94 Days Down, 20 To Go!

We've come a long way!

Look at this little chunker...

Raise your hands if you want to go home.

She thought it would be cute to show us how big her belly is getting.

We already told her she can't have her belly button pierced.

Did I mention she loves her new room?!?

"Millie, I'm having a baby shower tonight. There will be dessert."

She's licking her lips in envy.

Wish I could bring her.

Updates:

1. Millie is now 3 months old!
2. She now weighs 5.5 lbs.
3. Her eyes are basically the same as last week (slightly improved, but still stage 2 zone 2). The only difference is now the doctors will come every 3-7 days instead of 2-3 days. I'm not sure why the switch, but I'm not the infant eye expert.
4. She has this funny rash thing on her neck. We put some skin protectant on it and forgot to pass that along to the neonatologist. As a result they thought she had something growing there and ordered daily baths. Hahaha! We're still bathing her daily to try and clear up the rash, but it wasn't as bad as they thought.
5. She is officially the oldest baby in the NICU, that's why we got the penthouse.
6. She is officially the cutest baby in the NICU. Well maybe not officially...
7. Millie still hasn't quite caught on to nursing. Sometimes she gets about 50% of her feeding, but she has yet to hit the required amount of 75%.
8. She is 37 weeks gestation which means she gets a mobile on her crib! Thankfully they have some at the hospital for her to use.

My sweet friends Lisa, Jessica, and Betsey are throwing me (and Millie) a baby shower tonight. I'm so excited. Look for pictures later! I'll try and put her Barbie picture in with that post since I obviously forgot it this time.

Also I keep hearing about people that I don't even know following Millie's story. I think it is so sweet that so many people love to read about her. Thank you for keeping up with us, and I would not think it was strange if you ever feel like commenting. I love the encouraging words.

Penthouse!

Did I mention how spoiled we are? Well it gets worse. Millie did have a private room. Now Millie has a private penthouse!

That's not actually her view, but it is really nice. She even gets to look out at:

The Provo Temple!

Click here to see a video of her basking in the sunlight that her new room now offers.

I mean really...we get the best nurses, the best doctors, the best OT, the best beds, and now the best room! Millie could care less, but her parents are sure happy.

Does she look like a red head to y'all?

One Week Older and Wiser Too!

Happy (12 week) Birthday, to you!

If you are familiar, we've been singing Millie a few Primary Children's Songs here and there, so they are always in my head. We had a request from Grammy (Buck's grandma) to sing "I Am Like a Star," which we did. We've also woken her up a few time by my Dad's favorite, "In the Leafy Treetops." We've got a great baby on our hands, and despite our bad singing she still opens up her eyes bright and wide, ready to visit with us.

Unfortunately her new room (yes, NEW ROOM...more on that later) doesn't provide great camera light, so catching her "bright eyed" on camera is a little more difficult.

That sweet heart blanket she is laying on was a gift from my Great Grandmother. She died 4 years ago, but thanks to my quick thinking Tutu, Grandma made a few extra baby blankets for some of her Great Great Grandchildren.

Things are still slightly boring (which we like) so sometimes I have to come up with entertainment for us all.

Remember how HUGE this tiny diaper was on Millie?

It's the same diaper, I promise! I like to refer to it as Millie's first string bikini. Or her Sumo Wrestler costume.

I always thought we were moving up diaper sizes before we needed to, so I wanted to see if she filled out this first one yet hehe!

She thinks I'm crazy.

She LOVES her Daddy/Daughter time.

For Valentines Day, she was spoiled by friends and family. Thank you all for the cards! She loved looking at them, and we loved decorating her crib with our own special things.

My sweet cousins, Lucy and Suzy, decorated a card special for Millie and sent a picture of themselves. I decided to hang it in Millie's crib so she could look at how pretty they are and dream of the beach. By the way, we get asked all the time if those are Millie's sisters.

We invited Millie to the rest of our Valentine's Day celebrations, but she took a rain check for next year's. She just had too much going on in the hospital to skip out just yet.

Buck's Aunt Linda sent us a sweet Valentine's package. She sent a darling outfit for Millie (which she wore on V-day and we forgot to take a picture of!) and PINK pancakes!

Yummy! I loved making them and imagining the day Millie and I get up early and make a colorful breakfast for Buck.

The only downside is I forgot to buy more syrup. Yep, we ate them without syrup. They were good, but I won't make that mistake again!


We've been overwhelmed with gifts from friends and loved ones for sweet Millie. Below is a DARLING dress from a friend in Charlotte. I can't wait to keep this dress around to show Millie how tiny she was.

What's New:

1. Millie has her very own room! That's right folks, my fit throwing payed off. She actually moved to a new nursery because she is so healthy and doesn't need the "extra care" offered in her previous nursery. Both nurseries are still in the NICU. Her room is great, and I keep getting picked on for decorating it. I brought in a lamp and hung her "born free, now I'm expensive" sign. I would hardly call it decorating, but oh well.
2. She can hear! She had her hearing tested and she passed with flying colors...I think. I guess we now know she really can hear us singing to her.
3. She can see! We already knew that, but she can see BETTER. You read that right, her eyes are improving! Huge blessing considering she hasn't had any retina growth in weeks. I think it's because she's in a dark, quiet, private room, but we all have our own theories. She is still being check every few days, but surgery is looking less and less like an outcome.
4. She can eat! I am now nursing her two times a day, every day. She is a star. We weigh her before and after to determine just how much she ate, and then give her the rest of her needed amount through her feeding tube while she sleeps. This morning didn't go so well, but every other time she has done better than anyone expected. Apparently they've only had one other 23 weeker be able to nurse. Overachiever, just like her mother. Haha! More like father.
5. She's immunized! Since she's over two months old, they are going to go ahead and give her the necessary immunizations right there in the hospital. The best part...we don't have to be there! I don't have to see my baby get poked, or hold her down like other parents do. So nice.

We are still aiming for a homecoming date of March 17th. It's quite possible her underdeveloped eyes could keep us in there longer. She could also still have trouble eating. We aren't home free just yet, but things are looking good. She is healthy and happy, and we can't wait to bring this chunky little girl home.

P.S. Her nasal cannula is still on 1/4 liter. They tried her on a trace, but had to put her back up to 1/4. It's looking more and more like we're bringing her home on oxygen. That's fine by us.

From our Little Sweet Heart...

to you,

Happy Valentines Day!

11 Weeks down, 5 (*hopefully*) to go!

Can I just say, things are starting to get boring around here?

We're excited about seeing Millie every day, and she is still growing like a weed, but there aren't too many exciting things going on each week like there used to be. For that, we are thankful! Isn't this the point in pregnancy where babies just get fat anyways?

Millie, 11 weeks/35 weeks old.

The biggest excitement happened last night.

Millie got a new bed! Or should I say cage?

I always call the babies in these "caged animals," and now we have our very own caged animal on our hands!

It's actually quite fitting for her. Millie has taken to grunting instead of crying, much like a little animal. We love it.

We are so excited for her to be in this crib also because Millie smells so much better! Having a stinky diaper in a heated incubator for a few hours really sticks with a kid, let me tell you!

I realized last night it looks like we never hold her since all her pictures are taken by herself or with props. I promise we hold her and love her!

Buck took that picture and I just have to say he's no Mary Abbott. Sometimes a girl just needs her old roommates for a photo shoot. Let's have one this summer, okay?


Millie is much more photogenic than I. If you don't believe me just take a look...


By the way I tried about 3 different ways to turn the picture but nothing worked. Turn your head for heavens sake.

Medically Speaking...

1. Millie is well over 4 pounds. My guess (since we only weigh her every other night now) is 4 pounds 3 ounces.
2. Her eyes are still at stage 2 zone 2 of ROP. I missed the doctor stopping by yesterday, and never got a phone call, so it's safe to assume she isn't having surgery just yet. They are still checking her every few days.
3. She can officially maintain her own body temperature! That's why we were able to change beds.
4. Millie is on 1/4 liter of oxygen. The next step is a trace, and then nothing. She still swings a good bit, but typically has her oxygen set between 21-25%. Some doctors think she'll be off before she comes home, others don't agree. We have mixed emotions about home monitors.
5. Basically all Millie needs to come home now is to eat on her own...and we're starting this afternoon! I will attempt to nurse her, but because of her "sluggish" vocal cord me may have to go with bottles. Either way it takes a lot of energy for babies to eat all on their own so we are still weeks away from taking her home.

I can't wait to have this girl at home with me. Love, love, love her.

Remember When...

Remember when Millie was the same size as her boyfriend, Edward?

Boy have things changed! I think she is considering eating him.

Remember when Millie could wear her Dad's wedding ring as an arm cuff?

Now she can barely get it over 3 fingers!

Remember when we had this spacious one bedroom apartment?

Now we are the people with stuff in every nook and cranny.

Who wouldn't want to cram in this cute little bassinet for Millie?

It even has a changing table!


That's right. We set up Millie's "nursery" in the living room. We are considering making room for her in our bedroom, we're just waiting to figure out a few things first.

Happy 10 weeks, Millie!

Health Updates:
1. Millie now weighs a whopping 3 lbs 10 oz or 1651 grams! She gains about an ounce a day.

2. Since she passed the 1500 gram mark: we now only weigh her every other day, throw her dirty diapers away instead of examining and weighing them, and draw labs as needed! The next big changes will happen at 1800 grams.

3. Her eyes are now in stage 2 of ROP meaning her retinas are having a hard time forming. We will know next week if she needs to have laser eye surgery. We are told it is fully repairable, and done right there in the NICU.

4. Millie has a "sluggish" vocal cord, most likely from her heart surgery. This is why her cry isn't very loud. The doctor that examined it believes she will outgrow it. This could result in some eating challenges, but nothing Millie can't handle!

5. Millie is not allergic to dairy! So that means no more non-dairy diets!

Millie is healthy and growing like a weed! Even though she might be set back a bit with her eyes and vocal cord, we are still feeling so blessed. These are minor set backs compared to what others face. We know she will bounce back quickly.


**Update**

I forgot to let y'all know we posted a new video of how Millie gets weighed now. Click here to see it!