19 Days

When Curly Q was first born, we were told that she would need to spend 10 weeks in the NICU. We thought, perhaps she'll be done sooner than that. Ten weeks is a really long time, maybe she'll be done sooner. Here we are 19 days later and the progress has been so slow that now I think we'll be lucky if she comes home in 10 weeks.

She was doing really well with her breathing and oxygen levels, but is going backwards. They put her back on her 'elephant nose' breathing mask. She's requiring a higher level of oxygen than she once needed. No one is sure why she did so well, and has digressed a little. The x-rays of her lungs look great. Her Doc wanted her heart tested again. He thought it might have something to do with the blood pressure to her lungs, but the test came back normal. They are finding nothing wrong to explain her oxygen levels. Which is a good thing because everything keeps coming back healthy and normal. It's a little frustrating because we wish she could do better, faster. The Doc just thinks she needs to grow out of it. So, we are waiting patiently.

They weigh Curly Q every day and today she weighed 4 lbs 4 oz. She's growing and gaining weight, which is fantastic. The acid reflux medicine is working wonderfully for her and she isn't spitting up anymore. They have increased her feedings to 36 mL every 3 hours. She's still being fed through a feeding tube. She is looking bigger.

We are over at the hospital every day, sometimes more than that. I LOVE my time that I get to hold her. I love how she opens her little eyes when I talk to her. I love how she wraps her tiny hand around my finger and squeezes. We love her so much and can't wait for her to come home and be apart of our family.