Big (or little) News

The pictures loaded at the top, and I don't feel like figuring out how to put them at the bottom, so here they are....

Ellie at 5 days old, with the CPAP and her sunshades, she's jaundice and has the billilights on her. John's wedding ring is on her left hand, I didn't want to push it on and then have a hard time getting it off over her hand, but it would definitely fit over her arm.

My gloved finger by her arm, they're about the same size.

My gloved hand over her head, it's really small! I was giving her a head rub while the CPAP was off.

All relaxed and sleeping under her sun lamp :)

I have months worth of pictures to catch up on, which may or may not ever happen. So, for now, I'll start with the present. About 5 weeks ago I went to a doctor's appointment in a city 2 hours away, and the doctor said I needed to be admitted to the hospital right then, that I wasn't going home. So, I stayed. I was 23 weeks pregnant and threatening to deliver early and the doctor wanted me to be in the hospital on strict bed rest where I could be monitored. So I laid in bed for 3.5 weeks, reading books, watching lots of TV, crocheting a little. It really wasn't all that bad, kind of boring, but I felt pretty good. My family at home were the ones who had the crazy lives, with John working full time and taking care of kids and everything at home. With help from family and our ward, they made it through.

We were hoping I could stay in bed for a while longer, and one morning the doctor and I were discussing how I was doing well, and could probably make it at least a week or so longer, and start going out of my room on wheelchair rides, but later that evening, at 27 weeks I went into labor and it was best for the baby to come. John made it the 2 hours from home before the baby was born, which was nice! At 1:36 am on October 4, little Eleanor Lois was born - a girl, after all boys! She was 2 pounds 3 ounces, and 13.5 inches long. Her head was about 9.5 inches around, about the size of a baseball. She started off well, being put on CPAP rather than a ventilator.

Even though she was so early, it was best that she came when she did. Her cord was wrapped several times around her body and was causing her heart to decelerate at times, something the doctors had been worried about for several days before she was born; not knowing the cord was around her, but knowing something was happening with the cord to make her heart decelerate.

It's a little tricky to have her 2 hours from home in the hospital, but she's being well taken care of. I'm at home right now and will eventually go there to be near her full time. For now we can help with her "cares" if we're there, which they do every four hours. They take her temperature, change her diaper, rub her with lotion. The rest of the time they let her rest and leave her alone, unless she does something like pull her leads off, which she seems to be good at! In a while, a few weeks, perhaps, we'll be able to hold her and then in about 6 or so weeks she'll be able to try and eat from a bottle. Right now she has a feeding tube and is being fed very small amounts of milk. Her brothers are excited to have a sister, and can't wait for her to come home!