Tessa's home

I thought I would give a little perspective today and show you how far she has come:

I had a chat with the neo today, who so wisely reminded me that I did not even know if she would have lungs; therefore it might just take her a little longer to get off CPAP than most.

Good reminder.

She is off today, but there is still something up with her right nostril that makes it difficult for her to breathe deeply. Seems to me like she is still working too hard.

We are still praying that she stays free from infection. It was a rough weekend when she was showing signs of illness. Neither Josh or I wanted to leave her, and the absolute worst place to try and get sleep is the NICU.

So.much.dinging.

It echos in my ears even when I am home.

Her IV came out today, so hopefully that will remain out as she continues feeding.

I thought I would give you a glimpse into our world lately:

This is the nurse's station, which is in the center of eight private rooms.

I thought it was funny that this picture is right outside Tessa's room.

We get to put personal effects on this board, and I love having this space to personalize. Each of the little note cards has her achievements on it- getting her PICC line out, first cuddle with mom. The top left is a gift Rachael surprised me with- her little hand and foot! On the bottom is one of my favorite index card from Kristi, with Jeremiah 29:11-13.

A good friend of mine runs Tiny Tales, and sent me this kit. This style of memory keeping has been super convenient for me these days, because I can easily jot stuff down on the spot and keep it all in one place.

Tonight was the first night the boys came since the top went up on Tessa's crib.

I may have mentioned this a time or two, but I am a germ-a-phobe, so this was a big step for me:-) Kids are notorious for being a tad germy.

Kayden came in, took one look in her bed, and asked, "Hey, where's Tessa?"

He then noticed her in my arms and squealed with glee.

"Can I hold her?" he begged.

"Yeah, can I hold her?" said Bryce.

While I did not let them hold her, they were so happy to see her and all her tiny features. They each pointed out her mouth, and eyes, and nose, and feet, and fingers. They were enthralled at how much she moved, I think.

She cried a few times, and they thought that was positively hilarious.

Kayden tried to shove her pipe in her mouth on at least three occasions. I had to keep grabbing it before he shoved it in her nose.

Tessa is down to 4 lbs, 14 ounces tonight. I am thankful, because she looks a little less puffy. I like weight gain, but not fluid weight.

A lot of the same prayers:

higher hemoglobin levels

lower respiratory rates

no infection

smooth feedings

and if you don't mind, please throw in a few prayers for our family in general. With the start of school, life has gotten even crazier.

Thank you, as always, prayer warriors! I appreciate YOU!