1 Week Old!!

Our little Tanzi girl is one week old today! In some ways it's hard to believe it's been an entire week since I gave birth and yet in so many ways it's been the longest week of our lives!

Day 6 in the NICU was once again uneventful. Before I left this evening Tanzi was up to 7mL/hr on her feedings. Now, since she started out at 1mL/hr then 7 sounds like a lot, right? Well, I did the conversion and 7 milliliters isn't even a quarter of an ounce! So, it's obviously going to be a while before she has that feeding tube out...which is a necessary step before we can bring her home. However, we are happy with any progress Tanzi makes....one milliliter at a time!

There is less bile being sucked through her Anderson tube and it is getting lighter in color. Both good signs that her intestine is healing.

When we first got to the hospital Tanzi was wide awake! But not for long. As soon as I picked her up she started drifting off....

The nurses have been SO good to Tanzi. Apparently she was having a few of her feisty moments last night so her nurse got her this mobile. I think she liked it, but mostly I think she just LOVES to be snuggled.

Here she is snuggling her daddy. The socks on her hands is to keep her from pulling out her Anderson tube...again. And I have decided that the pictures actually make Tanzi look slightly bigger/fuller that she really is. So, then I thought maybe pictures make ME look bigger and fuller and that's why I look so huge in them....or maybe that is actually my reality...either way, Tanzi is still small. 5 lbs 4 oz to be exact. And we love every little ounce of her!!

Daddy getting some good snuggles in before he heads to work

Gary went back to work tonight, working the swing shift. It's going to be a long few weeks if he's going to be spending time at the hospital, going to work AND doing school work. I wonder if he'll ever sleep?!

After Gary left for work I sat and snuggled Tanzi for a couple hours. I even took a little nap with her. Then I got to change not one, but TWO stinky diapers!! YEA! And her little bottom seemed especially small compared to what I'm used to: Gray's big bum :)

And just before I left tonight I helped the nurse move her bed to a different spot. Not for any reason except for the nurses assignments. It was a little sad to leave her nice window view that we were getting used to. However, many of her "neighbors" have moved or gone anyway. It's a chance to make some new friends, I guess.

This afternoon Gary and I attended a NICU Parent's luncheon. AKA Group Therapy. Although you will never hear them call it that. They fed us lunch. It was delicious. They had a lady (social worker) come and talk to us and share with us her story. She was a patient at Primary's when she was a teenager. It was interesting to hear her story. She had all of us parents tell our story. We asked questions. Gary and I won 2 of the 3 door prizes! Then we got to choose any items we wanted from donated blankets and other baby things. It seemed to be a nice therapy session. It was mostly good to hear other parent's stories. Some have been there 3 months. Some six. Some don't even know what, exactly, is wrong with their baby. Some have no idea when they will go home. And suddenly our situation doesn't seem so bad. Then we go back in to see Tanzi and I hear a baby cry. It sounds like a little baby kitten, not a person. She is oh SO tiny. She's new. I don't know her. Or her story. But I'm so sad for her. She's going to be there a while, I can tell. And the new baby girl across from Tanzi is new too. And she is the SMALLEST baby I have EVER seen. And my heart aches for her. And her parents. The nurse has to attend to her quite a bit. I wonder how many weeks gestation she was. I wonder how much she weighs. It can only be a pound or so. I don't ever hear her cry. I wonder how much her lungs have developed. I hope she grows to be as big and strong as my now 1 week old! I don't know her name, but I will have to remember to keep this little one in my prayers. And I think about the girl that used to be on the end. I never knew her name, but she got to go home the other day! I am SO happy for her and her family! And what about Benjamin? He was right next to Tanzi for the first few days and he got to go back to the NICU at McKay! That isn't home, but it's progress and I'm happy for him. I heard a bit of his story. He was a twin, born at 28 weeks gestation. His twin did not survive. I hope he gets to go home soon. I am so glad he is at least closer to home. And then there's Kamden. He is a twin born at 32 weeks. His twin is in the NICU in another hospital. I have only seen his parent's there once before. I hope he gets to go back to the hospital with his brother. Gabriel used to be across from Tanzi. His machines would beep all the time. Most nurses had 2 babies to care for, but Gabriel's nurse always just had him. He was also a twin born at 28 weeks. I didn't hear what happened to his twin. The other day when we got there he had moved from a warming bed to an incubator. His machines didn't beep as much. And today he was gone. I'm not sure where they moved him, but I hope he gets better soon. Jaden is on the other end and he has the saddest cry! And while he doesn't sound like a baby kitten he does sound like he is not doing too well. He cries a lot. I have never seen a parent there with him. I want to go and hold him. Snuggle him. In fact, we don't see too many parents there. I'm sure some live very far away. I feel so blessed that we live so close. I feel so blessed that I am able to go down and hold and rock Tanzi for hours. I feel blessed to be able to take her temperature and change her diapers. And I feel especially blessed to know that she's going to be okay. And to know that she will come home soon. So when I start to feel bad for myself or for our situation I think of all the other babies in the NICU. And then I find myself no longer crying for us, but crying for them. I'm not sure who's talk it was, but during Conference someone talked about how all the kids in the ICU (and I will include NICU) have angels who visit them. I think tonight I will pray for a few extra angels to be at Primary Children's....for Tanzi's friends.