Happy 6 Weeks Mallani!

Wow! I cannot believe that she is already six weeks old today. Technically, she should still be my belly being 33 weeks and 3 days old. Six weeks and 4 days remain until her due date. She got weighed again tonight 2 lbs 7 oz. It's really frustrating because in order for her to get to go home, she needs to gain weight and she has a long way to go. They have increased her feedings to 26 calories, every three hours, so hopefully this will help with this process. Emma and Blake came to see baby girl tonight. They got to see the whole process of giving her a bath, taking her temperature, feeding, & weighing her. It was a lot of fun for us and I was so glad that they came to see her. Get big Mallani because Mama and Daddy are ready for you to come home =)

Mallani's New NICU Sign!

Post from Daddy & getting bigger!!!

Mallani and our favorite nurse, Kathy Edwards. She is the nurse who has been taking all of the pictures when Mallani is wide awake at night. She has been extremely helpful.







My Mom and Jim's Mom came to see Mallani today. She is growing so much and she was so so excited to see them. She wouldn't quit moving her head around around to see both of them that we finally had to put the blanket over her bed to calm her down.


Mallani continues to do well. She had her first eye exam this week and everything was normal. Her eye doctor will continue to monitor her retinal development and will examine her every two weeks. She had another head ultrasound and everything was normal just like the first head ultrasound.

Her feedings have been increased to 21 ml every three hours. That's less than an ounce, but it's still quite a bit more than she started out with. She now gets 24 calorie formula so that's helping to fatten her up. She's somewhere around 13 inches long now. And she has officially doubled her birth weight! Tonight she tipped the scales at a whopping 2 lbs, 8 oz.

I'm not sure if you can tell from the pictures, but she really is starting to get chubby. Her cheeks, fingers and feet are all getting chubby. Before we know it she'll have "cankles." My wedding ring used to fit on her arm like a bracelet, but now I can't get it over her hand. She continues to be more active. She's more interested in what's going on around her. She still isn't the biggest fan of stimulation (having her diaper changed, etc.) but that's normal for a baby born as early as she was. I could sit here and talk about my little girl all night, but I'm sure you'd get tired of reading. Being a father is the most amazing thing I've ever experienced. Lauren and I appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers.

Jim

Baby Mallani

Gampy & Tickle, Jim's parents, and my Mom, Gi Gi, came over to see Mallani this weekend. It was wonderful to see them both.

Late Night Party Pics!

One of our favorite NICU nurses, Kathy, took some pictures of Mallani the other night when she was wide awake at 4:30am. They are some of the best pictures that we have of her so I am very grateful. I don't know what we would do without her. She has been so helpful, teaching us things like how to give baby massages, telling us to keep a journal in her room, and about having disposable cameras in her room so that the nurses can take pictures like these so we don't miss these certain moments. Thank you Kathy, we wouldn't know what to do without you =)

Kangaroo Care

Happy One Month Birthday Mallani! I can't believe it's already been one month since you were born. Your Daddy and I love you more than you could ever know.











Last night Jim got hold Mallani Claire for the first time by doing Kargaroo Care. What Kangaroo Care is holding the baby skin to skin, pretty much letting your body act as the incubator that she stays in all of the time. You have to be willing to stay at the hospital for at least a few hours because they don't want her to get comfortable and then turn around and move her. Obviously, we can count on one hand how many times that we have gotten to hold her, so it's no big deal for either of us to hold her for a few hours. I also took some pictures of Mallani with her new blanket that Amber Spencer bought her. It's so cute and all of the nurses won't quit talking about it.

Blood Transfusion

Mallani had to get a blood transfusion today and because her hematocrit was low. The is the reason she has the hep-lock on her right hand. I took the camera to the hospital tonight because I think she has gained weight since we took the last pictures and I wanted to show off her chubby cheeks.

Weight Gain

Last night, Mallani gained 4 ounces. She now weighs 1 lb 15 oz, one ounce away from 2 llbs. She recently was losing weight and I was getting worried, but the doctors say that is normal and they will continue to fluctuate. I had already been to the hospital twice yesterday, so Jim went by himself and I was super excited to hear that she had gained weight. The more weight she gains, the sooner she gets to come home. Also, the doctors changed her food because she wasn't digesting it right, so hopefully this will also help with her weight gain. This past weekend my sister and my Mom came to help finish working on her room. Also, we took some pictures of Alison and Andrew at the NICU visiting Mallani. There are also some pictures that I found on my computer of all of the flowers that people sent Mallani when she was born. They were absolutely beautiful! Thanks everyone =)