40 days and 39 nights

Well as most of you already know we reached the finish line! After a long 40 days Kailyn got to come home on Friday, April 27th! She was released at a gestational age of 34 weeks and 3 days...long before she even should've come into the world! Until the day she was released she continued to amaze her nurses and doctors. She takes her bottles like a champ and rarely has any apnea spells and they are only when she's eating. She has adjusted well to being at home, enjoying her new surroundings and taking everything in. She has only been out of the house to take Jake to school and pick him up. Her visitors have been very limited but we don't want to risk her getting sick. We've come too far for any setbacks now! Don't get us wrong, we are very ready to show her off but all in due time. Jake is loving her being home just as much as we are and is such a great big brother. Gunner and Remi (our dogs) don't quite know what to think. Remi is indifferent but Gunner is very protective of her..almost to the obsessive point. When he is in the house he doesn't leave her side..and will follow us from one room to another if we are carrying her. He even sleeps next to her bed! Kailyn has her first visit with the pediatrician tomorrow and we are anxious to see how much she weighs now. Thank you to all of you for your prayers. They mean more to us than you will ever know! I can't end this post without talking about the AMAZING nurses and doctor's that cared for Kailyn. You can see the love they have for "their babies" and treat them as they would their own. We had a few nurses that had Kailyn almost every time they worked and we developed close relationships with them. They saw us at our most stressed out and vulnerable moments and liked us anyway :). We couldn't have made it thru the last 40 days without them. It was bittersweet to leave because we consider them friends but they are following her on Facebook and thru this blog. As far as her Dr...all I can say is how many Dr's hug you when you leave the hospital?

Day 33: April 19, 2012

33 days. Seems like more than that. I feel like I've been running a marathon for the last month..one I hadn't trained for at all. I may be exhausted but I've become stronger, my marriage has become stronger, and I've rediscovered the lengths I will go to when it comes to my kids. I can see the finish line..and someday soon we will cross it! Kailyn is doing amazing! She hit 4lbs at 4 weeks old (Sunday) and got to put on clothes for the first time! She also got to have a little face time with Jake! She started at his face the entire time. It was priceless! Monday was a big day. She had a blood transfusion which we were assured was very normal for preemies. She is just growing so fast that her red blood cells can't keep up. She also started with bottle feeding. The way it's supposed to work is that she would take one bottle a shift and add one per shift everyday until she was at 100%. She was doing so well from the beginning that by day 2 she was allowed to take the bottle whenever she was awake! She has continued to do a great job! They warned us that she will probably lose a little weight because of the calories she burns eating but we haven't seen that yet. At her weigh in last night she was 4lbs 6.8oz! And yes, I know I'm partial but she gets more beautiful everyday!

Day 27: April 13, 2012

4 weeks down! This week has been a long one! It started off with a trip to the Dr. for Daddy. He had been sick for a week and wasn't getting any better plus he hadn't been able to see Kailyn. Turns out he had double ear infections and an upper respiratory infection. So, after a steroid shot, antibiotics and a decongestant he finally started feeling better! Mommy worked Mon-Thurs and averaged about 3-4 hours of sleep a day...but wouldn't give up time with her baby girl for sleep! Kailyn has continued to do great, gaining weight like crazy! Daddy said after not seeing her for almost a week that she looked like a different baby! She is still having a few episodes where her heart rate drops and a few spells of apnea but they are getting fewer and farther between! She is quite a little acrobat already and scoots around her bed all the time! Her nurse sent the pic below where she had turned over and flipped sideways! Wednesday night we got news that they had lifted the restrictions for kids and Jake could see his baby sister! We had to schedule the visit thru the child life specialist so and set the time for 3:45 on Friday! We were all so excited that they day had finally come! I'm sure Jake was worthless at school that day! When we got to the hospital he was so cute scrubbing his hands and putting on his gown. When he saw Kailyn the look on his face was priceless! He couldn't believe how little she was, we told him she was a lot bigger now than she was! We got a few pictures together..and although I was on the verge I didn't cry! Was great to have us all together even if it were for just 20 minutes. After our visit we went on a hunt for some things for the nursery at some antique stores and then Jake went to hang out with his dad at the lake. Daddy and I went back to feed Kailyn and tuck her in bed. While we were there the neonatologist came by and knocked us off our chairs! He said they would start feeding her in the next few days and she should be home in 10-14 days!!!! We were sure it would be another month! But as she has all along she thinks she's bigger than she is! We are beside ourselves and can't wait to have her home!

Day 22, April 8, 2012

Can't believe Kailyn is 3 weeks old! She is changing so fast, especially in the past week! She's gained weight like crazy this week and she is really filling out! She's up to 3lbs 8.9oz today! She is so active, rolling all over her little bed! Only a few more weeks until we can try eating by mouth! And before we know it she can wear clothes! We think she will rock that too! The nurse had to change out her feeding tube so I took the opportunity for a few pics!

Day 20: April 6, 2012

I'm sorry for slacking on the blog this week. I started back to work this week, plus I'm exhausted from trying to keep
up with supply and demand..lol! Daddy has been sick all week and hasn't been able to see Kailyn since Monday! It's killing him but tonight he's going to see his baby girl! She's been doing so well that there isn't much to report. Really the only thing to report is that we are up to 3lbs 5.9oz as of Thursday night! We couldn't be more excited! I think you'll see by the pictures that her face is starting to fill out. We are so very much in love with her. So blessed that she is so healthy and that Jake is healthy too. Kailyn's newest neighbor in the NICU makes us even more grateful than before. His mom was taking some pretty hardcore drugs while she was pregnant. Makes me sick that someone could do that to their child. We pray that he goes to a loving family and that he doesn't have too many negative effects from his mother's bad choices!

31 weeks!! April 3, 2012

So, today Kailyn turned 31 weeks. It's kinda confusing to go by gestational age and actual age, but in the NICU everything goes by gestational age. In 3 weeks they will start to feed her by mouth instead of thru the feeding tube. Then hopefully a week or two later she will be home! We are so tired of hospitals! Considering we both work in them and we have been in one everyday (most days multiple times) for the last month! That's ok though...we are just grateful that Kailyn is doing so incredible! What a blessing she has been and will continue to be! She is making progress everyday. Today she reached 3lbs 2.5oz!!! That's almost 2oz in one day! It's probably quite amusing to watch us when she gets weighed..it's like we're waiting to see if we picked the winning lottery numbers! When she reached 3lbs I almost did a dance in the NICU!

2 weeks old! April 1, 2012

Woohoo!! It's hard to believe we are 2 weeks old! Kailyn amazes us everyday! She is so alert and so much fun already! We try not to visit too much or stimulate her too much when we are there because we don't want her to burn calories, but man is it hard! She is still our little Rockstar and continues to amaze everyone around her! Kailyn's grandpa Yaeger brought her a stuffed panda bear that is probably 18 inches tall..we decided to take her picture next to it every week so you can see her grow! Tonight she weighed 3lbs 0.9oz...a small gain but we will take it!!