking our lucky stars for our beautiful girl's continued growth and good health. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYqNplBl0C8T0biRwNIrUXI6FiMBXQj3xYnT67_l7-SDhcmrqZFC0ecteQu2O6lJ6ZAoRjscfqGPCVlfBo7HJn73BW7br0neOy7jSGmVoHZFJV_j7dGzSq6cvGPk_NghxhNDOgJn2mtU/s1600-h/Sophie_0208.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYqNplBl0C8T0biRwNIrUXI6FiMBXQj3xYnT67_l7-SDhcmrqZFC0ecteQu2O6lJ6ZAoRjscfqGPCVlfBo7HJn73BW7br0neOy7jSGmVoHZFJV_j7dGzSq6cvGPk_NghxhNDOgJn2mtU/s320/Sophie_0208.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130445300746537394" /></a><br /><br />We've been spending a lot of time doing Kangaroo care, where we get skin to skin contact. She has been spending a few hours zipped into mom or dad's shirt most visits this week. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJ1KkpWnyUuXu4Kj2XuMM3uUaomLr2zGmmryQhwxXpHhwdb4HrfJ1rR6W2NpacuGCCMiL83Zv30XliinrgV_LmllIngcsp3IsPaolbzU5rjy7vi_pg6JHaY4K0oN8XoDm57oXtheXuI8/s1600-h/Sophie_0224.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJ1KkpWnyUuXu4Kj2XuMM3uUaomLr2zGmmryQhwxXpHhwdb4HrfJ1rR6W2NpacuGCCMiL83Zv30XliinrgV_LmllIngcsp3IsPaolbzU5rjy7vi_pg6JHaY4K0oN8XoDm57oXtheXuI8/s320/Sophie_0224.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130437157488544130" /></a><br /><br />Yesterday, they tried her off of her CPAP, with only little oxygen prongs in her nose. We got to see all of her beautiful face, and she was so alert and happy. She did really well breathing on her own, and we are hoping that she can stay off of the CPAP from now on. She's little, but really strong, and she keeps surprising everyone with her capabilities. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwvwT0YuWD5TLfAYDssXe4XKCk5jeBIfR7BqxMQpxNW8yJNOtxCWiEDeTe8JCu7_PQURxpT4B5qGW85z2lDQQpuYibQxj0nXgt8ZfWzex-tPugi1VsUGv_1YLjnhCvOhzGZJGbBKnfmM/s1600-h/Sophie_0254.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwvwT0YuWD5TLfAYDssXe4XKCk5jeBIfR7BqxMQpxNW8yJNOtxCWiEDeTe8JCu7_PQURxpT4B5qGW85z2lDQQpuYibQxj0nXgt8ZfWzex-tPugi1VsUGv_1YLjnhCvOhzGZJGbBKnfmM/s320/Sophie_0254.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130438372964288914" /></a><br /><br />She has been consistently gaining 30 or so grams every 2 days or so. We were amazed last night to see her get on the scale and have 859gms come up! She gained 54 grams in the past 2 days. She keeps getting bigger and is looking more and more baby-like every day. Her weight gain has revealed big cheeks and a cute little pouty chin that we think looks like Kie's dad's. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAGnFjh6RA2CkckWEJr8PMh2yps2KZ2iX8PR3EwH74mrutrV62cu4nSwbjE9G30P_j1rFk-IDcjNFg8Uv99L6SVuo6TPrqDOKmV8LX7CfkdFe9xuiXDao6wV1lzj_Yd59j25wDwx-HkY/s1600-h/Sophie_0261.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAGnFjh6RA2CkckWEJr8PMh2yps2KZ2iX8PR3EwH74mrutrV62cu4nSwbjE9G30P_j1rFk-IDcjNFg8Uv99L6SVuo6TPrqDOKmV8LX7CfkdFe9xuiXDao6wV1lzj_Yd59j25wDwx-HkY/s320/Sophie_0261.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130445910631893474" /></a><br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/laui4ZKgBx0&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/laui4ZKgBx0&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />After her time on the scale, I got to hold her in my arms. She tried on the little hat that her Grandma made, and she just looked so cute staring up at me. Her eyes are so big, and when she was all swaddled up she reminded me of the tiny, tiny baby with the big dark eyes who stared out at me before being rushed away when she was born. It's hard to believe that over a month has gone by since then. We are so grateful that this amazing person has chosen us to be her parents. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Mxn2-1LisDJtlLTsuXBp8BXqaznJRm-fpNRsYfYphAyvTfuOG_vWOMdLlT2TpAaxNfgAv2s4Pa3WrxNFqu8fraK3CpLb3YPD9IXrkLP3whZ55RxWd4Ru8iLnYLlk-Qkbu73m5lr00Lw/s1600-h/Sophie_0271.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Mxn2-1LisDJtlLTsuXBp8BXqaznJRm-fpNRsYfYphAyvTfuOG_vWOMdLlT2TpAaxNfgAv2s4Pa3WrxNFqu8fraK3CpLb3YPD9IXrkLP3whZ55RxWd4Ru8iLnYLlk-Qkbu73m5lr00Lw/s320/Sophie_0271.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130440649296955810" /></a><br /><br />Holding her in my arms makes me want her home even more. I'm not sure when she will make the move to the hospital in St. Catharines. When we first met with the doctor, he told us 6 weeks...it has been 5. It seemed impossible then, but she seems to be meeting all of the milestones they set out for her. It seems like time has gone so fast even though sometimes it feels like forever. We can't imagine our lives without her. I can't wait to have her home and cuddle her whenever we want.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-26089359404784507012007-11-03T19:04:00.000-07:002007-11-03T19:28:39.193-07:00On we go!Hey everybody!<br /><br />Sophie is still doing so great, we couldn't be happier with her progress. She is showing us all that she is a mighty force in a tiny package.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6vcKOUsMaBkL1aTgzVfXnDIMD3p2GFAIvykwCw8PnImVYmsJyL1QiJEXnadV9Ems0Cgb9tP7C96exeuACOCe5wi7BwI-UOG2bVfoBYfzXspaHzOFRdYjVpaXfocSZ4MeLBIxMlt9WoM/s1600-h/beautiful.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6vcKOUsMaBkL1aTgzVfXnDIMD3p2GFAIvykwCw8PnImVYmsJyL1QiJEXnadV9Ems0Cgb9tP7C96exeuACOCe5wi7BwI-UOG2bVfoBYfzXspaHzOFRdYjVpaXfocSZ4MeLBIxMlt9WoM/s320/beautiful.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128800754900972466" /></a><br /><br />She's growing really fast now that they are adding fortifier to her milk. She gets weighed every other night, and she has gone from 716 to 747 to 773gms (1lb 11oz) in the past week! She was having some trouble with apnea again, but she seems to do it when she is uncomfortable. When they moved her feeding tube from her mouth to her nose, she did a lot better and now she very rarely has to be helped to breathe again. She continues to amaze us with her strength and courage.<br /><br />Halloween in the NICU was pretty quiet, but our girl made a stir with her first Halloween costume. Of course, we forgot the camera on this most important day, so we only have some poloroids the nurses took. (We are going to try to sneak her hat back on so that we can get some better pics soon!)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkT_tGJgoU56ZuBsZ6q2i6YNzdpu1b5x9W2kxl7ZaT6PstmZjx007rpyvo9-y64S3eG4nl9pQPBBOIqCm-jRE_fC2Hnr20-bkJww3n_H2kDGc8m_jnpG9TOs9dwd47dF-Owy8HroTfiY/s1600-h/pumpkin2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkT_tGJgoU56ZuBsZ6q2i6YNzdpu1b5x9W2kxl7ZaT6PstmZjx007rpyvo9-y64S3eG4nl9pQPBBOIqCm-jRE_fC2Hnr20-bkJww3n_H2kDGc8m_jnpG9TOs9dwd47dF-Owy8HroTfiY/s320/pumpkin2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128801974671684546" /></a><br /><br />Here is a pic of her hat....everybody loved it and it looked so cute on her little head.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOjVvnzcsYVPaS4P_zH2qAG6sR0hGHdWdnuPf6Oe2Ufz7V9Suz-MYXEFQ4IOHcc646uZw9TgVTHFRObrAXSyAVxTYPKm4vy8OwU_JNeH4Yb8CJkNCvzY1uRvBZYNcSU91GM59rIRVXaU/s1600-h/pumkin4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOjVvnzcsYVPaS4P_zH2qAG6sR0hGHdWdnuPf6Oe2Ufz7V9Suz-MYXEFQ4IOHcc646uZw9TgVTHFRObrAXSyAVxTYPKm4vy8OwU_JNeH4Yb8CJkNCvzY1uRvBZYNcSU91GM59rIRVXaU/s320/pumkin4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128802369808675810" /></a><br /><br />Yesterday we had a great visit. Kie got to change her diaper and give her a little sponge bath. When she was all cleaned up, she spent over an hour in his arms, and they both loved it. She settled right in and fell asleep with her soother. He almost fell asleep, too. I love to see the look on his face when he looks at our girl. We both love her so much. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPECgDw07KjRJvbnrNtvvq-HpGOpXkTjjuWTvMkaXpkWIoBzYBpHMN09tlDNWbaQBg8-CkTC7_DFDsyevp6v5deefQhaKMK4YTI53RKOAv7CCn4XWOOogxh9nZec1qpTIKxwZJqoU-cms/s1600-h/eyesondaddy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPECgDw07KjRJvbnrNtvvq-HpGOpXkTjjuWTvMkaXpkWIoBzYBpHMN09tlDNWbaQBg8-CkTC7_DFDsyevp6v5deefQhaKMK4YTI53RKOAv7CCn4XWOOogxh9nZec1qpTIKxwZJqoU-cms/s320/eyesondaddy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128803336176317426" /></a><br /><br />We're so glad that she is doing so well. My brother Gord was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) last week, which came as a complete shock. It has been hard to deal with this news AND to take care of our Sophie while still keeping up with our day to day lives. Having Sophie has made it easier for us to be strong and to help support Gord through this. She has shown us that strength of spirit overrules the physical, and to enjoy and be grateful for every single minute of every day. Please think some good thoughts for Gord, who is starting chemo this week.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-79900690651229303562007-10-29T20:48:00.000-07:002007-10-29T20:58:15.351-07:00Still riding smooth, baby!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJO9nNnfZiUNDlSaLppGFPZWhFPsTC8jw7YF6EYOknbat7bKr_7zLhHJ4YPSmlfTiaOGxcJJhyzszLEkq-QlTN9aqN5sgDR3NPJSegcotIRP9zIRI9ex_l26EWcseS8WTIcWU1RwPtgc/s1600-h/Sophie_0119.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126971755962872706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJO9nNnfZiUNDlSaLppGFPZWhFPsTC8jw7YF6EYOknbat7bKr_7zLhHJ4YPSmlfTiaOGxcJJhyzszLEkq-QlTN9aqN5sgDR3NPJSegcotIRP9zIRI9ex_l26EWcseS8WTIcWU1RwPtgc/s320/Sophie_0119.jpg" border="0" /></a> Don't you just want to eat those tiny toes? Her big toe is smaller than a pea.<br /><br />Sophie is still doing great on her CPAP. She is still having little episodes where she doesn't breathe, but they are not as scary and crazy as they were before. I got to hold her again tonight, and it still feels as amazing as the first time. She is just an amazing girl and we are so proud of how well she is doing. She is showing everyone that a strong spirit can overcome any physical difficulty. We learn so much from her everyday.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_WTxeAlzKFv5K79GHbnE5WKxiw6q4Jo3oqG9U7T2sEmZDZ9ZAQHTG1Jnzq3iKTTOk7BohyphenhyphenGSosmPZyETPFrupH-zVE68xuq4D4wsLvH8dK4dtEHxq7DobsmtI_3OODrsGJZPcPqIfq4/s1600-h/Sophie_0167.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_WTxeAlzKFv5K79GHbnE5WKxiw6q4Jo3oqG9U7T2sEmZDZ9ZAQHTG1Jnzq3iKTTOk7BohyphenhyphenGSosmPZyETPFrupH-zVE68xuq4D4wsLvH8dK4dtEHxq7DobsmtI_3OODrsGJZPcPqIfq4/s320/Sophie_0167.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126973813252207522" /></a><br /><br />Thanks so much everybody for posting your comments. Kie, Sophie and I have been really moved and encouraged by all your positive messages and support! We will save them all and put them in Sophie's baby book so she can see how many people were interested in her story.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQA_LrlQP-lC0Pww3j3oCjViQ-y3UIDDRoqdCztqEcLP5yr_JsKh7oY7pLsnYK3gfREJIdiXCxRaszdJVwi0V31U-hNq7_ffX9uJ0CCLjsawamqqpCFoqAZXK9SXsgrU1uDkTwn8Xo2c/s1600-h/Sophie_0150.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQA_LrlQP-lC0Pww3j3oCjViQ-y3UIDDRoqdCztqEcLP5yr_JsKh7oY7pLsnYK3gfREJIdiXCxRaszdJVwi0V31U-hNq7_ffX9uJ0CCLjsawamqqpCFoqAZXK9SXsgrU1uDkTwn8Xo2c/s320/Sophie_0150.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126973555554169746" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314556178050227009.post-35312705102644060442007-10-27T21:12:00.000-07:002007-10-27T22:44:45.668-07:00A ray of sunshine<div align="left"><br />Hi everyone<br /><br />With some recent bad news that has knocked the wind out of my family, it turns out our Sophie sunshine is working her magic bringing light to a pretty dark place. We are so glad to have her and she is doing really really well.<br /><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126259061974676338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyM0kar3kFB8s6zbCpXDhc5p6Tv7bRlwMqIIEzmJ_HwM3JrqdAr9WY2aMUmpim64YY2Fmdy9BO9fQtyi-uoXFXDBFBNKU0bR1TP7Lqqt7HtN8H011MG9SWOlSHjiWBZYF3zCPz4UtjkYQ/s320/Sophie_0065.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="left"><br /><br />In our doctor's meeting, the doc suggested that Sophie's ventilator may be causing her to stop breathing. Long story short, her little trachea is still kinda soft, so they were thinking she may be wiggling and moving the ventilator tube out of place. He suggested that they very carefully try to extubate her and see how she does with just some CPAP support (it's a tube under her nose that blows air constantly to help her breathe). She was extubated on Friday at 2pm, and has done amazing since. She has stopped having her "spells" where she doesn't breathe and needs to be assisted with the bag. She still has apneas, but they are little and she seems to be getting herself out of them. We are so incredibly proud and in awe of how much life and strength there is in this little girl. She inspires me to be strong every day.<br /><br />Another bright spot is that I got to change her diaper and hold her against my skin for the first time. This is called "kangaroo care" - I literally zipped her up into the front of my hoodie against my skin and we snuggled for an hour and a half. I felt like the Sophie shaped hole that was missing from my heart had finally been filled. It was the most peaceful and satisfying time I have spent with her.<br /><br />She continues to grow, and gain weight and breathe on her own. We can't ask for better. We've been told many times that having a preemie in the NICU is like being on a rollercoaster. Right now we are enjoying a smooth ride...hoping it lasts much longer.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0