You Wanted Pictures? You Got 'Em!

First, the update. Liz and I just got back from the hospital, and nothing remarkable to report. Cat continues to eat a little more...up to 12 cc's. She's gained about 2 ounces over the last 48 hours. Slow but steady, right? And Liz got to "Kangaroo Hold" again tonight for about an hour. So things are progressing well.

As I wrote in the last post, she was one week old yesterday. And, just like my mom did with me and my siblings, I made sure to get a picture and will probably continue to take a picture once a week until she's a year old. So here are some pictures of her at one week.

One Week Old!

Courtney is a week old today. In some ways, it's gone by quickly. In other ways, this has been the longest week of my life. Anyway, on to the update...

We were down at the hospital last night and Liz was there again this morning. She continues to eat well. The last I heard she's up to 9 cc's per feeding. She's still off of the nose tube and didn't have any apnea episodes last night. She had one the night before, but not serious enough to put her back on the breathing tube.

So things continue to progress well. The only problem is that the schedule is starting to take it's toll on us. Liz continues to prepare for "mommy duty", so that's getting her up in the middle of the night. Plus we're both emotionally stressed. Add to that the 30 minute drive it takes to go and see Courtney. I'm starting to feel about as busy as Jack Bauer minus the nuclear bombs. I'm sure it will be better once we get her home, but until then, I'm torn between making another visit to the hospital tonight or keeping Liz home and letting her get some much needed rest.

I do want to thank you all for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. They do help and the support you all have given us has been wonderful. Whether you've known us all of our lives or haven't even met us at all (thanks Kawi11!), your support is very much appreciated. Keep it up, we need all we can get.

Little One Makes Progress

Last night, Liz and I went down to the hospital again to see Cat. When we got there, we both said hi and started touching her, and then the nurse came over. She said,"Do you see anything missing?" We take another look and we both realize...her cannula is gone! No more nose tube! They had taken it off of her at about 7:30 yesterday morning, so by the time we saw her it had been 12 hours that she had been fully breathing on her own with no problems. Great success!

And the really fun part of the night was that Liz and Courtney spent some "Kangaroo Cuddle" time. Essentially this is just skin-to-skin contact where the mom can hold the baby right on her chest. This is important for both baby and mommy development. So they got to spend an hour like that. It was quite special.

And lastly, she's a little chow hound. They've increased her feedings again...she's up to 6.5 cc's. I guess she's taking to them very well, since the last few times they've found no residuals (left-overs) in her stomach afterwards.

So, overall, things are still going well. Baby steps, right?

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Back To Work I Go

As if I didn't hate my job already, today I went back to work. I decided that there really wasn't any point taking time off from work when Courtney's still at the hospital. I figured my allotment of time off would be better used when she was able to come home. No sense in sitting around the house waiting, right?

So, as far as days at work go, this was one of the better ones. Life is good, and not even the God-forsaken Post Office could ruin that for me. But, believe me, I'll be glad when she's home and I can take the time to spend with her and Mommy.

We went to the hospital last night for a visit. No big news to report. They decreased the "Big Light" back down to one bulb because her jaundice is slowly decreasing. She weighed in at 3 lbs, 1 oz. They said she may lose a little more, but now that they're feeding her, it's only a matter of time before she starts gaining weight. The nurses have increased her feedings from 3 to 4 cc's each. We saw her get bathed and got to hold her again. And, according to some of the nurses, she has a temper. I guess she has no problem voicing her displeasure of getting vitals taken or getting bathed. I'll leave it up to you as to who you think she takes after.

I guess that's it. Now it's just waiting while she gets bigger and stronger and trying not to go crazy in the meantime. We still have things to do to prepare (we were caught a little off guard) and Liz is still getting used to the "nursing schedule". However, waking up every 3 hours in the middle of the night may get easier when there's actually a little one to attend to. Until then, we're bringing those little bottles with us every time we go to the hospital.

And just so you know, late night TV sucks. God bless Tivo.

Mommy's Home!

We got home yesterday actually. I was just so exhausted, I didn't get around to posting until today.

Yesterday was another day filled with progress. In the morning, we found out that Courtney was eating. She was taking 3 cc's, which may not sound like much, but the nurse said that preemees are often started at 1cc. Plus, just think about how small her belly is! A little more jaundice set in, but not enough to worry about. They just turned the "Big Light" up from one bulb to two. All other vitals are good.

Around noon, the doctor came in and discharged Liz. She was fine to leave whenever we wanted, but we could have the room for the rest of the day. So we took our time, she had lunch, I went out and bought Cat a stuffed cat, and we went up for one last visit before we went home.

That's when we got to hold her for the first time. Liz and I took turns for about 10-15 minutes each. Her eyes we open and (very important) her breathing, oxygen, and heart rates stayed normal. Great success!

As you can tell by the picture, it was quite emotional (and note the stuffed cat!). Then we had to go home by ourselves. Talk about a major dissappointment! But we're on our way back to the hospital now for another visit as we keep reminding ourselves that she's in the place she needs to be right now.

So until she gets home, how about one more picture...

Another Long (But Eventful) Day

I just got home. It's 11:30 at night. I got to the hospital at around 6 this morning. I need sleep...and a beer. But sleep first.

Anyway, things are still progressing very well. First the baby. Cat (and for those who haven't figured it out yet, think about the initials) is still steadily improving. Baby steps, if you'll pardon the pun. She was taken off of the big "nose tube" (CPAP, for those in the know) and is now on the little "nose tube" (nasal cannula). Oxygen is rarely being used, just regular room air, and the amount of air they need to force is being reduced...she's now breathing more on her own.

Jaundice did develop a bit, but that was completely expected. When we saw her last (at about 10:30 tonight) she was under a big lamp, just like a tanning bed, inside the incubator/isolation booth. The nurse also told us that overnight, they are going to make an attempt to feed her. Up until now it's been by IV, so this is a big step for her.

It's also a big step for Liz, since she is the primary "food provider". Liz is also doing very well, and her "food providing capabilities" are improving over time. There was never really a worry about it, but as the outside observer, I could tell it was special the first time Liz saw some (although minor so far) results and came to realize the whole "momma taking care of baby" thing. Wow, I am a sap.

Speaking a being a sap, I had a HUGE mooshy moment today. We went up (and I say up because the ICU is one floor above the regular room) to spend a couple of minutes with Cat and to check with the nurses. I was sitting in a chair with my hand through one of the holes in the incubator and was able to look through at her since she was propped on one side and was facing me. Needless to say, up until this point, her eyes had been closed 90% of the time, and every time I had seen her since the delivery. But wouldn't you know, she opened her eyes and I got the first good look at my baby girl. To me, it was as if she heard my voice and decided that was the moment to get to know me.

And just thinking about it is making me tear up again.

Anyway, if all goes well (and there's no reason to think otherwise), Liz will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. Then we have to finish the nursery that we thought we had another 2 months to get ready.

Is it bad that I haven't gone to bed yet tonight and I'm already looking forward to a nap tomorrow?

End of Day 1

Baby has been moved. She started under a heat lamp (to maintain a constant body temp) and is now in the Isolation Booth. There's a real term for it, but you've all seen the plastic cages for pre-term babies...you know what I mean.

Things are well on all fronts. Liz is doing great. She's walking, she's talking, she's eating solid food...how they grow up so fast! Seriously, she's doing great.

Courtney is doing well also. Little "events" are still occuring, but nothing out of the norm. I was with her during a crying episode (I love the sound of her crying...for now) and when she started to relax, her breathing slowed. It was slow enough to set of bells and to get me worried, but the nurses reacted like it was a usual occurence. And for them, it was. From all accounts of doctors and nurses, she's doing very well.

So, the first full day is in the books. When I finally get the chance to look back, I'm sure there'll be many more stories to tell. And don't worry, I will tell them.

For now, I just want to get my girls home.

The First 12 Hours

Things are still well with Mom and baby. Dad on the other hand...

Courtney is still chugging away in the NICU. We saw her this morning and the nurses were still happy with where she is. Liz is doing fine too. She's up and walking with no problems. A little pain, but nothing a little Tylenol can't handle.

Pictures will follow soon, but as of now, she's still got a breathing tube, feeding tube, this monitor, that monitor, and a little (and I do mean little) cap. It's hard to get a good picture with all that stuff in the way. Hopefully I can get a decent one soon.

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. They are all very much appreciated.

Well, so much for my quick lunch. Back to Daddy Duty.

You're Reading This Right...We Had the Baby!

I know it's REALLY early for that announcement, but the baby decided yesterday was the day. So without further ado, Liz and I are proud to welcome into the world our daughter, Courtney Anne Tousignant.

She was born yesterday at 8:40 PM at a whopping 3 lbs, 7 ozs, and 15 1/2 inches. Mom is doing fine and aside from the fact that she'll be spending some time in the NICU before she can come home, baby is doing fine too.

More info will follow soon, but right now, it's 5:30 in the AM and I'm on my way back to the hospital.

It's A...

Right after "So, how's Liz?", that seems to be the first question that everyone asks..."Boy or girl?" Like I'd tell you.

We don't know. OK, maybe we do and we're just not telling anyone. What's the difference. You're not finding out until the kid's born anyway.

So here's your 7th month (holy crap...7 months down, only 2+ to go!) update...

Liz is fine.
So am I. (Thanks for asking)
Baby's growing...so is the belly.
We bought a new car. We decided that it was time for a mommy mobile. Liz's car had 166K miles, there were President's Day sales everywhere, and we have no money. So needless to say, the timing was perfect. After much research and hand-wringing, we bought a 2007 Toyota RAV-4 Sport. It's a nice ride and I'm sure the new child will appreciate the 4WD and the fact that it was Consumer Reports #1 small SUV. Who wouldn't?


I'd also like to draw everyone's attention to the new link over on the right side of my blog. Instead of using the old pen-and-paper method of running a baby pool, I thought that this would be much easier. So click the link and register your guess. Anyone who feels like putting in $5 can do so...I'll split it up between the high-stakes gamblers and the just-for-funners.

Please come back here often. I took quite the hiatus from posting and I've got quite a few stories to share. That, plus all of the upcoming events...I'm sure I'll have much to write about. It's gonna be one heck of a ride!