John and the boys survived their first week of work and school with me gone. They were more prepared this time for me leaving, which I think helped. Ian is actually enjoying the after school program, and Caleb and Levi like their "school." I think they're having a good time with their dad. He took them to see Santa yesterday. They saw Santa ride in on his horse, and got to sit on the horse (Ian and Levi did), then went to another location and got to talk to Santa. They've played in the snow, and watched movies. I think they're getting along pretty well!
Today Ellie is 4 lb 14 oz! She's really getting big! She has gained half a pound just this week.
I just thought this was cute, she had her first bath this week and her hair was all fuzzy and clean.
Her arm was as big as my finger when she was born, it's at least twice that big now.
Ellie moved into an open crib this week! That means she's holding her own temperature now. She is working on eating, last Monday the nurse let her try her whole bottle (she was only supposed to try 1/4 of it), which she ate, and that convinced the doctor that she should be able to try her bottles if she was ready for them. By the end of the week she was trying all 8 times, not finishing all, but at least trying. Then she got her two month immunizations, which did not make her very happy, but then today again she ate well. So now that she's breathing well, and holding her temperature, she just needs to eat all her bottles for long enough that they are convinced she can do it and she'll be able to come home!
And just for fun, some winter pictures....not sure if you can tell how steep this road is or not (the bottom of the hill is down under that highway overpass), but when it's snowy and icy it's not really a hill I'd want to be on! Thankfully now the main roads are nice and dry around here, much better than the slippery slush of the beginning of the week.
This is quite the icicle!
Talk about being snowed in.......
We got our favorite Christmas present on Dec 14 - Ellie came home!
I spent the night before her discharge in this room in the hospital with her. I didn't get any sleep, she was awake for a lot of the night!
All dressed and ready to go home! She got her feeding tube out the day before, she now has no cords, wires, or tubes! She's our first wireless baby!
Her first night at home went much better than her last night at the hospital! She actually woke up to eat (her brothers had to be woken up, several times during each bottle, when they were first home) and slept in between. Her nurse got her on a 4 hour schedule, so she eats only every 4 hours.
She came home at 71 days old, 37 weeks gestation, 5 lb 7 oz, 17" long. Here she is with her bear today, as compared to her with her bear when she was at her smallest. She has grown quite a bit!
Ian especially is really excited to have her home, and has wanted to hold her. Levi is fascinated by her, and Caleb keeps saying, as she makes noises in her sleep that we hear on the monitor, "that's Ellie on the thermometer!"
