Height: 23 inches
Weight: 10 lbs., 13 oz.
Daddie edit: Here's a picture to prove it ... milk drooling and all! I'm so proud :D
Getting Bigger Every Day
Josie had her two month check-up today and was a brave little girl for all of her shots. She is growing by leaps and bounds and is now in the 75th percentile for height and the 50th percentile for weight.
Height: 23 inches
Weight: 10 lbs., 13 oz.
Daddie edit: Here's a picture to prove it ... milk drooling and all! I'm so proud :D
Height: 23 inches
Weight: 10 lbs., 13 oz.
Daddie edit: Here's a picture to prove it ... milk drooling and all! I'm so proud :D
Monday, November 17th – Redskins no longer Josie’s favorite team
That’s right, she told me so herself. After our abysmal loss against the Cowboys Sunday night, it was clear that Josie no longer wanted to have any sort of association with the team. In fact, she actually gathered up all of our Redskins paraphernalia, took it out back, and burned it. That’s how embarrassed and disappointed she was. And I agree completely. To come out and display such a lack luster performance against a huge interdivisional rival on a nationally televised Sunday night game at home just plain hurts. The offense is struggling with getting it done. The Redskins have now lost two consecutive home games, and have scored just one touchdown in the last 8 quarters. How does anyone expect to win football games with those kinds of stats? But I digress.
I didn’t get to make it to Josie’s check up the other day but I was glad (and proud) to see that she’s doing so well growing. I just can’t believe how she has practically doubled in weight! It must be because I see her everyday but for whatever reason, I just don’t think she’s all that much bigger than when she first arrived. I mean I know she is getting bigger; she’s filling out her clothes nicely and her cheeks are getting chubbier practically every time she eats. It’s just the change that has taken place isn’t quite as apparent for me. Everyone that sees her always comment on how much bigger she’s gotten, so I guess I’m on my own with this one. I think the change will be more noticeable for me once she starts to grow in length.
Josie’s sleeping certainly has improved compared to the beginning, but it’s still no where we’d like it to be. Jen’s up with her most nights, while I take over once the weekend hits. Basically, she sleeps just fine during the day, but she’s wide awake right when we’re ready to hit the sack. She will eventually go to sleep and sleep for 4hrs or so, but it’s just the time prior to getting her the sleep that’s the hardest. She also doesn’t eat as well during those hours either, so it feels like all that’s happening is feeding and changing, feeding and changing. It’s ok though because we know it’ll get better. It just takes time.
We’re going to be taking Josie on her first road trip next week for Thanksgiving. Now that she’s bigger and has gotten her first round of shots, we feel comfortable taking her out. She’s already been out a few places but this would be her first long outing. We’ll be heading down to Virginia to celebrate Thanksgiving with my side of the family. It should be a lot of fun since everyone other than my parents will be meeting her for the first time. They’re all eagerly awaiting her arrival so I hope she’s ready. As some of you are aware, I have a pretty big family.
I didn’t get to make it to Josie’s check up the other day but I was glad (and proud) to see that she’s doing so well growing. I just can’t believe how she has practically doubled in weight! It must be because I see her everyday but for whatever reason, I just don’t think she’s all that much bigger than when she first arrived. I mean I know she is getting bigger; she’s filling out her clothes nicely and her cheeks are getting chubbier practically every time she eats. It’s just the change that has taken place isn’t quite as apparent for me. Everyone that sees her always comment on how much bigger she’s gotten, so I guess I’m on my own with this one. I think the change will be more noticeable for me once she starts to grow in length.
Josie’s sleeping certainly has improved compared to the beginning, but it’s still no where we’d like it to be. Jen’s up with her most nights, while I take over once the weekend hits. Basically, she sleeps just fine during the day, but she’s wide awake right when we’re ready to hit the sack. She will eventually go to sleep and sleep for 4hrs or so, but it’s just the time prior to getting her the sleep that’s the hardest. She also doesn’t eat as well during those hours either, so it feels like all that’s happening is feeding and changing, feeding and changing. It’s ok though because we know it’ll get better. It just takes time.
We’re going to be taking Josie on her first road trip next week for Thanksgiving. Now that she’s bigger and has gotten her first round of shots, we feel comfortable taking her out. She’s already been out a few places but this would be her first long outing. We’ll be heading down to Virginia to celebrate Thanksgiving with my side of the family. It should be a lot of fun since everyone other than my parents will be meeting her for the first time. They’re all eagerly awaiting her arrival so I hope she’s ready. As some of you are aware, I have a pretty big family.
A Preemie No More
Josie had her one month check-up today and she is “perfect” (the doctor’s words, not mine, although I whole-heartedly agree!). She is growing so quickly and is in the 25th percentile for her height, weight and head size … you would never know that she was a preemie now!
Weight: 8 lbs. 12 ounces (she gained 3 lbs, 14 ounces since birth)
Height: 20.75 inches (2 inches longer!)
YAY Josie, what a big girl you are!
Weight: 8 lbs. 12 ounces (she gained 3 lbs, 14 ounces since birth)
Height: 20.75 inches (2 inches longer!)
YAY Josie, what a big girl you are!
Monday, November 10th – Oh let me count the ways
Little Josie has been doing her share of growing as of late. Her cheeks are puffier, her legs are chunkier, and her hair is coming in nicely as well. Most if not all of the outfits that have been in circulation since she was born are starting to fit perfectly. In fact, there are even a few that are a bit snug when she fully extends herself. Although these are all signs of that she’s blossoming quite nicely, there’s a part of us that’s sad to see her grow. I can only imagine what it’s going to be like years from now.
Speaking of signs of development, Josie is steadily gaining strength in her neck and back. Holding her now no longer feels like holding of a 5lb water balloon with a mind of its own. In fact, we’ve noticed that she’s starting to lift and hold up her head, all by herself. According to Jen’s fancy baby books, this isn’t supposed to happen for a while longer. Naturally this means that she’s gifted and talented, and probably at the very least will have the combined intellect of a supreme court justice and a neurosurgeon.
We had a pretty laid back weekend. The Redskins had their bye this week so my blood pressure stayed at a relatively normal level. We did have a special visitor come by for the afternoon. Dan (aka Uncle Dan) and his brother stopped over on their way back from New York. I won’t go into the details of his visit. All I’ll say is that sauce was made, and cuddling was involved. That’s it for now!
FYI: I’m currently working on a separate page on this blog which will contain a compilation of the interesting tid-bits which occurred during those first few weeks when I didn’t have a chance to update the blog. Look for that shortly.
What a strong grip!
Bonding with Uncle Dan
Big girl holding her own bottle!
With Mable
aaaaragaowuwrharaaaaa
Speaking of signs of development, Josie is steadily gaining strength in her neck and back. Holding her now no longer feels like holding of a 5lb water balloon with a mind of its own. In fact, we’ve noticed that she’s starting to lift and hold up her head, all by herself. According to Jen’s fancy baby books, this isn’t supposed to happen for a while longer. Naturally this means that she’s gifted and talented, and probably at the very least will have the combined intellect of a supreme court justice and a neurosurgeon.
We had a pretty laid back weekend. The Redskins had their bye this week so my blood pressure stayed at a relatively normal level. We did have a special visitor come by for the afternoon. Dan (aka Uncle Dan) and his brother stopped over on their way back from New York. I won’t go into the details of his visit. All I’ll say is that sauce was made, and cuddling was involved. That’s it for now!
FYI: I’m currently working on a separate page on this blog which will contain a compilation of the interesting tid-bits which occurred during those first few weeks when I didn’t have a chance to update the blog. Look for that shortly.
What a strong grip!
Bonding with Uncle Dan
Big girl holding her own bottle!
With Mable
aaaaragaowuwrharaaaaa
Thursday, November 6th – Happy 1 month birthday Josie
As of 7:18 PM this evening, little Josie Kaye officially reached 1 month old. It’s been an eventful month to say the least. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had so many new and exciting experiences one after another in such a short amount of time. We’ve had our share of trying times, but it has been everything that I had hoped for, and more. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. It’s amazing how this tiny little package has brought us so much love and joy from the very moment that she arrived.
I realize this blog has dried up a bit in terms of content and updates; it’s been a lot harder to keep up than I had originally anticipated. The initial week when I returned to work was rough. I didn’t feel well at all and that’s really when the blog began to fall off track. I was barely getting any (good) sleep at night, and I ate at most just once a day. When I got home, all I wanted to do was to crawl into bed. The last thing that I wanted to do was sit in front of the computer, gather my thoughts, put them into words, and try to make sense of it all. It just didn’t happen.
Being at work in general has also put a damper on things because I no longer have the ability to be around and to make note of each and every little thing that happens throughout the day. I get just a few hours each night to eat dinner, shower, take care of things around the house, and spend time with Josie before it’s time for bed. That in turn has made it quite easy to put off blogging, among other things. Honestly speaking, most days I just don’t have the time, and some days, I’m just tired and laziness gets the better part of me.
A lot of people have told me how much they enjoy this blog and that they continually check back for updates. I really appreciate all the positive feedback that I’ve received. It makes all the time and effort that I’ve put into this really worth-while. In order to restore some consistency with the blog while retaining part my sanity, I’ve decided to make weekly updates (most likely on Sundays) from here on out. I had originally intended this to be a daily blog, but clearly that’s not going to work. So check back at the beginning of each week for the latest happenings and developments on our little Josie girl.
P.S. I changed the commenting feature to allow anyone who’d like to say a few words to do so without having to sign in to a specific account. Simply write in what you’d like to say, select the ‘anonymously’ radio button, and publish. Don’t forget to include your name so we know who you are. Feel free to drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you!
I realize this blog has dried up a bit in terms of content and updates; it’s been a lot harder to keep up than I had originally anticipated. The initial week when I returned to work was rough. I didn’t feel well at all and that’s really when the blog began to fall off track. I was barely getting any (good) sleep at night, and I ate at most just once a day. When I got home, all I wanted to do was to crawl into bed. The last thing that I wanted to do was sit in front of the computer, gather my thoughts, put them into words, and try to make sense of it all. It just didn’t happen.
Being at work in general has also put a damper on things because I no longer have the ability to be around and to make note of each and every little thing that happens throughout the day. I get just a few hours each night to eat dinner, shower, take care of things around the house, and spend time with Josie before it’s time for bed. That in turn has made it quite easy to put off blogging, among other things. Honestly speaking, most days I just don’t have the time, and some days, I’m just tired and laziness gets the better part of me.
A lot of people have told me how much they enjoy this blog and that they continually check back for updates. I really appreciate all the positive feedback that I’ve received. It makes all the time and effort that I’ve put into this really worth-while. In order to restore some consistency with the blog while retaining part my sanity, I’ve decided to make weekly updates (most likely on Sundays) from here on out. I had originally intended this to be a daily blog, but clearly that’s not going to work. So check back at the beginning of each week for the latest happenings and developments on our little Josie girl.
P.S. I changed the commenting feature to allow anyone who’d like to say a few words to do so without having to sign in to a specific account. Simply write in what you’d like to say, select the ‘anonymously’ radio button, and publish. Don’t forget to include your name so we know who you are. Feel free to drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you!
Monday, November 3rd - What a big girl ... 4 weeks old today!
Josie is four weeks old today. I have no idea how that happened. The days have flown by (which is why this blog hasn't been updated quite as much as we had hoped) and she has grown so much in just 28 days. She's also a very busy girl: eating, napping, pooping, peeing, baths, etc. Today though, she wanted to take time out of her busy schedule to wish her daddy a very happy birthday.
Love you, Daddy Duck! Happy birthday!
Trick or Treat, what cute little feet!
Love you, Daddy Duck! Happy birthday!
Trick or Treat, what cute little feet!
Friday, October 10th - Well this ain't so bad
Believe it or not, I’m a freaking genius. Since getting Josie on the bottle, we’ve found ourselves settling into a bit of a routine. That in turn has allowed a bit of normalcy to return back into our lives. Everyone is happier, less tense, and more able to enjoy the time we’re spending with each other.
We had an appointment with the lactation consultant back at the hospital today and I went over with her everything that’s been happening since being discharged from the hospital. I told her about our struggles with breast feeding and that we broke down and gave her formula in a bottle. It was reassuring to hear from her that I was not a complete idiot for doing so and that in fact supplementing formula along with breast milk (pumped or naturally expressed) is perfectly fine. The main goal at this stage of her life is that she thrives.
So today we had the opportunity to kick back a bit and relax. Everything has been so hectic for quite some time that it was nice to be able to just sit around and lounge a little. Aside from our appointment earlier in the morning, our day mostly consisted of changing diapers, feeding, burping, and napping. Josie’s able to go a little over 2 hrs between feedings, which when you’re having a lazy day, is just about enough time to get nothing significant done. I was fine with that even though our house looked like a baby had just moved in and all mommie and daddie have had time to do is to feed and change her … oh wait.
Brent, Kelly and the kids (Cole & Caleigh) stopped by after dinner and the kids got to see the baby for the first time. It invoked an almost surreal feeling seeing each of them hold little Josie in their arms. I couldn’t help but to think of how quickly they’ve grown, and they’re not even my own! After all, it wasn’t that long ago when they were just tiny tots themselves. I guess it just makes it that much more evident that we need to cherish all the time we have with little Josie right now, as we’ll certainly look back one day to this part of her life and wonder how it had pass us by so quickly.
Off to see the doctor
Cole and baby Josie
Catching a few Zzzz's
We had an appointment with the lactation consultant back at the hospital today and I went over with her everything that’s been happening since being discharged from the hospital. I told her about our struggles with breast feeding and that we broke down and gave her formula in a bottle. It was reassuring to hear from her that I was not a complete idiot for doing so and that in fact supplementing formula along with breast milk (pumped or naturally expressed) is perfectly fine. The main goal at this stage of her life is that she thrives.
So today we had the opportunity to kick back a bit and relax. Everything has been so hectic for quite some time that it was nice to be able to just sit around and lounge a little. Aside from our appointment earlier in the morning, our day mostly consisted of changing diapers, feeding, burping, and napping. Josie’s able to go a little over 2 hrs between feedings, which when you’re having a lazy day, is just about enough time to get nothing significant done. I was fine with that even though our house looked like a baby had just moved in and all mommie and daddie have had time to do is to feed and change her … oh wait.
Brent, Kelly and the kids (Cole & Caleigh) stopped by after dinner and the kids got to see the baby for the first time. It invoked an almost surreal feeling seeing each of them hold little Josie in their arms. I couldn’t help but to think of how quickly they’ve grown, and they’re not even my own! After all, it wasn’t that long ago when they were just tiny tots themselves. I guess it just makes it that much more evident that we need to cherish all the time we have with little Josie right now, as we’ll certainly look back one day to this part of her life and wonder how it had pass us by so quickly.
Off to see the doctor
Cole and baby Josie
Catching a few Zzzz's
Thursday, October 9th - Out comes the bottle
Hello everyone! So Josie's first night at home turned out to be quite an exhausting one. Breastfeeding didn't go exactly as planned, but then again I had a feeling that was going to happen. For whatever reason, it all seemed to have worked better when we were still in the hospital. The entire night was centered around feeding. The hardest part is getting Josie to latch on. As you can imagine, it's a very tiring process for both sides.
She's hungry and all she wants to do is eat. Unfortunately, it's not natural for her (yet) and she struggles to lay still and latch on. Sometimes it's obvious she's not comfortable and we have to reposition her and try again. Other times it looks like she’s finally got it but we get nothing more than a few sucks and she'll push away. This goes on for 20-30 minutes at a time. Once she finally latches on though, she tends to fall asleep. And understandably so. She just spent all her energy trying to get going, and now she is worn out. Then we have to try to wake her up, and that in itself is a real fun game to play. She's just like her daddie and anything short of a bomb going off right next to her ear isn't going to get that girl awake.
That's not to say we haven't had our fair share of successful feedings either. However, after carefully monitoring all the feedings I came to the conclusion that she simply wasn't getting enough. One of the major contributing factors to our sleepless nights was that she needed fed often. Also, during the feedings, I noticed quite a bit of sucking but not a whole lot of swallowing. Given all that was going on I finally put it all together and figured out that when she was latched, she wasn't getting the amount she needed. She'd go for as long as she could before she'd tire herself out and fall asleep. She wouldn't stay sleeping very long though because she'd wake up hungry. And then it would start all over again.
So at around 4 AM during what felt like our 10th feeding of the night, I finally suggested to Jen that we should bust out the bottles and give her some formula. Now after taking the breastfeeding class and talking to all the pro-breast-milk nurses and doctors, we were a bit hesitant to introduce formula into the equation. But we needed Josie to eat and sleep, so that we could sleep. Lo and behold, giving her that bottle of formula ended up knocking her out for a good 3-4 hrs. She was happy and full and we finally got in a good (albeit brief) nights rest for the first time since she arrived.
On some level I still feel a tiny bit guilty going the formula route since we were adamant about sticking to an all breast milk diet. But things don't always work out as planned and we needed to adjust accordingly. Josie was 3.5 weeks early, so her feeding ability isn't where it should be compared to a fully termed baby. Also, Jen’s milk supply hasn't fully come in yet (and isn't likely to anytime soon) so that doesn’t help. We've been told that this is a common problem for parents with preemies but that it usually gets better as the weeks go by. We just need to let it happen naturally as opposed to repeatedly forcing the issue.
I'm pretty sure this is the way to go for now ... look how happy she is!
She's hungry and all she wants to do is eat. Unfortunately, it's not natural for her (yet) and she struggles to lay still and latch on. Sometimes it's obvious she's not comfortable and we have to reposition her and try again. Other times it looks like she’s finally got it but we get nothing more than a few sucks and she'll push away. This goes on for 20-30 minutes at a time. Once she finally latches on though, she tends to fall asleep. And understandably so. She just spent all her energy trying to get going, and now she is worn out. Then we have to try to wake her up, and that in itself is a real fun game to play. She's just like her daddie and anything short of a bomb going off right next to her ear isn't going to get that girl awake.
That's not to say we haven't had our fair share of successful feedings either. However, after carefully monitoring all the feedings I came to the conclusion that she simply wasn't getting enough. One of the major contributing factors to our sleepless nights was that she needed fed often. Also, during the feedings, I noticed quite a bit of sucking but not a whole lot of swallowing. Given all that was going on I finally put it all together and figured out that when she was latched, she wasn't getting the amount she needed. She'd go for as long as she could before she'd tire herself out and fall asleep. She wouldn't stay sleeping very long though because she'd wake up hungry. And then it would start all over again.
So at around 4 AM during what felt like our 10th feeding of the night, I finally suggested to Jen that we should bust out the bottles and give her some formula. Now after taking the breastfeeding class and talking to all the pro-breast-milk nurses and doctors, we were a bit hesitant to introduce formula into the equation. But we needed Josie to eat and sleep, so that we could sleep. Lo and behold, giving her that bottle of formula ended up knocking her out for a good 3-4 hrs. She was happy and full and we finally got in a good (albeit brief) nights rest for the first time since she arrived.
On some level I still feel a tiny bit guilty going the formula route since we were adamant about sticking to an all breast milk diet. But things don't always work out as planned and we needed to adjust accordingly. Josie was 3.5 weeks early, so her feeding ability isn't where it should be compared to a fully termed baby. Also, Jen’s milk supply hasn't fully come in yet (and isn't likely to anytime soon) so that doesn’t help. We've been told that this is a common problem for parents with preemies but that it usually gets better as the weeks go by. We just need to let it happen naturally as opposed to repeatedly forcing the issue.
I'm pretty sure this is the way to go for now ... look how happy she is!
Wednesday, October 8th - Running on fumes, but we're finally home
Last night turned out to be another relatively sleepless night. Josie had her fair share of meltdowns, but Jen and I managed to hold ourselves together. I can't speak for mommy, but I quickly came to realize that a crying baby can make me feel like the most useless person in the world. When it's 3 in the morning and she's screaming her lungs off even after you've checked and rechecked anything and everything you can possibly think of, it can create such an empty void inside. The sense of detachment is unreal. But as always, patience and love pays off. Once you track down what's really causing her to be upset, you simply file that away under "experience." There's nothing worse than a crying baby that won't stop, but there's nothing better than being able to stop that crying baby, and calm her down. Believe it or not, it's very rewarding.
As morning drew near, I managed to sneak in about 2 hrs of shut eye. Josie and mommy have been nursing on and off pretty much the entire night, and I definitely have to give credit where credit is due. Keep in mind that prior to Josie's arrival, Jen's already had her fair share of virtually sleepless nights. The combination of medication in her system, wooden slats of a labor bed, and general pregnancy related discomforts have really taken a toll on her physically and mentally. She got a slight break after delivery, but the R&R time had been minimal. This would be the 4th day since being admitted to the hospital, and even after all this, I couldn't believe how much more she had in her to give to our little one.
Sometime during the night, Josie and mommy got their final checkup and were given the go ahead for discharge. We were finally ready to go home. After a few more rounds of feeding, packing and loading up, and checking in with what seemed like to have been an endless string of nurses and doctors, we made it out of there at around 12:30 pm.
Once home it was more of the same; constant nursing. At some point, mommy and daddy snuck in some lunch, a shower, and a nap. The rest was again, a blur. Grandma and Grandpa Shue stopped over later in the evening with some more new outfits and to spend some time with Josie.
We want to thank everyone who's sent some sort of congratulations our way. The flowers are beautiful, the phone calls were entertaining, and the gifts were put right to use. Your thoughts and gestures mean the world to us and it's wonderful to know that there are so many people out there that care and love us.
So that was pretty much day 3. Believe it or not I didn't get too many pictures of anything. We had so much to do and I didn't get around to unpacking the camera and gear. But that's not to say I didn't get any pictures. As usual, enjoy ...
As morning drew near, I managed to sneak in about 2 hrs of shut eye. Josie and mommy have been nursing on and off pretty much the entire night, and I definitely have to give credit where credit is due. Keep in mind that prior to Josie's arrival, Jen's already had her fair share of virtually sleepless nights. The combination of medication in her system, wooden slats of a labor bed, and general pregnancy related discomforts have really taken a toll on her physically and mentally. She got a slight break after delivery, but the R&R time had been minimal. This would be the 4th day since being admitted to the hospital, and even after all this, I couldn't believe how much more she had in her to give to our little one.
Sometime during the night, Josie and mommy got their final checkup and were given the go ahead for discharge. We were finally ready to go home. After a few more rounds of feeding, packing and loading up, and checking in with what seemed like to have been an endless string of nurses and doctors, we made it out of there at around 12:30 pm.
Once home it was more of the same; constant nursing. At some point, mommy and daddy snuck in some lunch, a shower, and a nap. The rest was again, a blur. Grandma and Grandpa Shue stopped over later in the evening with some more new outfits and to spend some time with Josie.
We want to thank everyone who's sent some sort of congratulations our way. The flowers are beautiful, the phone calls were entertaining, and the gifts were put right to use. Your thoughts and gestures mean the world to us and it's wonderful to know that there are so many people out there that care and love us.
So that was pretty much day 3. Believe it or not I didn't get too many pictures of anything. We had so much to do and I didn't get around to unpacking the camera and gear. But that's not to say I didn't get any pictures. As usual, enjoy ...
Tuesday, October 7th - Barely a day old
Last night was full of commotion. Between breastfeeding, checking her vitals, and running her to and from the baby toaster, it seemed like none of us got very much sleep at all. In actuality ... none of us got very much sleep at all.
For me, today was much more of a blur than yesterday was. I think it was because we were more on our own. No longer did were we on a semi-predeterminded schedule of admistering medication every 12 hrs, doctors checking in every 2, etc. We had to do what came natural; and we had to do it by ourselves.
Despite having only had 3 hours of sleep the night before, I think I held up fairly well. The day began with yet another feeding marathon. Now that she's been out for some time, she's starting to develop quite an appetite.
Breastfeeding is truly an art. Even though I had absolutely zero knowledge on the topic of breastfeeding prior to attending our class a few weeks ago, I'm confident to say that I now have a pretty through understanding of it all. It's not easy for any baby, not to mention with preemies. It takes time, patience, and energy. Lots of energy. Lots of energy that neither mommie or daddie have much of. Fortunately, our little one is doing quite well in this area. She just needs a bit of convincing every now and then. Like I've been telling Jen this whole time; for me, it's terribly frustrating when it doesn't work and all I want to do is blow my brains out. But it's one of the best feelings in the world when it does. It totally makes it worth the struggle.
Aside from feeding, we had a good group of visitors. They got to see a cleaner, sleepier, more relaxed side of Josie, compared to the day before. Greatnan made her first appearance; she's been so anxious to meet the little one and she definitely got in her fair share of bonding time. Also, Grandma Shue went out and got Josie some new attire. Due to her size, virtually nothing that we've bought or have been gifted will fit her at this point. I hope she doesn't expect me to go out and buy her new clothes like this when she's 16!
All cleaned up with no place to go
With Greatnan
That's about all I can remember for now, so I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.
For me, today was much more of a blur than yesterday was. I think it was because we were more on our own. No longer did were we on a semi-predeterminded schedule of admistering medication every 12 hrs, doctors checking in every 2, etc. We had to do what came natural; and we had to do it by ourselves.
Despite having only had 3 hours of sleep the night before, I think I held up fairly well. The day began with yet another feeding marathon. Now that she's been out for some time, she's starting to develop quite an appetite.
Breastfeeding is truly an art. Even though I had absolutely zero knowledge on the topic of breastfeeding prior to attending our class a few weeks ago, I'm confident to say that I now have a pretty through understanding of it all. It's not easy for any baby, not to mention with preemies. It takes time, patience, and energy. Lots of energy. Lots of energy that neither mommie or daddie have much of. Fortunately, our little one is doing quite well in this area. She just needs a bit of convincing every now and then. Like I've been telling Jen this whole time; for me, it's terribly frustrating when it doesn't work and all I want to do is blow my brains out. But it's one of the best feelings in the world when it does. It totally makes it worth the struggle.
Aside from feeding, we had a good group of visitors. They got to see a cleaner, sleepier, more relaxed side of Josie, compared to the day before. Greatnan made her first appearance; she's been so anxious to meet the little one and she definitely got in her fair share of bonding time. Also, Grandma Shue went out and got Josie some new attire. Due to her size, virtually nothing that we've bought or have been gifted will fit her at this point. I hope she doesn't expect me to go out and buy her new clothes like this when she's 16!
All cleaned up with no place to go
With Greatnan
That's about all I can remember for now, so I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.
Monday, October 6th - Welcome Josie Kaye!
Well, after what seemed to have been forever ago since we first set foot here at the hospital early Saturday morning, our beautiful baby girl finally graced us with her prescence at 7:18 pm. Weighing in at 4lbs 14oz, Josie Kaye is certainly a bit on the small side. However, she is ever so alert. Shortly after her arrival, we heard her first cries. Then her eyes opened and she began to assess the new and unfamiliar environment. She settled down quickly and seemed content and well situated until her first ever exam started. Once all the poking and prodding began, the cries quickly resumed.
The initial exam showed that her body temperature was a smidge on the lower end. According to the nurse, preemie babies usually have trouble regulating body temperature on their own. However, her breathing seemed normal, and her blood sugar was at an acceptable level as well.
Once the exam was over, baby and mommy were reunited. We were on a tight schedule due to the fact that the nurse wanted to get Josie over to the nursery as soon as possible to get her temp up.
As a result, we got the meet and greet going right away so that we could get in the first feeding immediately afterwards. Josie got her first glimps of Grandma and Grandpa Shue, as well as Aunt Tiffy. After everyone had a chance to hold the baby and the initial photo op was over, we had to send them on their way.
Our first feeding happened a lot like how they said it would. A little bit of sucking and a lot of falling asleep. It was a lot of trial and error, but we got her to latch on a few times. It wasn't as big of a success as what I wanted, but we were hopeful.
After feeding, the nurse performed another quick exam. Even though her body temperature did go up a little, it was still not enough for us to keep her with us. So off to the nursery she went; under the baby toaster. Her blood sugar level had dropped a tad as well, so I was informed that a little bit of formula would be given to her. While I made my way over to the nursery, Jen was back in the room recovering. She finally got something to eat for the first time since early this morning. Needless to say she was estatic.
Once the baby arrived at the nursery, they began to check her out right away. She was weighed, measured, wiped, and pricked. I stayed until they finished with her and then it was back to the room to pack up. We were being transferred to the maternity ward (from labor hall.)
The room here at the maternity ward is much better. We settled in quickly and off went the first batch of emails and phone calls. I must admit I did turn the Monday night game on pretty much right away to get a quick look at the score. In fact, the first question that I asked the nursing assistant when she came in was how to get the volume to come out of the TV.
I decided to create this blog because I realized that there was no way to distribute information about what's going on with us and the baby widely and effectively to everyone via emails and phone calls. Please check back frequently as we'll try to update it as much as possible. Before I could fully create the blog though, we needed to give her a name. I had insisted prior to Josie's arrival that I would need to see her before I could decide on a name. Well she came and that didn't happen. We had a few names floating out there, but it wasn't until we said it out loud to each other that we knew we had landed on the right one.
Josie Kaye Lau
So now it's 1 am. Josie was returned to us about an hour ago, and Jen did another feeding. It went much better this time as she latched on well and stayed on longer. Since her body temperature has gone up and stabilized, we'll be keeping her with us here.
That pretty much sums it up for day 1. Sorry for such a long post but I wanted to be able to give something back to everyone who has been with us through this journey thus far. We're very fortunate to have so many friends and family that care and love us so much. Your thoughts and prayers are very much appreciated.
I'm going to sign off now but I will leave you all with some pictures. I hope you all enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.
Until tomorrow ...
Please feel free to drop us a line in the Comments section. We'd love to hear from you!
The initial exam showed that her body temperature was a smidge on the lower end. According to the nurse, preemie babies usually have trouble regulating body temperature on their own. However, her breathing seemed normal, and her blood sugar was at an acceptable level as well.
Once the exam was over, baby and mommy were reunited. We were on a tight schedule due to the fact that the nurse wanted to get Josie over to the nursery as soon as possible to get her temp up.
As a result, we got the meet and greet going right away so that we could get in the first feeding immediately afterwards. Josie got her first glimps of Grandma and Grandpa Shue, as well as Aunt Tiffy. After everyone had a chance to hold the baby and the initial photo op was over, we had to send them on their way.
Our first feeding happened a lot like how they said it would. A little bit of sucking and a lot of falling asleep. It was a lot of trial and error, but we got her to latch on a few times. It wasn't as big of a success as what I wanted, but we were hopeful.
After feeding, the nurse performed another quick exam. Even though her body temperature did go up a little, it was still not enough for us to keep her with us. So off to the nursery she went; under the baby toaster. Her blood sugar level had dropped a tad as well, so I was informed that a little bit of formula would be given to her. While I made my way over to the nursery, Jen was back in the room recovering. She finally got something to eat for the first time since early this morning. Needless to say she was estatic.
Once the baby arrived at the nursery, they began to check her out right away. She was weighed, measured, wiped, and pricked. I stayed until they finished with her and then it was back to the room to pack up. We were being transferred to the maternity ward (from labor hall.)
The room here at the maternity ward is much better. We settled in quickly and off went the first batch of emails and phone calls. I must admit I did turn the Monday night game on pretty much right away to get a quick look at the score. In fact, the first question that I asked the nursing assistant when she came in was how to get the volume to come out of the TV.
I decided to create this blog because I realized that there was no way to distribute information about what's going on with us and the baby widely and effectively to everyone via emails and phone calls. Please check back frequently as we'll try to update it as much as possible. Before I could fully create the blog though, we needed to give her a name. I had insisted prior to Josie's arrival that I would need to see her before I could decide on a name. Well she came and that didn't happen. We had a few names floating out there, but it wasn't until we said it out loud to each other that we knew we had landed on the right one.
Josie Kaye Lau
So now it's 1 am. Josie was returned to us about an hour ago, and Jen did another feeding. It went much better this time as she latched on well and stayed on longer. Since her body temperature has gone up and stabilized, we'll be keeping her with us here.
That pretty much sums it up for day 1. Sorry for such a long post but I wanted to be able to give something back to everyone who has been with us through this journey thus far. We're very fortunate to have so many friends and family that care and love us so much. Your thoughts and prayers are very much appreciated.
I'm going to sign off now but I will leave you all with some pictures. I hope you all enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.
Until tomorrow ...
Please feel free to drop us a line in the Comments section. We'd love to hear from you!
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