Skin to Skin Therapy

One of the best therapies for premies in the NICU is skin to skin therapy or "kangaroo care."  They literally open up the front of your shirt and drop your little one down in so that their bare skin is resting right on yours.  Then they put a blanket over top not only for privacy, but more importantly to keep baby's body temperature from dropping.  Cute hats are optional, but highly encouraged.  The one I chose for Ellie came from a small pile that have been donated to our NICU.  

Cute, isn't she!?!

Honestly I think that "kangaroo care" is just as therapeutic to parents as it is for the premies.  While she is growing in the NICU she can't be home with us right now. We can't feed her yet.  We can't peak over into her cradle to check on her whenever we want to see her right now.  So when we can hold her so close we can feel her on us, it becomes the best feeling in the world. They also give you a mirror to hold up, or rest on the arm rest of the chair so that you can see their faces while you are holding them.  My dad told me the other day that he read a study that showed the same center of a women's brain that is excited when she eats chocolate...or even the same part of the brain that gets stimulated after taking heroine is the same part of a women's brain that is stimulated when she smells a baby.  Right now, our best way to bond with Ellie is through touch...although making funny jokes are seeing her smiling in return even with her eyes closed is a close second.

 Not all parents do skin to skin therapy, which, our nurse informed us tonight, is completely ok.  Wesley prefers holding her when she is swaddled nice and tight.  Cute hat still optional, but again highly encouraged.

Today, Ellie's feedings increased steadily by 2mLs every 12 hours. Tonight she is up to 10mLs!  She has also been breathing really well.  She is on room air but they are still using the nasal cannula to ensure that it reaches her lungs.  They began titrating the volume of air down today, going from 3L to 2L.  They are expecting to move her down to 1L tomorrow with the hope that if she is still doing well being able to take off the nasal cannula on Monday.  Our little Ellie is doing so well!  We are so proud at how strong she is and how she continues to improve each day.  Tomorrow we will give you a peak at our bedtime routine!

A Few Thoughts on General Conference

“I know not by what method rare

But this I know, God answers prayer.

I know that he has given his Word

Which tells me prayer is always heard

And will be answered soon or late

And so I pray and calmly wait.

I know not if the blessing sought 

Will come in just the way I thought

But leave my prayers with him alone

Whose will is wiser than my own

Assured that he will grant my quest

Or send some answer far more blessed.” 

― Eliza M. Hickok,   Prayer

General Conference was incredible this fall! This was one of my favorite things President Monson shared during the Relief Society Broadcast last Saturday. I also loved the questions that were raised throughout Conference like What are your priorities? and Do you really know how much your Father in Heaven loves and knows you? And, when the Mormon Tabernacle Choir did their rendition of O Divine Redeemer!! 

I love how all of these inspired messages remind me what is truly important in life, like my family, faith, and knowledge of my divine nature and heritage.  The world doesn't seem so big (or so small) when we can re-focus our priorities to what matters most.

Did you know that all of the sessions are already up?!?  I can't remember them ever being up this fast!

I hope you had a great weekend! 

Down the Rabbit Hole

For the last couple of weeks, Penny has been obsessed with a rabbit that has been living in the drain pipe in our back yard.  Well...I use the term living pretty loosely.  She has seen it come in and out of it at least once...and in her mind, apparently, once is enough to expect it to happen again.  Last week, she had been out for about 2 hours, and Wesley and I peaked out of the window and saw this (^). She even at one point, just laid down in the grass and stared at it. 

We laughed about it for a while, but it got me thinking.  We had a pretty tough week last week.  Everything that could of gone wrong, seemed to go wrong. By the end of the week, we were physically and emotionally exhausted.  All of the positive attitudes we tried to have seemed to burn out after a few days as things just kept going wrong.  For the first time in a long time, our life didn't feel like ours.  It's like we had gone down the rabbit whole into a terrible version of Wonderland and we just wanted to get out.  

My family came up for a visit this weekend, and the sweeter parts of our reality became more clear.  The weekend felt like a fresh start and instead of continuing to "stare" at what we wished had happened last week, we moved forward.  I know that this week will be much better.  Maybe one day Penny will realize her rabbit is not coming back...but until then every time I see her waiting near that pipe, I will always be reminded to not do that myself.  ;)

Hope you guys had a great weekend!

Oreos & Milk

Last night, Wesley got home well past 8 o'clock.  I can only think of two other times that he has been kept at work that late.  A sneaking suspicion tells me, that this will be the first of many this summer.  In hopes of finishing school in December, he is taking 3 classes this summer...which means he is having to take a 2 hour lunch break to go to class every day. And, of course, he makes up those hours by arriving early and leaving late.  I know, best boss in the world to let him do this, right?!?

I've been thinking about life lessons a lot lately, and of all the ones we learned last fall (during the self-inflicted  6 month long night shift job disaster), the knowledge and ability we earned to support each other when life gets challenging {and exhausting} was the most important.  Wesley learned that I need one-on-one time together, long hugs, and the occasional bag of dark chocolate.  On the other hand, I learned that he loves a little alone time to re-charge, watching a good movie at least once a week, and a late night snack of Oreos and milk.  In a wide glass of course, so he can dunk them to his heart's content.

With that being said, it was no surprise that when he got home, looking so tired and having a mountain of probability problems to do, all I could think of was going to the store and picking up some Oreos.

So, I did.

One of my favorite parts of being married is that as we grow, we grow together.  You could say that we grow into the person the other person needs.  I fell so lucky to have married my best friend.. .and I can't imagine spending forever with anyone else.

Linking up with Shanna