We're getting closer!

38 weeks gestation, 11 1/2 weeks old, 6 pounds 5 ounces. Caitlyn is doing great! She continues to do better each day with her feedings. They took her off high-flow cannula, and in one day weened her down from 1L regular cannula to 1/2L regular cannula. This is what they expect her to come home on. They told us yesterday that she would probably be coming home on her due date (Sept. 10)!


Here, Caitlyn is getting her last blood transfusion (see her left hand). She's had quite a few of these over the last 11 weeks, because of anemia.

80 Days

Caitlyn is 11 weeks old now, and is still doing great. She has been in the hospital for 80 days! She has been hovering around 6 pounds, 2 ounces now for the last week. She is down to 1 Liter on her high-flow cannula. The next step would be a regular cannula, and then once she can take all her feedings by bottle or breast for 72 hours, she will be able to come home! It's just a waiting game now...

Six Pounds!

A whole pound in one week- unbelievable! Caitlyn has one more day of antibiotics, is down to 2L on her high-flow nasal cannula, and is starting to stay awake for longer periods of time!



We are trying to move Alex into the lower bunk in Aidan's room (need some prayers here!). This picture was one of Alex crashing in his crib for a nap (hopefully for the last time!). Kipper's book was just too much for him to handle.

First Day

Monday was Aidan's first day of school- ever. He started pre-K at Heritage Christian School in North Liberty, and just loved it. When I walked him to the front door, he couldn't stop telling me how excited he was for his first day of school.

Caitlyn update: I started feeding her tonight! And she's up to 5 pounds, 13.5 ounces!

We have ourselves a five pounder!

5 Pounds! Almost the size of a full-term baby. Caitlyn is back in her crib, and now on a high-flow cannula. She's doing great. She sleeps all of the time. I haven't seen her awake for about 2 weeks now. The nurses say she gets pretty mad when they change her diaper, though.

Our neighbors, Amy and Rebecca bought Caitlyn this little outfit and blanket. It's a newborn (5-8 pounds) outfit, and it fits her perfect!

36 week update

Caitlyn was supposed to be born 4 weeks from now. She is 4 pounds, 15.5 ounces, so we are fully expecting her to hit the 5 pound mark tomorrow. She's back up to 20cc's of milk (by tube) and they went down a bit on her oxygen. They also moved her back to a crib! She seems to be feeling much better, but they did decide to extend her antibiotics to a total of 16 days. The best news is that nothing is growing in her cultures, so they took her off precautions. Nurses and visitors no longer have to wear a gown or gloves if they want to hold her :) We were told to expect that she will probably come home 2 weeks after her due date, so the end of September.

Two Months Old

I can't believe my baby is 2 months old already. Caitlyn is 4 pounds, 2 ounces and 16.25 inches long. Her length was taken in an isolette, so the nurse wasn't sure how accurate it is.

It was confirmed today that she has sepsis. They started treatment early, so she should come out of it quickly. The doctor seems to think she looks better already. She will not start eating again until they're finished with the antibiotics, so she continues to receive fluids. Her little face is so swollen from all the fluids they've been pumping into her. She also received another blood transfusion.

We want to thank everyone for their continued prayers. If you'd like, please leave comments here for Caitlyn. I'm sure she'll love to read them some day.






A view of Caitlyn's current room:

35 Weeks

We had our first setback tonight. Caitlyn's belly was deflated a bit, which is a sign of infection. They drew some labs and put her back on a triple dose of antibiotics. I'm not sure if anything has been confirmed yet, but they did move her back to Bay 2 for closer observation. Good bye new room. I'll find out more tomorrow...

A New Room

Caitlyn moved to a new room today. This room is much bigger than her last room, and it has a TV to help keep the boys occupied during their visits. It also has a trundle bed, so I can start spending the night with her. But the best part about this room is that it has a window! She is doing really well. They started her on diaretics to help remove the extra fluid she has been holding around her lungs. This should help her breathe a little better. Because she's lost these fluids, her weight went down last night to 4 pounds, 2 ounces, and might go down more today.

Caitlyn's new room:

First Bath

Caitlyn is up to 4 pounds, 3 ounces and got her first tub bath yesterday.





And, big brother Aidan got to hold her for the first time!

4 Pounds!

Caitlyn reached 4 pounds today, but the biggest news is that she has a new bed. She is sleeping in a crib now! That means that she has to keep her own body warm with no help other than clothes and blankets. So now that she is on a regular nasal cannula and is sleeping in a crib, she can come home as soon as she is breastfeeding exclusively! The nurses moved her feeding tube to her nose, to make this easier. She still needs the tube because she isn't able to get enough from breastfeeding quite yet.

I have been going to the hospital daily, but will have to start going two times a day to feed her because she needs the practice. This might not seem like much, but with two other kids at home, it is hard to find the time. Eventually, as she gets closer to coming home, I'll be spending the night in her room, feeding her around the clock.