Are Ya Done Yet?

Katie has had such a tough week. The roughness started on Wednesday when she got her eye exam. The Dr said there was no change from her last exam which means her eyes are still not fully mature and she cannot be put on 100% oxygen. He will follow up in 2 weeks to see if they are mature. I arrived at the hospital for her feeding and her scheduled heart echo. Most babies are born with holes in their hearts but premature babies are more at risk for repairs to these holes because of their size. Katelyn had been diagnosed with 3 heart malfunctions but they are resolving themselves. Her heart might be tiny but it sure does work well. The cardiac radiologist saw no change in her heart but that is good because it means she is hopefully past any danger of heart repair surgery. After her ultrasound I gave her a much needed bath and cuddled her close. Katie hates to be bothered especially since she has reflux and the slightest jiggle makes her tummy upset. She was put on Prevacid for her reflux but it wasn't making much of a difference so they stopped giving it to her. She is still having d-sat issues and they are trying to figure out why through process of elimination. She was scheduled for an MRI on Thursday afternoon.

 

While waiting for news about Katelyn's MRI, I went to Wheeler Farm with 2 of the cutest kids I know.

Emma has been talking about chickens and baby animals for so long we decided to go have a picnic lunch.

We didn't see too many babies that weren't in strollers but it was a beautiful day and we had a great time.

 

Don't you just want to squeeze this cute little boy!

Later Thursday I got a phone call from Mini's nurse letting me know that she did well and was resting after having the procedure. I visited that night and talked to our favorite Amy and I got to feed her. Mini is funny when it comes to eating. When she's hungry you better feed her ASAP! She screams at you if you take too long. I burp her mid-feeding to help with her reflux and she burps well but you better not take forever letting her finish her bottle. Because she couldn't eat before her MRI they had her hooked up to an IV to keep her hydrated and she thought she was famished. She ate a whopping 75ml's, a little over 2 ounces and she would have eaten more had we let her but I don't like to be thrown up on. I wrapped her up and put her in bed for the night and returned home to Colt and Emma.

On Friday while Sabrina did my glitter toes, (comment if you want some) I got a call from Mini's nurse letting me know of another test for my pretty baby. That day she would have a bottle of formula with contrast dye put in it so they could watch her digestive system on the x-ray. They were watching to see if Katelyn does have reflux (yes duh) and if that is why she is d-sating. The developmental team has observed me feed Mini before and they were impressed at her coordination. Her x-ray showed that she gulps so fast that she is close to aspirating but she protects her airway well. She had an event during the test and recovered. The decision was made to thicken her formula to help her pace herself and to help her digest better. Later I got a call from her Neonatologist explaining her MRI results. Her Dr started off by telling me she was impressed at how pretty my baby's brain was and she was amazed that there wasn't more damage to her brain. They found a small spot around the part of the brain that can cause cerebal palsy. They aren't sure f the spot is scar tissue or blood, it's too early to tell but they suspect it will only effect her fine motor skills. Nothing a little therapy won't hurt. This was good news considering most premature babies have bleeding in their brains that can be terribly damaging. I went with Colt that night to visit. She was sleeping so peacefully when I looked in her bed. I thought to myself, She looks kinda like Emma. I didn't want to disturb her so I just talked quietly to Colt and his parents who stopped by for a bit. When I the room got quiet she peeked her eyes open to see if we were still there. I smiled down at her and gently picked her up for some cuddle time. There is nothing like a pretty baby snuggling your chest. She likes to be on my shoulder so she can hear me breathe and my heartbeat. I like to bend my head down and kiss her soft hair and smell her. It is getting so hard for me to leave her. The closer we get to bringing her home to us, the more heart wrenching it gets to say goodbye to her.