A Weekend to Remember

First, a shameless plug: have you been to one?  They’re incredible and well worth every dollar, hour, and effort you invest.

Second, it’s (as I write this) still Memorial Day.  Our women and men who have served our country deserve more recognition than we give them – and deserve to be remembered every time that we enjoy a freedom they protect(ed).  That’s all to say… thanks!!!

Third, this was a memorable weekend, so there are lots of things that we wanted to update with regard to the girls’ progress:

• On Friday night, Bella and Gloriana were moved from the NICU to the TCU (transitional care unit).  This is the place where preemies are moved before they head home – thus the name “transitional.”  An added bonus is that these rooms are a bit more private, so they’re more accommodating for pumping… they also have the perk of a bathroom in each room.

• When I visited on Saturday I was delighted to find that Bella was out of an isolette and into a crib!  Woo-hoo!  This is big progress, as she looks more and more like a full-term baby. =)

• When we visited on Sunday we saw that Bella had had her feeding tube removed from her nose.  The nurses did this because she has been taking her feedings from a bottle so well that they didn’t need to feed her through the tube anymore.  Additionally, her little system has been working so well that they don’t need to check her tummy for leftover (residual) food from previous feedings.  This is – like being moved to the crib – one of those things that is more significant as an emotionally satisfying milestone than a mere medical milestone. =)

• Gloriana continues to increase her continuous feeds – she is now fed 3.5 cc per hour on a continuous feed.  The plan is to eventually try her back on a bottle, but they don’t want to push her (very) little system too quickly – we don’t want it to be a matter of two steps forward and one step back.  So we’re patient.

• And now for the BIG NEWS – the plan is for Belladia to COME HOME FRIDAY!  We are ecstatic to have our (and your) prayers answered that she’s healthy enough to be released from the hospital.  Because she is maintaining her body temperature, eating so well from a bottle (up to 40 cc per 3 hour feeding), and gaining weight (we believe she’s over 5 lbs now), the medical staff is confident that she’ll continue to do well under our care.

• That news is rather bittersweet – it will still be a while before our little Gloriana will be able to come home.  The nurse practitioner today guessed that it could be another 3-4 weeks.  They want to make sure that she passes the same three tests that are mentioned in the above bullet.  On the one hand, we’re glad that the staff won’t send her home before she’s ready; yet on the other hand, it’s sad that we can’t take both girls home at the same time.  The nurse practitioner conceded that she "could be surprised" if Gloriana makes really fast, major progress, so that’s what we’re hoping and praying for.  Of course, our biggest prayer – as it has been all along – would be that everything would happen “in God’s perfect timing” (which, of course, was so beautifully seen in the delivery process!).

Overall, we’re extremely pleased with how well things are going.  We know that the excitement of bringing Belladia home at the end of this week will also come with new challenges – how to continue to visit Gloriana daily while caring for a newborn who’s not allowed on that floor anymore, adjusting from a family of four to a family of five (with the prospect of becoming a family of six in the near future), and continuing to figure out other logistics (like nursing, pumping, deciding where the best place is to live during this season, and continuing to care for our other two kids who are under 4 years old).

But those are all things that we’ll deal with when we get there.  For now, we rejoice with you over this good news.  And we continue on this journey that we’ll never forget.

~Jeff