9-29-13

Dear Baby Zoey

You are now eight weeks old and you are five pounds eight ounces. I call you the heavy weight around here because your roommates are  only three pounds..lol.
We are very grateful that you have been doing so well. So far you don't have any infection and they are not concerned about your eyes. The only major hurtle, yes major hurtle, you have to overcome is to take all your feedings from a bottle. For the last week you didn't want anything to do with your bottle. Then suddenly on Thursday morning (9-26-13) daddy came to feed you for the first time and you drank a WHOLE bottle. yay yay yay!!!! Then slowly but surly you started picking up the pace and started loving your bottles. If you keep this up you will be able to go home in a couple of weeks. I try not to get my hopes up but could you pretty please come home now:)!!!!

Love Mommy

flip book below

9-21-13

9-21-13

Dear Baby Zoey

Mommy is so so proud of you. You have reached a lot of milestones!!
First, you are now my heavy weight. You weigh 5 pounds 2 ounces! Yay!
2-this is huge news....you are off your oxygen completely! They didn't just turn it down or off they took your nasal cannula out...hip hip hooray!! The NP said they could put you back on the oxygen but for right now it's out. Now you just have one tube and that's your feeding tube. Mommy loves it because she can see more of your face without all that tape. You are starting to get my chubby checks, which I kiss and kiss and kiss.
3-Every other feeding I get to give you a bottle. It's 45 ml of breast milk and it takes you a good 25-30 minutes to eat it. I have to pace you. This means you take 3-5 sucks then you breath for a couple of seconds and then we repeat. Mommy loves to see you drinking bottles because as soon as you take every feed by bottle you can......Come Home....yay!!! Of course,when mommy heard this she has to run to baby gap and get you some cute little tiny clothes. Mommy can't wait until she can play dress up with you. Sooo exciting!!!
4- Last but not least....the UTES beat BYU 13-20. Yay!!!! And you were the only baby in the nicu waving (holding) and cheering on the your Utes!!! Pretty awesome!!

Love Mommy

9-20-13 Bitter Sweet

9-20-13

Bitter Sweet

I’m feeling so many emotions today. Three years ago we went to have an ultrasound on our baby (baby Cord). We could not see our baby very well and right away we knew something was wrong. The doctor said that there was very little amniotic fluid and also said, "this is very scary". We had an apt to see the specialist on September 23. For three torturous days we looked up on everything and anything we could possible find to help fix this problem. FYI never read stuff on the Internet (bad idea)! I think I drank my weight in water. I went to Costco and bought and drank two packages of Costco’s water pellets (72) to see if that would help.... it didn't.

We sadly found out that our baby had potters syndrome and that he would not survive outside the womb. To say that we were heart broken and crushed would be an understatement. I cried and cried and then cried some more. Thankfully we were able to go to the temple and find some much needed peace. We received an answer that our little baby's mission in life would not  be an earthly one but a heavenly one.

Now three years later I just called up to the hospital and Zoey weighs 5, yes, 5 pounds!!!! Ahhhh yay yay yay!!! Huge milestone!!!! Now all she has to do is learn how to breath and take a bottle at the same time. Once she learns how to do this she can come home. Yay!!!!! She will be 7 weeks tomorrow and that means I have basically lived there for the past 7 weeks. I'm so grateful for her! She has definitely been our tender mercy!!

9-17-13 Bottles

9-17-13

Dear Baby Zoey

Drum roll...............................................................................................................................................
You are drinking bottles now!! Yay. You drink two 40 ml bottles a day. You still have your feeding tube in but this is huge. However, it takes you 30-40 minutes to drink your bottle because you haven't quite figured out how to drink and breath at the same time so OT has to pace you. But still this is great news!!
You weigh 4 pounds 12 ounces. Yay. So close to five pounds. I know this sounds like nothing but you were as low as 2 pounds 6 ounces. So I'll take the increase anytime:)
We are still on out vaca but Mommy misses you so much and is very home sick for you!!! I can't wait until you can come with us next time.
You still have a little tachycardia (which means your heart rate goes into the 200's) they are not sure why. Your echo came back normal and showed no heart murmur. (YAY). Kimmi has gone to see you a lot while Mommys been gone and so has grandma and grandpa. Everyone loves and prays for you endlessly. You (as well as mommy) are such a miracle and I never want you to forget that!
Hopefully tomorrow mommy will be there to nurse and feed you a bottle!! I'm soo excited I can't stand it!!!

Love Mommy

9-12-13 Attitude of Gratitude

9-12-13
Dear Baby Zoey
Attitude of gratitude!
Ahhh every time Mommy holds you she just can't believe that you are here. We have tried and tried anything and  everything to get you here, and finally after many years of pain and heartache you are in my arms...tears!;)
Mommy is so grateful for all the progress you are making and how much of a fighter you truly are.
You took a bottle (25ml) for the first time this morning. This is huge since they have tried bottles before and you say, "nope, I like my feeding tube just fine"! Lol
Now you are 4 pounds 7 ounces and 35 weeks gestation today...yay!!!
You have a fast heart rate and you sometimes have tachycardia.  The NP just came by and listened to you and stated you might have a little heart murmur. During rounds they will discuss if they want to do an echo on you. Also, you were suppose to have your eye screen yesterday but they suspended it for right now. There's a criteria you have to meet for them to do the exam and you are right on the fence. So they may or may not do one. But, other than that you are doing amazing considering how early you were born.
Our family is going out of town for a little vaca. Mommy wishes you could come with us but she knows that is a very bad idea. However, she as well as daddy, Ely, and Jace will miss you so much and mommy will probably call every five minutes to see how you are doing.

Love Mommy

9-8-13

9-8-13

Dear Baby Zoey

Mommy is so proud of you. Today when we practiced nursing (for a half hour) you actually swallowed five times. Usually all you do is take a few licks and then go back to sleep. So I'm going to give you three stars for this one!!!:)

It's amazing how much you are growing. You were as low as 2 pounds 6 ounces. Now you are 4 pounds 2 1/2 ounces. That almost double!!!

You are starting to fill out a ton. You are even getting some rolls on your arms!! Mommy could just kiss you all day...but I don't think I'm allowed too.

Drum rolls time.......................................

the doctors made their rounds and they are going to take you off of the nasal cannula to see how you do!!!! Silent scream here we come..ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Yay!!!! Hopefully we will get to see more of your pretty little face!! I'm so excited I can't wait!!

You still have a feeding tube but hopefully your check muscles are strong enough to start sucking on a bottle.

I think you heard that we were going out of town and you were like "I don't think so". "Not without me you're not". Lol

Mommy is going to go to sacrament at the hospital so I'll see you in a minute :)

Love Mommy

9-6-13

9-6-13

Dear Baby Zoey

Today was the first time that Mommy was able to put a cute little outfit on you.  I was going to give you your first bath but the nurses wouldn’t let me…nuts.

Ahhhh you looked so cute and beautiful in your little doll clothes!! Elyse, Jace and Daddy were able to come and hold you. They love you soo much. Ely and Jace love to call you chubby checks and give you lots of kisses.

Here is some exciting news…you are now 4 POUNDS!! Ahhhhh so exciting!!! You are huge and even getting some cute little rolls. You are looking more like a baby and less like an alien.

Tomorrow will mark 5 weeks of you being in the hospital. I think your medical bills are (and still climbing) over 50,000 dollars, yikes! Mommy is ready for you to come home now. She is tired of some of the nurses and staff that are not very nice and sometimes even rude. However, I do appreciate, and I’m very grateful, for the amazing care that they give you. You really have one last big hurdle to jump and that is to feed on your own. This means you need to start nursing and taking a bottle so they can take out your feeding tube, or you can just pull it out again…lol.

Mommy is hoping that you are well enough to come home the end of September or beginning of October. That would be the best present ever!! We love you so very much and know that it’s truly a miracle that you are here and alive. I’m so grateful? for a loving heavenly father and Savior for making it possible to have you, Elyse, Jace, Daddy and your brothers for eternity.

Love Mommy

Zoey is one month old

9-3-13

Dear Baby Zoey (Meaning LIFE J)

I need another drum roll please……………………………………………………………………………

You made it!! You are 1 month old today!!! Mommy can’t believe where the last month has gone. Oh, wait, yes I can, it’s been spent at the University of Utah hospital in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. I don’t know what it is about hospitals, especially the NBICU, but it makes Mommy so tired and stressed. However, you have shocked everyone and done amazing well for only being 33 weeks gestation. When you were born on August 3, 2013, (29 weeks gestation), you were 2 pounds fifteen ounces and fifteen in half inches long. You were on a ventilator that was breathing for you. You were hooked up to and every machine and IV’s possible. Your right lung was collapsed and you had pneumonia and also you were under the lights for many days. The first week of your life was definitely touch and go. One day you would be doing great the next day you would crash and all the staff would come rushing in. But, your meaning of your name says it all—LIFE. You have been such a fighter and extremely feisty. You were only two days old and daddy (while in your incubator) cradled you with one hand on your head and the other cradling your feet and legs. Well, you did not like this at all and started hitting daddy’s hand away from your head. This was quite comical to us. Here you are hanging on by a thread but if someone touches you, you hit them….lol

Lets see how you are doing NOW…

You weight 3 pounds 12 ounce’s

You are on a normal nasal cannula and stat are 21 %, awesome!

You breastfed for the first time on 9-1-13, (mommy’s best day ever). Mommy has been pumping every three hours for the last four weeks to try and get milk for you. I’m getting a little bit and you were able to nurse for 20 minutes!!! This is HUGE!! However, you haven’t nursed since then…grrr but trying not to get frustrated with myself. What is it about mothers feeling bad about not being able to breastfeed? Personally I think its over rated, yet I do it. Why? I don’t know. Hmmm and grrrr!!!!!

You had another brain scan today and it came back perfectly normal.

Your eye screening is tomorrow and I pray that goes well.

You are keeping your temp up on your own.

Some exciting news…. they are going to start you on bottles (which basically means they give you a binky with a little bit of milk in it and see if you suck and drink in). Then they can start you on bottles/nursing and hopefully be able to take your feeding tube out, which means you would be closer to coming home. EEEEEEEE

Love Mommy

8-3-13

9-3-13

9-1-2013

9-1-13

Dear Baby Zoey

Ever time, without fail that I see you, my heart melts and my eyes start to water. I'm so grateful for all the progress that you have made and continue to make. Mommy loves you more than words can even begin to express.

They turned your high flow nasal cannula to 1. You were at 1.5. So this is great. And your 02 is between 21-23%.

The doctor came in and examined you. He said you were doing good. He then explained the hurdles you must overcome to go home.

1. Keeping your temperature, which you have and are doing so you get an A+ for that :).

2. Apnea. You can't have any apnea. Every time you do, even if its just once, you stay another week etc.

3. Be able to feed on your own. You are still on a feeding tube. So that might be a while. Mommy practices nursing with you everyday, but your check muscles aren't quite strong enough to suck yet.

And that's it. It sounds simple enough, not, but you are doing so good. I asked if you have to be off your oxygen for you to come home and the dr said no. He said they send home babies on oxygen all the time. I'm not sure how I feel about that one. Yes, mommy wants you to come home now but if you could come home on daddy's birthday (October) then I wouldn't have to worry about getting him a present. Lol jk.

Oh your weight is 1630, which is three pounds 9 1/2 ounces. Yay, every day you are getting bigger and bigger. Which makes mommy so happy. Oh and one more thing, you have your eye screening on Wednesday. Mommy is so worried about this one but I'm praying all will go well. Yay, now it's time to feed you again (one of the highlights if my day)!!

Love Mommy

                                                       Bunny said you look like a little snow bunny. I thinks it suite you quite well :)