It was entertaining, to say the least. During Evany's first feeding, she couldn't stop hovering over her and saying "She's so cute! Ahh! She's so cute!"
Then immediately following that feeding, she threw herself over a chair dramatically and said "Look at me! I'm so skinny! I need a snack! From the cafeteria!"
Obviously, it was necessary to go to the cafeteria so that she wouldn't waste away since it was the late hour of 3:30. We headed down and picked out cake and Ava picked out the correct table for us to sit at very carefully, and we sat down and ate and talked. It amazes me what a little person she is now...she can hold actual conversations and she is hilarious. She kept saying "I love when it's just the girls. This is sweet!" (Yes, that saying has stuck around.)
Then we came up and caught up on our Advent book...we had been waiting until December 1st to start reading it, and things have been so crazy that we didn't get to it until today. Then she wanted to rest. For five minutes. Then she was bored, so we turned on Animal Planet, which made her happy.
Of course, that's when Evany woke up early and was being loud, so her nurse came to get me. The unit here is a square, with the baby's rooms on the outside and the nurse's rooms and offices on the inside, with a hall separating the two that runs all the way around the square. Evany's room is one turn away from my room, not quite in sight of one another, and Ava wanted to stay in my room and watch TV, so I walked down to check on Evany.
Who had fallen back asleep, naturally. So I kind of stood outside her room, chatted with the nurses, and watched to see if she was going to wake up again, and Ava came back and forth between both rooms literally 50 times. She wanted to watch TV. Then she would get scared, so she'd come to see us. Then she's get bored, so she'd go back to watch TV. Then she conned one of the nurses out of crayons and coloring books, and that lasted all of five minutes. That's when she discovered that the unit was a square, and that she could walk around and around. And around. So that's what she did. Except she actually skipped rather than walked. And as weird as it sounds, she was having a great time!
Luckily today was a quiet day here and they only had six babies in the NICU, so she wasn't bothering anyone, and the nurses were entertained by her. And one of them said that Ava looks exactly like me! I rarely hear that, so I love that nurse now.
Finally, Evany woke up and had another feeding and then I took Ava home. Overall, though. she was so great and well behaved! It was great to hang out with her one on one.
Speaking of Evany...
She's had a great day. We tried the crib again this morning after the issues she had last night and she held it together today, so she's out of the incubator. Hopefully she can keep it up. She is nursing for every feeding now, and she's off the photo therapy lights. She's also no longer getting fluids or TPN through her IV, so it's hep locked and only used for the antibiotics she gets twice a day. She weighed in tonight at 4 pounds ELEVEN ounces! So she's doing great.
So great, in fact, that tonight, I have a roommate. You could call it an early Christmas present.
I've never been so thrilled to have to share a room! Vivi is doing so great that now, as I'm typing this, she is sleeping in a crib right next to me. She's still being monitored remotely by the nurses, and one of my favorite nurses still comes in to chat regularly, but she's rooming in! What a little Christmas miracle.
Can you tell I'm a little obsessed with Christmas right now? The hospital is decorated to the nines and has Christmas music playing all the time, and I've apparently been infected with Christmas spirit. I can't wait to get home and bake cookies with the kids and actually put lights on the tree. I imagined December would be filled with anxiety over the baby and wondering when she would come and being nervous about her being alive, and instead she's here and thriving and surprising everyone. I love it. I mean, I wish she had been full term, but at the same time, having had a stillbirth, having her out where doctors can treat her feels so much safer than having her inside. Sometimes I feel like my uterus is a death chamber and my babies are lucky to escape it, but that's just me feeling terrible and guilty over Eli, even though it happened so fast there was nothing we could have done.
Okay, I'm going to snuggle my baby girl now. Did I mention she's two feet away?!
Quick prayer request: Evany is having more bradycardic episodes while nursing, and that's a big no no. It's typical of her gestational age, but it will stand in the way of her coming home if they don't stop. And some added prayers that she keeps her temp up would be awesome! Thank you all so much for being so great.
EDITED to add: Bradycardia is a slow heartrate. When Evany is eating, usually, or sometimes sleeping, sometimes her heart will slow down quite a bit. She's also having some issues with apnea, which is basically forgetting to breathe for a little while. Neither are severe, and she usually pops out of it on her own, but we want to see them stop!
EDITED to add: Bradycardia is a slow heartrate. When Evany is eating, usually, or sometimes sleeping, sometimes her heart will slow down quite a bit. She's also having some issues with apnea, which is basically forgetting to breathe for a little while. Neither are severe, and she usually pops out of it on her own, but we want to see them stop!
