6 Weeks....Bottle Time!!!

Izzy is 6 Weeks old now. She is 34 weeks gestationally so that meant she got to try bottle feeding today! She did such a good job! Her feed was 2o mils and she drank 17 mils from the bottle. They put the rest through her feeding tube. They said if she could even do 1 by herself that would be good start...but she did 17! She was exhausted when she was finished!

Her face was so cute when we first put the bottle in. She looked so confused since she had never experienced that before.

Betsy will be up here in Boise all week this week helping Izzy get this bottle thing down, so Karson got to feed her for her first two feeds.

I do what I want!

We are noticing that Izzy has a mind of her own. She takes out her cannula all of the time. The other day the nurse could not find her temperature probe that normally is tuck to Izzy anywhere. She was looking all over for it. Finally she found it in Izzy's fist. She had pulled it off of her skin and was hiding it in her fist. Sneaky.

Getting ready to pull it out

Notice the cannula is on top of her nose...apparently that is where she wants it.

This is the "Don't bug me" pose

Chubby Baby!!!

We can't believe that Izzy is starting to get chubby. She had a big growth spurt this week and nows weighs 3 pounds 10 ounces. (her lowest was 1 ound 14 ounces so that is quite the accomplishment) It takes all of our control to not just constantly squeeze those little cheeks.

Twinkle Toes

We found this cute little "Twinkle Toes" ballerina outfit for Izzy. You will notice in a lot of the pictures, she has her outfit on like a toga. That is because she has a picc line in her left arm and the need to be able to see it so they leave her arm out. Karson calls her Cleopatra.

Holding After 10 Days...

Since last weekend when we were in Boise Izzy was sick, we haven't been able to hold her for 10 days! We were so ready to hold her again on Friday and she was ready too! There is nothing better than holding her and looking at her perfect little face.

Ballroom Dance Company Opening Social

On Thursday, we went to the Ballroom Dance Company Opening Social. It was fun. It was Cruise themed. The only bad part is that I got eaten alive by mosquitos! I look forward to another great year directing a team!

Hanging with Grandma

Betsy's mom was with Izzy this last week. She had a really good week and by the end of the week she was feeling well enough to be held!!

Baby Shower!!!

I had such a fun night on Tuesday! I had a baby shower! The whole night I kept saying...I can't believe I am having a baby shower! It was so fun to see all of the ladies in my ward and neighborhood. Since we have been in Boise on the weekends, I haven't seen a lot of them in a long time. They were all so sweet and excited about little Izzy. Thank you so much to my friend Cindy and all of the others who helped put this together. I have the best neighbors and friends ever.

Cindy's baby is due in a couple of weeks!!!

All of the cute gifts!

Facets of Izzy's Personality

1.  LOVES TO SUCK

Izzy loves her binki, but when she was on the ventilator, she couldn't suck it so she....being the clever baby she is, found her fingers.

2.  COWGIRL AT HEART

She loves to tuck her thumb in her diaper like it is a belt loop...too cute!

3.  EXPRESSIVE

We love how expressive she is with her hands and feet.  She is constantly moving them around and we can't get enough of them.  My mom is there this week, and that is all she can talk about on the phone is how cute her hands are.  We agree.

4.  PRETTY

Even though she has been feeling so sick this last week, she always looks like a beautiful little angel.  Her hair is getting thicker and is starting to stand up.

Izzy is 5 Weeks Old

Izzy had a very scary week last week.  We were all so worried about her.  She asperated into her lungs and got very sick.  It was so hard to be in Utah without her during that time.  We ended up changing our flight and going to Boise early to be with her.  She was heavily sedated when we got there, but it was so cute...when we started to talk to her, she opened her little eyes and looked at us and then closed them again.  

She has almost made a full recovery.  They stopped her feeds while she was sick and now they have restarted them.  She is gaining weight like crazy!  She weighs a whopping 3 pounds 6 ounces!!

We are so grateful for her and the miracle that she is.  This whole experience has been so amazing for us and our family.  We love Izzy's birth parents so much and are so lucky to adopt. She is such a little angel and we just love to stare at her all day long!

Happy to be with Izzy

"Trust Me...I'm a Doctor"

We really love Izzy's nurses and doctors. They take such great care of her and we appreciate them so much. One of the doctors has a shirt that says "Trust me...I'm a Doctor" so we just had to include a post with that title. We love to listen to Izzy's heart beat, but this particular day she was on the oscilator that pumps 600 rapid breaths a minute into her lungs. It sounded kind of like a helicopter. 

Grandma's "Little Peanut"

Karson's mom was with Izzy last week when she was so sick.  It was a really scary time for all of us, especially her since she was right there in the heat of it all.  She was so loving to Izzy.  She stayed with her when we couldn't and held her hand and told her it would be okay.  We love our moms so much and appreciate the sacrifice they make to be with her during the week when we can't.  Karson's mom has nick names for each of her grandkids, and Izzy's is Peanut....how appropriate!

I don't feel so good...

From the beginning, the doctors and nurses in the NICU have told us that babies often take 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Well, for the first 4 weeks Izzy was doing great, but she's taken a few big steps back this past week. Last weekend she was doing great. She was on room air with only a little bit of help from her nasal cannula. But on Monday she was acting like she had an infection or pneumonia.

Her little body was struggling so hard to fight whatever it was that her lungs were not working as they needed to. On Monday the 14th they had to put her on a ventilator. For a few days her lungs continued to struggle even with the help of the ventilator. On Thursday she had to be moved to an oscillator because the ventilator was not working. We flew in that night so that we could be here to support her.

It has been about 24 hours since she was put on the oscillator and it appears to be helping her a little bit. But she is still very sick. The doctors have ruled out the flu and RSV (common cold) that can be deadly for premie babies. They have not gotten any positive results from blood and urine cultures so it looks like whatever she has in not bacterial. They are still waiting on results for the H1N1 culture and are going to continue tests to see if it is a viral infection or perhaps a fungus.

Since she is on the oscillator, they discontinued her feeding and had to put in another picc line to feed her nutrients, vitamins, and fat emulsion internally. She also had her second blood transfusion which was a success. They have her pretty well sedated while the oscillator pumps 600 tiny breaths a minute into her body. It's so hard to see her like this, but we know that it is what's best for her. She's slowly improving and we pray that she will be able to continue in that direction.

Thanks to all for your love, support and prayers in behalf of our little girl. We love you!

It's exhausting being a baby in the NICU

Izzy is 4 weeks old today. She is such a little miracle! Enjoy these pictures of some of her most tender moments. We have been feeling so much gratitude these past few weeks for all of our many friends and families prayers, love and support. Thank you!