Day 16

Skylar had another good day! Her stats were in good shape and she seemed very comfortable. I sat with her for while this morning and just held her tiny hand. I didn't want to let go! It seemed as though she gripped tighter if I pulled away.

It is hard not to be able to hold our little girl...but if a hand is all I get for a while...Ill take it! I just sit there and think about how cool it is to finally be a Dad....a Dad to this little girl that's holding my hand! Its a very surreal feeling, realizing what a precious little person we have created.

Jourdan and I have been really grateful for all of the love and support of our family and friends. Skylar has definitely been blessed with a loving family who cares so much about her already. We couldn't ask for more. I'm going to try and post pictures of Skylar with her grandparents as I get them. (Just need Grandma Carice in there:) She has 6, and we are so thankful for each of them and the strength they provide.

Day 15

Friday was a great day for lil' Skylar...she basically just slept all day while her stats stayed pretty consistent. We are so thankful for days like that...it keeps us hopeful. So we are happy to report...it was an uneventful day.

but....Today is her 15th day...Saturday and she has been having trouble keeping her Oxygen saturation at a level her doctors are happy with. They try and keep her at 82 to 88% saturation but she has has periodic dips where they are having to bump up the ventilator settings. Chest x-ray was done this afternoon and apparently her lungs are not expanding as much as they'd like so they bumped up her pressure to hopefully expand her tiny lungs. She is also getting more blood today through two, 2 hr sessions to bring up her blood count. The constant blood draws she gets, bring down her blood count, but they are so necessary. It's just a part of the process. This blood transfusion though,  should hopefully help her carry that oxygen so we will see how she does. If she does not do any better there is a possibility of her going back to the High-Fi ventilator. We were told that going back and forth on ventilators can happen with preemies.
Our little girl is fighting today...shes trying her hardest to make it through these tough days. I am amazed at her though...she has endured more than I ever have...and she is only 2 weeks old. We are so proud of our little baby girl!

Day 13 (Skylar's 1st Thanksgiving)

Turkey Day update: Skylar is doing well. We were able to spend some time with her twice today already! She has been moving around a little bit more, which is nice to see that she has more energy. Last week she was just plain worn out from all the work shes had to do. She still has her chest tube in....well actually it was removed for about 3 or 4 hours yesterday because the doctors thought she was healed. Unfortunately though, her little lungs were still accumulating air so they had to reinsert the chest tube. (Ouch!) Her nurses have all been great about keeping a close eye on her and making sure she is not in a lot of pain, so that makes us feel a lot better even though they had to put it back in. Maybe next week she will get another go without the chest tube.

She looked so comfy in her bed today. The nurse had her wrapped up nice and cozy today to give her something to push against. Preemies like a little resistance just as if they were still in moms belly. We are definitely learning a lot about what she likes and doesn't like these days....she seems to have our stubborn personalities which I am certain is mostly from Jourdan :)

More updates to come... Happy Thanksgiving Skylar! We love you and we will see you again later tonight...we just can't get enough of you!

Day 11

Well, day 11 has almost past. Jourdan spent most of the day with her which I am sure Skylar enjoyed. She can tell when her Mommy's there. She was a bit fussy last night and this morning though, but after they graduated her into the traditional ventilator she seemed to do a lot better. She looked comfortable and her stats and blood gasses improved throughout the afternoon and evening. It was Awesome!! We are so proud of our little girl...she is so strong! With all of the things she has hooked up to her little body and the little noises and alarms that go off throughout the day, somehow she finds a way to sleep soundly. It's beautiful!

We are however stopping her feedings for the moment. She has been getting 1 ml of breast milk every 3 hours I believe, but she has had a few complications digesting her food. Her little digestive system is still undeveloped but she'll get there. It's just going to take some time.

G'nite lil Skylar...we love you! We will be calling your nurse in about 2.5 hrs to check on you! :)

Day 10

Skylar has truly amazed us these past few days. She has been through so much and continues to be strong. Her tiny lungs and delicate body have really been a struggle these past few days. She recently had to have a chest tube placed on her right side to allow her lungs to expand because of a "leak". This is typical for preemies but still makes Mom and Dad worry for her. She has been doing well though and there is a possibility she might get her chest tube removed tomorrow. Ahhh...then hopefully back to a steady progression! 2 steps forward...one step back. We saw her tonight...it was nice to see that her head IV was no longer needed and was removed... (one less thing stuck to her). She is being closely monitored for discomfort and pain. She gets a little agitated when being moved which tells us that she really needs her rest. The nurses have taught us how to calm her down by "containing" her. Basically we just place our hands gently over her hands and feet. It allows her to feel like shes still in the womb. It's such an awesome feeling to be able to touch her, hold her hands or feet and feel her warmth. She knows when we are there. The nurses say that preemies do much better when the parents are there. Right now...we try and visit her morning and night. Her progress has been good these past couple of days. Jourdan and I pray for her constantly and thank our Heavenly Father for each day with her. She is such a blessing.

This is her 2nd day photo. She is wearing the sunglasses to protect her eyes from light.

Skylar Jean is now in her 2nd week of life. She is wonderfully strong but we have realized that she has a lot to accomplish. I think this week for us has opened our eyes to what modern medicine can do. She has an awesome medical team at UMC. We are amazed every passing day with the amount of care and attention our little girl gets and she now has 4 primary nurses. Each one is so caring and compassionate to her of which we are very thankful.

Recap of last week....

Skylar Jean was born into this world on Friday November 13, 2009 at 4:13 am at just 26 weeks gestation. She weighed 1 lb 6oz and would fit right into the palm of my hand. It was amazing to see her for the first time. We will never forget her little eyes as she briefly opened them to say hi to her Mom and Dad. It was a short moment...but amazing! Her first day was very busy for her....getting her settled in her isolette bed...wires...monitors and hooking her up to a high-fi ventilator to breathe. She was so strong and her first few hours of life amazed the doctors at how well she was adapting to her new home.