3 Months Old

Caitlyn turned 3 months old yesterday and she is up to 7 pounds, 6 ounces! It was a crazy day. She was finally extubated after 3 days, and put back on .5L nasal cannula. After they did that, it was discovered that Caitlyn's breathing was effected by the intibation tube. Her voice was extremely raspy and her breathing looked painful. She was also wheezing and gasping for air. They took an xray and determined that she is not using her lungs to full capacity, so they put her back on CPAP.

Here she is getting "bagged" after they removed the tube:

Here she is on the .5L nasal cannula before the wheezing started:

7 Pounds!

Caitlyn hit seven pounds today! It was quite a big day for her, as she had surgery as well. Everything went well, and they were able to repair the hernia. The damage inside was bad, so it was a good thing we did the surgery right away. They say now, that if everything goes as planned, she will be coming home in 7-10 days.

We weren't allowed in the operating room, so this was as far as we could get...

The doctors and nurses in Caitlyn's room after the surgery...

Caitlyn during recovery...look how big she is! Some of this weight could be from the IV fluids they've been pushing. She's back on the ventilator, but should be coming off tomorrow.

Go Hawks!

We went tailgating this Saturday, which was really convenient, since the stadium is right next to the hospital. Even Caitlyn wore her Hawkeye gear. She is twelve weeks old now, and weighs 6 pounds, 10.5 ounces! She has been taking almost all of her feedings, without supplementation from the feeding tube. We found out today that she will need hernia surgery, which will delay her trip home by a day or two.

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!