Today's the day!!! 21 days old

So they decreased the fortifier and changed the brand of fortifier that they are adding to my milk, and praise God Paisley is tolerating this much better now. She actually gained 25 grams last night so they are thrilled with that growth. She is now 4lb 15oz!!!! Big girl!!! Paisley's has a little NICU buddy named Alexander. The two of them have been side by side since we came to Emerson. Alex's mom is also a nurse, he is her third preemie, and she is a believer! We have had such a nice time chatting and getting to know each other these last few weeks. Alex is also a 33 weeker and is about a pound bigger than Paisley. He is hopefully going to get to go home tomorrow. This has been a blessing too! We have gotten to meet Irene and her family, and they live within twenty minutes of us. So we will try to get together once things get settled and into a routine. Paisley has had no more vomiting and her stools are looking better so the doctor is willing to let us go home! I am so very thankful! We have to see the pediatrician this weekend, and praise God she is willing to see us on sunday so that isn't an issue either. I was happy to see we had our favorite nurse Anne again today. It was so exciting getting her dressed in her beautiful dress that a wonderful lady made for her. She has a facebook page and I HIGHLY recommend her. She does amazing work. And she is a sweetheart to work with. Her shop is called Beautiful Brown Eyed Girl. She has made several things for me now. She actually made a matching skirt for Sophia that matches this dress. I can't wait to get their pictures together in them.

So very sad...

I know in the grand scheme of things it isn't that big a deal that we are not being discharged today but I cannot stop crying. These last several weeks have been so hard and stressful. I was so looking forward to being home tonight with Matt and the kids. Just our family all together. I know that it will happen but I was so excited thinking it would be today. And of course you have the people who think it is no big deal and that God's plans are perfect ( all of which I know) but when your life has been so upside down for weeks and weeks, and there is the chance of putting your babies to bed, and snuggling with your husband for the first time in WEEKS, and then the plans are changed it was very hard for me today. Unfortunately this morning when the nurse came in to do an assessment on Paisley, she vomited forcefully out her nose and mouth and it was a good five minutes before Paisley was able to breath normally after. The vomit was very mucousy so the doctors are concerned with her digestion. They are switching the fortifier to see if that will prevent the vomit from occurring again. So prayerfully tomorrow will be our day. I know in the grand scheme of things today is a minor bump in the road, and we will all be just fine. But today my hormones and disappointment definitely got the best of me. At least Paisley is still in my room with me and she seems to be doing ok. It is just one more day (hopefully) and then we will be reunited with our family.

Maybe discharge tomorrow and sad Sophia....

So today I had to come home again to get the carseat professionally installed. The statistics are so scary. More than 80 percent of all carseats are installed improperly!!! Now I know that I could never forgive myself if something happened to one of my children due to the fact that I didn't have the car seat in properly. So needless to say I always get them installed by someone who professionally trained. In doing that today I got to love on my big kids too. Poor Sophia was so heartbroken today that Paisley isn't home yet. She kept crying telling me that her heart was broken in two and that she was never going to be happy until Paisley and I were home. She said her heart will be devastated until her whole family is home together! The poor girl! I felt so bad for her, but it was a little bit comical to see how dramatic she is :-) There is a possibility that Paisley may get home tomorrow so I am praying for that. Paisley is doing well. They aren't super thrilled with her weight gain, they would like her to be gaining 25grams or more a day, and for the last several days she has only gained 20grams each day. They will probably increase the fortifier they add to my breast milk to make my milk 24calories per ounce to help. She is still only taking 45ml to 55ml per feeding so it isn't very much. Today she weighed 4lb 14oz. The nurse in this picture is named Anne. She is phenomenal. She actually took care of Preston when he was here too. I am so thankful to have such loving, kind, and compassionate nurses caring for Paisley. I would much rather be home (hopefully tomorrow!) but since we can't be, it is great to have these fabulous nurses caring for her. Tonight Paisley is sleeping in my room!!! It is like she is really my baby now :-) I don't have to ask anyone to hold or change or feed her. I can just take care of my girl! I am so excited :-)

Sammy's first day of 2nd Grade

Oh my goodness! I have a second grader!!! I can't believe it. The school bus was late this morning but thankfully it was nice weather and the other family at the stop was very nice. Sammy has Mrs. Butler, and he already knew one of the kids in his class, and made another friend too. He was excited about the specific reward system that his teacher has, and when I asked him about what his favorite and least favorite things about the day was this is what he said: "My favorite thing is the sticker chart system, you earn stickers for good work and behavior, and when you get a certain amount you get a reward. My least favorite thing was this very complicated thing we had to do with pennies and quarters." When I asked him if it was a math problem he said it wasn't, so I am not completely sure what this activity was.

Tubby time

Miss Paisley got a bath today. She fussed initially when they put her in the tub but then she relaxed and was just floating with her legs crossed. The nurses are so wonderful, I feel so blessed to have such kind women caring for my girl. She is doing so well. She is up to 4lb 11.7 ounces now. She is taking almost 1.5 ounces when she bottle feeds, and is nursing for anywhere between 6-15minutes per feeding. Right now she eats every three hours, and we are alternating between breast and fortified breast milk to give her extra calories to help her grow quicker.

Reunited!!!

So FINALLY I got to have my whole family together. That is the biggest drawback to being here. They have such strict rules about children visiting. The doctors said that Paisley could have a little visit with her siblings. It was so fun. Sam and Sophia were beyond excited to hold her and were so proud when they held her. Neither of them wanted to allow me to take her from them. Preston initially wanted nothing to do with Paisley but then wanted to hold her. He was so cute. He held her for like 30 seconds, and then say "take her off" and tried to push her off his lap. I look at these kids and think back on each of their pregnancies and births, and am just amazed at the miracles that God has done. Each one of my babies is such an incredible blessing. God has given me so much!!! Love my family so much.

Preston's birthday

I can't believe my little guy is getting ready to be two. This last year with him has been such a roller coaster ride. I am so very thankful for all of the many answered prayers that have been answered in regards to him. When we were dealing with all the intestinal stuff, and fighting insurance it felt like we were never going to get to the other side, but praise God He opened the doors and here we are celebrating a HEALTHY two year old who is amazingly sweet and funny. His favorite things lately are Curious George, school buses, vehicles, and reading. He grabs books and grabs whoever he can and says "read it, read it" until you do. He will also grab your hand and try to pull you down and say "sit down and read it." He loves his reading. He also has been walking around singing a song that he has made up himself, it is a combination of the alphabet, twinkle twinkle little star, and Jesus Loves Me. So sweet! We did a school bus theme for his birthday as that is his favorite thing right now. I am so blessed to have such wonderful helpful people in my life. One friend said your job is to tell me what you want and I will make it happen... How awesome is that? So Stephanie made Preston his amazing cake and she made his birthday banner. She also helped do lots of set up and the clean up. AMAZINGLY blessed am I!!! We had a gorgeous day, and were so happy to be able to celebrate with lots of people that we love. Preston loves Abby and Bre, those are some of his favorite friends.