2 Weeks Old!

Today Sydney turned 2 weeks old! It is hard to imagine that 4 weeks ago I was waking up in pre-term labor and getting admitted to the hospital. Then 2 weeks ago I was waking up to my "water breaking" and giving birth to little Sydney. She has changed so much in such a little time too. She started out with an infection and retaining water on a oscillating ventilator and now she is on a nasal canual on basically room air. Her weight started out 2lbs 13oz down to 2lbs 3oz - which was a "healthier" look even though it was less weight - now she is back up to 2lbs 10ozs. Her face has filled out a little bit.

She is a fiesty little girl for sure! She has her own ideas about where she wants her hands placed. The nurses like to place the babies hands under their chin. They do this for a couple reasons - 1) it is "secure/soothing" feeling and 2) it stops them from ripping out the feeding tube or nasal canual. Sydney doesn't always want her hands there, she likes her hand up by her ears, around her nose, around her mouth - we saw this on ultrasounds as well. The nurses will wrap her up and pin her hands down and she will wiggle and move until she can free her hands and place them where she wants them. I have warned the nurses about this as they move her hands down from her ears to under her chin - some listen and some don't - they are all surprised about how strong she is and how determined she gets to get her hands free!

She has definately given me a run for my money this week. She had a spinal tap done yesterday (Happy 14th Anniversary us!) and a little bladder tap done today. So far everything is coming back ok, but it is just worrisome! She has graduated out of the critical isolette to a not so critical isolette today. She does go on and off her feedings, but we are hoping that by the end of the week she will be up on her feedings to the point that they can take out the PICC line from her arm. Once that happens she will graduate to clothes!

I have gotten to do "kangaroo kare" also called skin to skin care with her. It is nice to be able to take her out of her isolette and cuddle with her. I watch the nurses bundle her up to take her out and I swear the blankets they bundle her in weigh more than she does! I could just hold her and stare at her for hours! I can't wait for Jeff to come on Thursday and snuggle with her! I try to text him pictures every chance I get. They also have a webcam for parents and he is able to log on during her care times and watch. It isn't the same as being there, but it is definately better than nothing!

I have noticed some things that she does that are definately "Jeffisms"!!! Look at her hand cupped around her chin! Jeff does this too when he thinks!

While she sleeps she makes a "puh" sound. She is breathing out through her mouth and it is like her lips get stuck together and then the buildup of air is to much and it "puhs" out of her. Jeff does this A LOT when he sleeps...drives me crazy! It is cute on her though! :)

Another milestone today was that this evening she started taking a pacifier! It is darling! It is a teeny tiny pacifier. Way smaller than the green smiley face ones... She loves it! (By the way...don't you just love her new bow/flower...her Aunt Rebecca made it! Thanks Aunt Rebecca!!!)

Rebecca, her sister - Johanna, and I went to do her 7pm cares today. The nurse suggested we try the paci - I had tried earlier in the day to get her to take it and she wasn't interested. Boy did she like it this evening. She did really good at her cares this evening. Usually she is good for about an hour of holding and then her oxygen stats start going all over the place which is a good indicator that she is tired of you holding her and she wants to lay down and really go to sleep. Johanna held her first for a bit, then passed her to Rebecca. After Rebecca held her for a little while her oxygen stats started fluxuating, so Rebecca hurried and passed her on to me so that I would get a chance to hold her before the nurse started hovering and asking us to put her back in her crib. She loves her Mommy, cuz she did really well for me. She sucked on her little binky and just was very content. Her oxygen stats went up, they weened her down on the oxygen flow so that at the end, she was on room air. She kept her body temp up. We had her out for 3 hours! I got to change her next diaper and then we let her go back to sleep.

Aunt Rebecca holding her and Johanna, Rebecca's sister, holding her:

I think it is hard for people to really understand how tiny Sydney is...here are a few pics that I hope might help:

Comparing our finger nails...

This is her compared to my sunglasses...

Here is Uncle Aaron holding her...it is like the song says.. "He's got the whole world in his hands"

This is just a cute picture...Monday (May 24th) I was giving her a washcloth bath and she curled up like this...I thought it was adorable!

After one of our first "skin to skin" cuddles....

Here is Great-Aunt Pat and Great-Uncle Ted holding her...

The "Ted"dy Bear that G-U Ted Bair and G-A Pat Bair gave Sydney

I will have to do another posting with other pictures I have taken...and I have taken quite a bit! What is nice is that I can take a pic with my phone and text it to Jeff some of her little faces. It is an easy way for him to "be here" with us. Wow!!! We have an "US" now! I still can't believe it!

Here is a little video of Sydney enjoying her pacifier: