August 1, 2012

Today was another good day for our tiny miracles.  

We had to visit Kylee first today because the doctors were performing more surgery in Adam's nursery on the baby from yesterday.  Our prayers and thoughts are with this struggling baby and its family that all that is being done helps their tiny miracle through.

Later in the afternoon, Adam got to lay skin-to-skin with Mommy while he sprinted off his bubbler.  He is still tiring out after about an hour but we have accepted that he is going to ween off of it in his own time.  He is quite skilled at removing the bubbler himself which was the first thing Kylee began doing when she began weening off of it.

Kylee received occupational therapy today.  The therapist showed Emily how to exercise Kylee and Adam's hips, ankles, and arms and necks so they learn the skills that come naturally to full-term babies.  The therapist used Kylee as an example and of course our tiny super star surprised the therapist at how cooperative she was.  Kylee looked around and talked the entire time.  While the therapist was showing Emily how to exercise them, she was also doing her assessment of Kylee and explaining what she was looking for and expecting as she went along.  Toward the end of the session the therapist explained that in preemies, coordinating muscle function is sometimes difficult.  She explained that full-term babies have the ability to coordinate muscle movement like pushing and arching.  The final test Kylee was given was one to determine her ability to respond and coordinate muscle movement.  The therapist turned Kylee on her belly while she was on the therapist's lap and put her face-down on the blanket on her lap with her nose blocked.  She told us she did not expect Kylee to do anything about it but wanted to demonstrate how the baby should respond.  Being the little over-achiever Kylee is, after a couple of seconds she started wiggling and contracting her abdominal muscles, dug her toes and feet in, arched her back, pushed with her hands, wiggled her shoulders, and lifted her head enough to turn it to the side so she could breathe.  Yes... she impressed the therapist!  Mommy fed her by bottle again this afternoon and this time she took the entire bottle.  She is a little super star!  

Thank you to the doctors, nurses, therapists, aides, administrators, and staff of the Sutter Memorial Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).  Day in and day out they deal with life and death situations leading to good and bad outcomes.  Aside from their trained skills, every individual in this unit gives a little piece of themselves to these babies every day they care for them.  Baby's victories are their victories, and baby's defeats are their defeats.  It is not a career field for the weak of heart but for the most generous and kindest of hearts.  Thank you from the bottom of ours.

Thank you to all those who send prayers, love, kindness, positive energy, and support unrelentingly day-in and day-out.  Your gestures are as special as our tiny miracles.  Thank you from Adam, Kylee, and all of their family.

Adam with Mommy Sprinting without His Bubbler

Mommy Changes Kylee's Diaper While Kylee Holds Hands with Grandma Flo

Kylee Says You Want Me To Do What!?  Piece of Cake!

Kylee Works It During Physical Therapy.  Yoga Anyone?