So we're still here... I really didn't think there was any way we would be here this long, but to be fair I didn't think we would be here at all. One day the hospital social worker stopped by and was asking what we had known before she was born. After I gave her the run-down she said "So you expected to be in the NICU then?" And I had to answer that as crazy as it may sound in retrospect, I wasn't expecting it.
Natalie continues to improve every day, but she is still experiences more "episodes" than the NICU doctors are comfortable with sending her home. She can't really manage her secretions (normal drainage in the nose & throat) with her swallowing issues, so it occasionally blocks her airway, makes her oxygen saturation drop and we have to suction her clear. And she is still dealing with reflux which sometimes leads to silent aspirations and causes her heart rate to drop (brady event or bradycardia).
So we're just hanging out waiting for her to get bigger and stronger so she can come home.
Thankfully the NICU staff are very aware on how hard NICU stays can be on families. They do a ton of stuff and even make sure to include the siblings. Today was siblings day and we brought the boys up to participate. The first thing they did was make babies out of rice and stockings. Many of the babies are born premature and super tiny, so the thought was to make a baby that weighed the same as your sibling. But since she is now over 6 pounds, we decided they could each make one half her weight. I can only imagine 12 pounds of rice spilling on the carpet in the near future...
They even had extra blankets and hats for the babies. So many people crochet and knit things for the NICU babies. One of her nurses even left her an adorable pink hat. And a rose for me, then Nonni. And another red hat got dropped off on Heart Health Awareness Day. It's all so very thoughtful!
They also had a craft table with several valentine's themed crafts since that holiday is fast approaching.
I think the ladybug mailbox was the favorite of both boys. Of course one had to meticulously follow the instructions to make it perfect and the other one went freeform with his design. What a surprise! ;)
Doing the two minute scrub-in to go back and see their baby sister. I figured they would complain about it, but they are both total champs at it. I've been having to slather myself in lotion non-stop since it can be a little drying, but I did get a bottle of the hospital approved lotion for our room finally.
She was cleared for baths again once they took out the stitches holding her g-tube in place. She really seems to love bath time, huh...? I never got a photo of it, but the gauze pad they put over her stitches was cut down to make a heart. It was such a thoughtful gesture on the surgeon's part. Like I said - it's the little things...
The before school program that Thomas goes to had a Valentine's Day breakfast for parents, so I changed up the usual routine that morning and went to go have heart shaped waffles with him. And bacon. And donuts. It was a pretty awesome breakfast spread! Plus you can't beat the company! :)
The boys and I picked out this pennant to make her room more festive and when I went to hang it on her door, I saw that one of the nurses had been decorating too. How sweet is that?!? Not going to say that she was their favorite, but I didn't see any valentine's on any other rooms for at least a few days. ;)
This girl has had lots of trouble with her IV's. They kept going bad within 12 hours and when they tried to do a more central line, even that one went bad fairly quickly. So no one was excited when she needed a new one. But the nurse that day made this contraption for her hand that basically turned it into a club and that IV lasted soooo long. I guess not being able to bend her hand saved it.
Also that rabbit outfit was so adorable! I never brought any outfits in because I figured they would get mixed up with the hospitals, so it was always a fun surprise when she got an outfit change!
We took the boys out to Red Robin for dinner one night. Matt was trying to convince them to try the jalapeno, but they were not the least bit convinced. I think he even promised them a Lego set, but they were happy with their fries and corn dogs.
But I thought it would be fun to share a dessert - which I honestly don't think we've ever done. The race to eat it was on after everyone got their first bite. It's hard to top chocolate cake and ice cream!