Daily Hope: Thursday, January 29

Hope: day 53; with her pacifier

Hope: day 53; just chilling

Hope: day 53; BEAUTIFUL!!!

Hope is loving being a Ninja with her CPAP mask. She is definitely enjoying the freedom of breathing on her own. Her oxygen levels are down to 28%, which is even less than she was at yesterday!!

Since Hope was doing so well breathing, her feeds were increased to 17 ml per feeding and she is gobbling it all up, so hopefully she'll be gaining weight more rapidly. She weighed in today at 1140 grams, 10 grams more than yesterday. Yesterday she was weighed with her CPAP on but today she was weighed without it so she probably did gain more weight today than just 10 grams. Hope doesn't know it but she is competing in "The Biggest Fatty" competition, against herself. So her goal weight for tomorrow is 1175. We'll see if she can make her goal weight and stay in the game.

Hope got to snuggle with Daddy today. AND.... Mommy & Daddy got to hear Hope cry for the first time when she was out snuggling. They said it was a tiny little cry but was music to their ears!

Hope is looking so beautiful without any tubes or anything and just her beautiful face with her big eyes wide open for the whole world to see!!

Daily Hope: Friday, January 9

Hope: day 33

Hope LOVES her pacifier, when she got it today she threw her hand up and said: "SCORE!"

Hope: day 33, caretime with mommy & daddy

Hope's foot is still a little tiny, but it's cute (and I don't even like feet)

Hope: donning a new bunny hat, posing for the camera

Hope: day 33

Hope & her pacifier

Hope's new Bling!

Hope's newest hat, another creation by Peggy

Hope got ANOTHER new hat today from her favorite RT, Peggy. As you can see, she is donning the new addition to the "Hope Collection", coming soon to a NICU near you. The bunny hat has little bunny ears that are knit in and then tied with bows. It is INCREDIBLY adorable, and Hope obviously LOVES it! She tried to hippity hoppity around the NICU today, but she couldn't get out of her isolete, bummer. She also got a blanket change so her new blanket is pink and matches her hat. Always fashionable and practical at the same time.

Hope had a good day today, her calories were increased, still working on beefing her up. Hope also got another blood transfusion today, so tomorrow she should be READY TO GO!! As you can see from the pictures, she LOVES her pacifier. She loves it so much at times she gets so engrossed in "sucking" that she forgets to do the other important things, like breathing. So we have to work on multi-tasking, she'll catch on soon.

Hope is looking so good and especially snuggly lately. Everyone can't wait for her to be able to be held and to snuggle up in our arms. Her favorite position to lay in is on her tummy with her little butt stuck up in the air. She snuggles down, her arms tucked in, her butt in the air, and her unstuffed teddy bear right next to her. And she has the most beautiful face in the world, a peaceful and blissful face that knows none of the problems the world faces outside her little isolete.

Another highlight to Hope's day today was the added "bling" to her space. Special thanks to Aunt Em's co-worker Julie for the bling. Hope was definitely missing something, now it feels like home =) THANKS JULIE!!!!

Aunt Em read Hope another story today. We read the story of David & Goliath and how David was sooooo small and so underestimated, yet he conquered the big bad giant Goliath. Hope was telling Aunt Em how she's going to conquere whatever big bad giants come her way. I'm glad that Hope is going to fight the problems off because sometimes I feel like I'm useless and helpless, but with Hope here, there is no fear!!!!

Aunt Em is rating today another solid 7. There weren't any major progressions but good maintenance, so that we are thankful for.

Now for a personal note from Aunt Em: while I spend limited time with my precious Hope, and I have yet to hold her hand or give her a hug, just being with her is amazing. I sit next to her and she radiates hope (yes, pun intended!!!). While there are lots of things that we don't plan for, in fact, lately NOTHING is planned for, that doesn't make it bad. I'm again reminded that our plans are not the plans that will happen or should happen. Given, we can control some things, like Hope's AMAZING wardrobe, but beyond that it is really not our's to control. And so again tonight, on this Friday night in my parents' apartment/house/hotel, I lean on Hope for understanding, an understanding that is beyond my current abilities but I know that someday we will all finally realize the true reasons for today.

Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out. - Vaclav Havel

Hope SUCKS

Do not be appalled by the title of this entry and this video. This is a great thing!!!!!

This afternoon, right before Hope's 5pm feeding, her nurse, Dawn, was doing some things with Hope and taking care of business, etc, when she proclaimed: "SHE SUCKS!!"

Of course we were taken aback by this, but Hope does suck, as in sucking on a pacifier!! This is fantastic progress!! Yes, Hope still has all the tubes going down through her mouth, but she is still able to get a little suction and suck on a make-shift pacifier. It was pretty exciting stuff in the NICU today.

The video, towards the end, really shows her neck moving and her mouth moving, or at least that's what we saw in person. Extra props to Aunt Em (me) today for busting out the video mode on the digital camera. I believe this would be Hope's first video!!!!

And for those of you who have grown to be dependent upon your daily dose of Hope, no fears, there is plenty more where that comes from and should be posted later this evening with PLENTY of pictures.