7 Weeks Old

Ruby seems to change everyday! It's amazing! My first week at home with the little one went great over all. She seemed to be fussy with an upset tummy so we tried a few things to soothe her. The winning combo seems to be Gripe Water, a natural remedy for upset tummy/colic/hiccups, and a new bouncer designed for newborns. Ruby seems to be sleeping much better between feedings, and so are Louis and I! But I have to say, even when she does get fussy, Louis and I both realize how lucky we really are. Ruby is such a good baby! She never cries and is full of personality. I think we paid our dues with having to be away from her for so long while she in the NICU =)

As far as the bouncer goes, it keeps Ruby at an incline which is recommended for her reflux, but also keeps her supported and contained. She really isn't big enough for her swing and the bouncer we already had, but once she is, those will work great too. And the best part is, I got it off Craigslist for 15 bucks, instead of the 60 that it retails for!

To end the week, on Friday, our friends Elizabeth and Tony had their baby girl Isabella Blu! Liz and I had the same due date, so it's funny to think that Ruby is 7 weeks older and 2 pounds lighter than her newest friend! ha! We also had a house full of visitors this weekend, including our friend Marc who is in town from Japan.

Here are some pictures from the weekend, I can't believe how big she's getting!

Aww my little peanut!

6 Weeks Old!

Ruby turned 6 weeks old yesterday, and we survived our first day home alone! Hooray! Staying home with her went really smoothly, and I think I successfully managed to let Louis sleep during the night. Having to move the monitor around from room to room is kind of a pain, and I'm already wishing it was gone. In time I know it will be, and things will be that much less complicated.

That being said, I missed Louis while he was gone and was excited to see him when he came home! He held his daughter for hours, and we were both happy =) Aunt Nickel also stopped by to get her dose of Rubyness, and she kept her entertained while Louis and I ate dinner.

Today is going just as smoothly and I'm feeling very content with my life...

In good company

We had such a lovely weekend! Friday I went to my company picnic at De Anza Cove. I got to say hello to all of my coworkers who I had not seen since my abrupt departure. And the weather was just beautiful! I haven't gotten much sunlight in the last 6 weeks, so I spent most of my time sitting under the giant tree and just enjoying being outside and catching up with people. I also got to see lots of other babies, who all seemed giant compared to my Ruby =).

Louis's brother Larry and his wife Amy also came to town to meet their newest niece. His younger brothers were here the week she was born, so it was great to finally have some of Louis's side of the family here again! Ruby also got visits from our friend Scotty, my Dad, and Denise. Since for now we're pretty much tied to the house, it was great to have our friends and family here to keep us company. And I know Ruby loves seeing them all too!

Louis goes back to work tomorrow, back to real life. I think I'll be bugging my girlfriends that are home as well. I have one friend who shared my due date who will be having her little one soon. Another who I work with who is also home on maternity leave. And yet another who is pregnant with twin boys and is due in November! It's nice to know that I have friends who I can relate too. I've really looked forward to having the opportunity to stay home with Ruby while I can. I know it will be hard, but I also know how much I'll love it and how rewarding it will be. I'm sure time will fly, so I will try to savor every moment!

Here are some pictures from our weekend, have a good week everyone...

How can you not love this face??

Another Chapter

Tired and happy is an interesting combo. This is my new normal and I embrace it! It's feel right...

Ruby is sleeping a little better between feedings during the night, as am I. She's eating every three hours, almost on the dot. The monitor, on the other hand, kept Louis and I up for hours two nights ago saying it was disconnected. It must have gone off 10 times between midnight and 4am, and I'm pretty sure Louis almost chucked it out the window. Sigh... In fact, most of the time it goes off, it's a false alarm. Ruby probably has about one actual event a day, during a feeding or just prior to spitting up. Thankfully they have all been self resolved in a few seconds. Hopefully she'll have none soon!

In other news, Louis is going back to work on Monday. I'm so lucky to have had him by my side for the last almost 6 six weeks. I'm grateful for that. We're both ready for him to go back work, but I know it will be challenging. So wish me luck as we begin another chapter!

Here's a video of Ruby's new toy... Thanks Grandma!

5

Ruby came home Friday evening and I think I've been awake ever since! haha... Not really, but close. It has been just as amazing and difficult as I knew it would be. Everything I expected and so much more.

The first night, we just looked at her, so happy to finally have here home in our arms. I was just so happy and relieved. I was annoyed by the presence of the apnea monitor, and was constantly waiting for the stupid thing to go off and ruin my bliss. This thing is loud, designed to wake a sleeping parent from a dead sleep, or perhaps the neighbors? But as we went to bed that first night, all I could do was watch those little lights blinking. Is she breathing? Is her heart beating? Is this stupid machine really working? Is she ok? On top of that, Ruby did not sleep like she did in the NICU, no surprise there! She was up most of the night! But that's ok, I needed the company.

She didn't cry at all, still hasn't really, she just makes little noises, grunts and whines that make my heart race wonderfing if she is ok. Each time we put her in her bassinet she just stared at me, giant eyes open and blinking. I gave into my instincts and just held her the rest of the night. She eats every 3 hours anyway, and I'm still pumping, so who's going to get sleep anyway? =)

The days on the other hand have been great! It's so awesome to feel like a parent, totally. And Louis, of course, has been a great dad and wonderful partner. I'm lucky he's been here by my side this whole time. Oh, and I'm also lucky that I had the benefit of being recovered from my c-section before she came home! Wow, what an extra challenge that must be...

In more good news, yesterday Ruby turned 5 weeks, with 3 weeks to go until her due date. We had her first appointment with her doctor today, and our little girl now weighs 5 pounds 3 ounces! She's gained 2 pounds! She's also now 17.75 inches long, up 1.25 inches since birth. It's good to know all that eating she is doing is working. Daddy is proud.

So, life goes on with our little family. Blessed, exhausted, and happy!

I need to upload more pictures, but for now, some pictures of Ruby settling in at home:

HOME!

Finally the day has arrived where little Ruby is home where she belongs!

She is on a monitor for her heart rate and breathing, and will be continuing on Reglan, Prilosec and Caffeine for now. Regardless, I am over the moon! Back to baby bliss...

=)

We were so ready to go home:




She made her car seat look giant!



Sun on her face, for the first time

Needs

Ruby is officially hooked up to her PCG testing tonight after a few delays. Please keep her in your thoughts! We are very hopeful that after her doctor reviews the results tomorrow we will have plans to bring her home =)

Her nursery is ready and waiting, her bassinet is ready to go, we have three sizes of diapers, three kinds of bottles, a freezer full of breast milk, her closet is organized and laundry is done, and we have every soap, lotion, and paste a baby could need. The nurses keep asking us if we're ready. YES!!!!

All we need is our darling Ruby home in our arms, and to ourselves. And we're so excited because we know it's close. Soon, our family will finally be together...

I also have a doctors appointment tomorrow morning for what should be my last blood pressure check, so wish me some luck too! Thank you to everyone for checking in and wishing our family well... While we all wait for what comes next, here are few Ruby faces...

4 weeks

Ruby is 4 weeks old today! My little darlin has grown so much already. I can't believe she's still 4 weeks away from her due date. She sure doesn't seem to know it, and continues to eat like a champ.

She also had a hearing test today, and after passing on one ear, decided she was done and wouldn't let the test finish on the other side. haha... They'll try again tomorrow. She was also going to get a head ultrasound today. And tomorrow night they will be doing a test to check for reflux and corresponding bradycardia. All of these tests are in preparation for bringing her home which they keep saying will be in a "couple of days" which sounds better than soon!

Today the nurse asked us if we had our carseat, which we do. She said to make sure if was certified for a baby less than five pounds, since as of today Ruby is weighing 4 pounds 9 ounces. Thankfully, ours is! She also asked us if we would be interested in staying in the Parent Living Unit for night. This is where the parents stay overnight in a suite near the NICU with their baby, that way if they have any issues, they can ask for assistance. At first I said maybe, ok. But I thought about it for a minute and realized, NOPE, I just want to take her home! NOW! So one more night in the hospital? I think I'll pass...

Louis and I are just ready to bring her home. We have everything we need right here waiting for her. We have everything we need, except baby Ruby!

Do you think she'll grow into her hat soon?

Soon

Well, it looks like Ruby is happy to be free of her feeding tube. The doctor gave new orders that she could now eat "on demand" every 3-4 hours hours, instead of at a scheduled time. She has been waking on her own to ask for feedings =). And instead of the 38ml the were giving her the day before, she's been eating 60 ml! This baby wants to come home!

Yesterday when we were breastfeeding, Ruby did have a couple brady's, so is she is still learning to pace her feedings. She does have reflux, where milk comes back up her esophagus and temporarily blocks her breathing for a moment, which causes the brady's when she's eating. Unfortunately this is normal for a preemie. So far, it has been minor, so hopefully she'll outgrow it soon. This won't stop her from coming home though. It just means she will come home on medication. The nurse had us taste her medications yesterday so we would know what she was tasting, and showed us how to give them to her "in preparation for coming home"... yippee!

Her tummy is also coming down, and she's digesting her food better. She has two ruined outfits to prove it LOL...

So enough with the "soon"... let us bring her home already!

Hello Beautiful!

Since Ruby was doing such a great job sucking down her bottles, they removed her feeding tube today! I'm so excited! And it was soooo heart warming to see her little face with nothing on it =) This is the first time I have see her face tube free EVER! What a blessing.

Her tummy is still big, and they took an x-ray to check out what was going on in there, since all of her tests kept coming back normal. Turns out she has lots of air bubbles in her intestines, likely from how she was eating. Taking the tube out should help reduce the air, so hopefully her tummy will get a little smaller.

Other than that, Ruby just needs to keep eating, poopin, and growing and we should be bringing her home soon! Yay!

Did I mention I had my first beer of 2008? It was tasty...



Ruby's first pants...



The Loves of my life!...



Ruby's Weight Card...



Naked Face!