First Week

It's been a week since Miss Marilla came home. And underscoring the fact that I am now the mother of an infant, it's taken me four hours to type this much!

The big brother and big sister are just as excited about Marilla as they were when she first came home.

This is our first Sunday. Good thing I have two arms for my two babies! Elliott is still rather attached to his bottle, and since it's an easy 150-200 calories every time, I'm not trying to wean him off it!

Elliott "No-Butt" White models his new suspenders. Aunt Bet found them in a second-hand store and thought they might help him keep his pants up. Usually, we have to wear overalls!

The only thing he's missing to step into the 1890s is a little cap!

Evan's 29th birthday. Lots of help blowing out the candles!

All helpfully recorded by our budding photographer. Our old digital camera has never been so loved. She keeps very busy taking pictures of Marilla-- especially whenever Mommy or Grandma gets the camera out!

We've realized Marilla's Friar Tuck haircut will take a long time to grow in-- it's barely stubble now. It has gone from Daddy's rough-cheek stubble to peach fuzz the last couple of days-- much nicer to rub your cheek over!

We had a doctor's appt. Tuesday-- Marilla was 7 lbs. 4 oz. She lost quite a bit of weight through her hospital stay, but she's sure eating enough to make up the weight quickly. I was so worried she wouldn't eat well, after all those medical things were forced in her mouth, but she's forgiven it all, and eats with gusto!

Our little pink bird in her nest!
We've had several people ask how to pronounce Marilla's name-- it's ma-RIL-la. For those of you who have read the Anne of Green Gables series, I found the name in that series. Marilla was the lady who took in the orphan Anne, and then Anne named her youngest daughter Marilla, Rilla for short. I liked the name Rilla first, but Evan wasn't as crazy over it. Marilla was the compromise, but now it seems like her-- don't know if we'll ever use a nickname!

Both grandmas have been here lots-- keeping me sane! Mom just left today-- she brought an egg carton with some plastic Easter eggs in it for Elliott. He's quite enjoyed putting them in their holes, and opening and closing them. She also bought Cheyenne a ballerina outfit. Cheyenne's daddy is less than impressed, but even he has to admit that he'd have to search a long time to find something as dear to a four-year old heart!

Well, Marilla's patience has truly expired, so I'll wrap it up!

Welcome Home Baby!!

Clover and I went in this morning ready to discuss with the doctors about what the high blood pressure Marilla had meant. When we finally got to talk to the doctor around 1:30, she said she would need watching one more day... phooey. Then... she started thinking about it, said they would do an ultrasound to make sure there was no clotting, and if everything was good, send her home. So we went home to take naps and hope.

We received a call at 4:30, and this was the results:

Elliott was almost more impressed than Cheyenne, and he did not want to let her go. "Hold, Hold!"

Special Hat

(Warning: No fancy prose or long words, Evan is typing this, Clover doesn't like sitting any more)

No more oxygen! Now the doctors say she just has to eat and digest well to be discharged.

Marilla gained a special hat last night. Her IV line came out so they had to put another in, which took 11 failed tries, and finally a haircut and scalp IV. Ouch.

Clover spent most of the day there and was allowed to nurse her a few times. Marilla did just wonderful with the nursing and tonight they will feed her breast milk and slowly wean her off the IV.

The doctors today said she could probably come home in a day or so if she eats well. Whether that means tomorrow or Saturday we won't know until we talk to tomorrow's doctor.

Good Day!

Miss Marilla Jane in an enormous yawn. She was a very sleepy little girl today after all her ordeals. She was so alert right after birth, I'm anxious to see those little eyes open and looking around again.

Today was only improvements. She came off the ventilator, but did require some supplemental oxygen. They've been weaning that down all day, though, and I think she'll be off that soon. I just happened to overhear the doctors talking during their shift change, and they said they had suctioned "a plug of something" out of her trachea when they were putting in the ventilator yesterday. Sounds like that may have been all that was wrong with her. It would have been nice if they had told that to me yesterday, but if that's all that's wrong with her, I certainly won't complain. The doctors said she will be able to be home in one to two days. Anxiously awaiting that!

While I was there holding her today (oh, bliss!) they switched her out from the warming table to a baby crib, and dressed her all up like a "real" baby. Daddy worked some today, but stopped in to get a cuddle.

Can't wait to hear more tomorrow about the "coming home" part!

Marilla's improving!

Here is a picture of me, yesterday morning, when I could still hold our little friend. Good news this morning, though-- we're off down to the hospital, and unless something happens betwixt now and then, I'll get to hold her again! They took her ventilator out this morning, and she's doing okay with that. Still no word on what the problem was, but she's getting better! We will know more when we can talk to the doctors today. She will not be fed today, still on the IV, but the holding will sure be appreciated!!

Marilla Jane White

Marilla Jane White joined our family at 4:50 a.m. this morning. She is, of course, beautiful, and was a whopping (compared to her brother!) 7 lbs. 11 oz. She has dark hair-- we now have our blond, redhead and brunette. We had a wonderful hour holding her and congratulating each other on what a perfect baby we had produced.

Unfortunately, not all went like we hoped. When they were getting her ready for her bath, they noticed she was breathing a little rapidly, so they decided to monitor her breathing and heart rate for a while. It soon became apparent that something was really wrong with her breathing. At first, they were just monitoring her, then a little oxygen mask to help her blood oxygen levels, which were falling. Within a few hours, we had a rather different picture to show of our sweetheart:

We had delivered in a hospital without a NICU, and the conferring doctor from another hospital ultimately decided that Marilla needed more care than they could give her, and she was transferred to Crouse Hospital NICU.

Yep, Elliott's home for 80 days. Never thought I'd be back there! I was discharged from the hospital so I could go see her-- stepping off the elevator brought back so many memories. Thankfully, she is such a big girl for that NICU-- reminds me that we could have a lot more worries! She is now on a ventilator, but able to just be on room air-- no supplemental oxygen. It is sure hard to see her all hooked up to the cords and not be able to hold her, but it definitely was better for her. Her little breaths looked like such work this morning, I couldn't imagine how she was feeling. We'll know more within 24 hours-- there are so many possible explanations for her symptons, they haven't ruled anything out. The sense we are getting, though, is that it might be a bit rough for a few days, but hopefully we'll have our little girl home with us by the end of the week.

We were at the hospital by 2:00 this morning, and we've been going hard since then, so I think it's high time to go to bed. It's a little discouraging-- I'm using a breast pump again since she is unable to nurse at the moment. I thought I'd left that behind with Elliott. It's one thing to wake up in the middle of the night to nurse a little cuddle bug, it's another thing to force yourself to endure the pain of a breast pump for 15 minutes every three hours, followed by lots of scrubbing of breast pump parts. Hoping it will only be for a short while!

Will try to post more news tomorrow, as time and energy allows!