Making Progress

Guess who gained two more ounces... She's almost at THREE pounds. {2 lbs 14 oz}. The doctor took her off her caffeine, which helped her little brain remember to breathe. Now she's breathing ALL on HER OWN!!

She's getting bigger!!

More Pictures of Cutie Pie

A favorite pose

BIG STRETCH

Checking out her world

Asleep...again. :)

I weigh 2 pounds, 10 ounces.
I drink 24 ml of milk every three hours.
I'm breathing on my own.
I love cuddling with mommy, daddy and Sweet Pea.

Cutie Pie Update

We went to visit Cutie Pie today and thought we'd share some pictures and an update. She is progressing perfectly. Her doctors removed her nasal tubes that applied a little pressure to her lungs. She was constantly pulling it off and breathing very well. She's up to 21 ml of donor milk and doing an excellent job digesting her food. The added some calories to her milk to help her gain more weight. Whenever the doctors or nurses speak to us, they are very positive and so ready to answer any questions.

Snuggling with daddy

Enjoying her daddy time.

Holding and Cuddling

We went up to visit Baby A with the hopes of holding Baby A. Unfortunately, I caught a little stomach bug, so I was put on camera duty. It was wonderful watching Reed and Ms A hold Baby A for the first time. Both of them were so excited. Ms A even was brave enough to ask the nurse for her turn. :) Here are a couple of pictures.

Daddy's turn. He had to {gently} growl a little to her. {Reed did the same thing to Ms A when I was pregnant. She even recognized his growl when she was a few months old.} I caught Miss A in between smiles, when I asked her if she wanted a new picture she said no. She was concerned about the flash on Baby A's eyes. She's such a great BIG SISTER! 

Ms A's turn. Check out that grin!!!

Some of her progress:
2012 3-9 Taken off her CPAP {she's breathing on her own!} She still has a couple of prongs in her nose to assist her.

2012 3-9 She also was taken off her K pad {a little heat generating pad to help her stay warm}. She can maintain her body heat better. We still needed to cover her with a blanket when we held her.

Current weight: 2 pounds 6 ounces. her low weight was 2 lbs, 5 ounces. She's gained one ounce or 10 gram with last nights feedings.

She started out with 5 mg of milk and now is eating 7 mg every three hours.

Her nurse adore her and say she's doing a FABULOUS job!

Thank you for your kind thoughts, love, support and prayers. You are helping us and our newest little one in ways you cannot know.  THANK YOU!!!

Hopefully this little bug I have passes quickly, so I can get my fill of holding and cuddling her.

Our Newest Addition

Amelia Elyse
DOB: March 3, 2012

Weight: 2 pounds, 8 ounces

Height: 14 inches

Adoptive Parents: Reed and Heather

Big Sister: Abigail

Amelia is doing fabulous. The nurse said she's a textbook patient. Her breathing apparatus was removed Sunday, March 4th. She received BILI light therapy to help prevent jaundice. She finished those treatments {for now} yesterday. She's receiving CPAP therapy. It provides continuous positive pressure to maintain a continuous level of positive airway pressure. She needs this because her lung pockets need help filling and developing properly with her preemie size and development. Her breathing, heart rate and oxygen levels are just where they need to be.

We are hoping to be able to hold her on Saturday {Kangaroo care}. Monday, she'll receive an ultrasound to see if there is any bleeding on/in the brain {customary for preemies}. We are anticipating to have her in the hospital for another 10 weeks {approximately June}. They like to keep preemies there until they reach 37 weeks gestation unless she's indicating that she's ready to leave earlier.

We appreciate the warm thoughts, prayers and your support during this exciting time.

Here are a few pictures of our sweet, little Ms AE {since big sister is Ms A}

First day

Baby A with her Bili light. Check out her cool "sunglasses"

She likes to have her feet scrunched up closer to her body.

Linda {birth mom}, Heather {adoptive mom} and Ms AE

Hello little one

The amazing lady who gave Baby AE her life and placed her most precious gift with us. THANK YOU LINDA and Madison {birth sister; she's the one who found us and helped her mom}

Great things come in Small Packages
The funky stuff on her head is called CPAP, it helps her lungs develop and breathe better.

Sisters holding hands

"I'm the BIG SISTER" Ms A would beam whenever someone asked about her shirt. She's SUPER excited to show Ms AE the ropes and give her TONS of LOVE and KISSES.

An Update on the House

There have been a lot of changes to the new house, so I thought I'd add a few pictures. Our estimated move in date is around the 10th of March.

Exterior Painting is complete. We are waiting for the shutters and the front door.

Paint in the Bonus Room

Paint in the Master Suite

The 30 foot tall entry. 

Dining Room Tile - first the inset

...then the main tile is added...

...all done! Reed and his mom, Gayla, did an EXCELLENT job!

Entry inset...so pretty.

Vanity for children's bath

Master Bath Vanity...check out all that storage!!!

The kitchen cabinetry is installed. We are excited to see the stain applied and then the appliances added.

Home for my double oven.

The Pantry. {Before we had a 4x4 foot pantry that Reed created from some wasted space under the stairs. This is a fabulous improvement