As of today, our once tiny little baby weighed in at 12 lbs, 4 oz!
We took her back to Emory today to get the special RSV vaccine that I mentioned in an earlier post --- which, by the way, ended up getting worked out so that WE DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY A DIME (Thank you, Jesus!) She took her shot like a champ, which is good, since we have to go once a month until RSV season is over (in April).
We stopped in to the NICU to say hi to some of the nurses ... and they just about died when they saw her! They couldn't believe how big she is, and they loved seeing her without her oxygen cannula. She is still doing really well with the 02, by the way. She never needs it during the day, and doesn't always need it at night. Earlier this week, she went three straight days (and two nights) without needing any suplemental oxygen! We are almost free from her tubes! It just makes her hate the cannula that much more -- right now, she is screaming as Josh is putting it in for the night.
She saw her neonatologist again today, for the first time in a couple months, and he was incredibly impressed with her progress. He checked her out, and said everything looked/sounded good. In his words, "No concerns." Finally ... after 5 months of back-to-back problems, she got a clean bill of health today! Music to our ears!
It was surreal for me to be back in the NICU again ... sometimes I wonder how I survived that season. It still blows my mind that I didn't get to hold her for 18 days and I made it through. Several well-wishers have told me that I should count it a compliment that we have endured so much as a little family, implying that, because God doesn't test us beyond what we can bear, Josh and I must be pretty freakin' strong. But, turns out, the only strength I had was borrowed ... or gifted, rather. God asked a lot of us, and then made us capable of that which he asked.
I have been thinking a lot about my wonder-girl (one of her trillion nicknames) the last few days -- with all the ways that God has spared, protected, and anointed this little soul, I can't even begin to fathom what He has in store for her. What a powerful little life he has placed in our hands. I don't feel quite adequate for the task ... why us? Why are we entrusted with such a wonder-girl? I can only trust in God's consistency of character, knowing that he will gift us the same power to parent her as he did to survive her early days.
Here are some pictures of my sweetie girl. Enjoy.
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| Sleepin in jammies that belonged to me [Emily] as a baby |
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| Sleep smiles |
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| What happens when we don't swaddle tight enough |
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| I can't handle her. |
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| The best nappers I've ever met |
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| Walked in on her checkin herself out |
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| Angel baby sleeping after her shot today ... rockin the cloth diaper booty! |
Leo can fight out of his swaddle, too. Strrrrrong babies! And he has the cloth diaper booty. I LOVE it! Nixie is so dang sweet! And so big!!
ReplyDeleteThis line blew me away - your humility, your perspective. How true! Thanks for reminding me of this today. "Several well-wishers have told me that I should count it a compliment that we have endured so much as a little family, implying that, because God doesn't test us beyond what we can bear, Josh and I must be pretty freakin' strong. But, turns out, the only strength I had was borrowed ... or gifted, rather. God asked a lot of us, and then made us capable of that which he asked."