Kaylyn has been home in Makoti for exactly two months today! In some ways it seems like much longer, in others like only yesterday. Last night mommy and daddy were so tired they almost called the NICU at 2:00 a.m. to see how Kaylyn was doing. (That was one of our usual times during the night) When mommy heard her stirring in her bassinet, she remembered that Kaylyn was home and snuggled in right beside the bed. One of god's many blessings for our family!
We were in to see Dr. Carver today. Kaylyn is up to 8 lbs 6 ozs and is 21 1/4 inches long. In the past month she has gained 21 ounces and has grown 1 1/2 inches. Dr. Carver is very pleased with her growth. In fact, he kept looking at her and saying, "I can't believe how big she's gotten!"
We got the OK to add a small amount of cereal to her feedings to see if it helps with her reflux. She is not spitting up as much anymore but still struggles with things wanting to come back up. Dr. Carver continues to stress the importance of keeping Kaylyn isolated and away from sickness. We have no problem with that! Kaylyn loved seeing Dr. Carver again, but was not too fond of his nurses. When she got her RSV shot, she let them know how mad she was. No more holding her breath, she let out a wail!
Kaylyn continues to be as active as ever! She is always swinging her arms and legs. She decided to take a vacation from rolling over. (She thinks we make her work to hard!) She manages to snuggle herself right down into the bottom of her bassinet everynight and then gets mad when she can not move her body around! What a girl! That fighting attitude will never go away--it is what has gotten her so far already!
On January 7th she will have her 6 month shots and get her ear molds done. That will be a big day for a little girl!
Thank you again for the continued prayers and phone calls! We appreciate everything! Please keep praying for our little princess!
What a big girl Kaylyn Rae is! Today was a big day--she rolled over from her tummy to her back all by herself (it was completely accidential)! Mommy was so proud Kaylyn got lots of hugs and kisses. Grandma Holly was in the chair reading her book and missed it. So mommy put Kaylyn back on her tummy and she did it again! We were so excited we had to call daddy at work! Kaylyn was so tired she slept most of the afternoon after her big milestone!
Kaylyn has become more vocal over the last week. She is cooing and "talking" a lot more! Once she gets her hearing aids, she will vocalize even more!
Kaylyn has decided this week that since daddy stays up late, she needs to too! They have been up together every night this week well past midnight and then Kaylyn sleeps in until around 9:00, eats, and takes another nap! She is quite the girl!
Please continue the prayers for our little sweet pea!
Kaylyn decided that she finally knows how to suck her thumb. Kelly was babysitting last night so mommy and daddy could go get flu shots and she put her thumb in her mouth, pointer finger in her eye, and other three fingers on her nose. That is her new sign for being tired!
Kaylyn has decided she likes the night life. The past two weeks she has stayed up with daddy until around 1:00 a.m. and sleeps until 9:00 or 9:30. (I know we are lucky to have our precious princess sleep through the night!) This morning she got mad at daddy when he moved her to her bassinet from the bed before he left for work--around 8:00 a.m. She got up and ate and slept until 11:45 when mommy woke her up to eat because we had home visitors coming at 12:30. Needless to say, she is not a morning person!
Linda came out from the school for the blind today. Kaylyn was so good for her today and worked really hard! She is starting to track different pictures and "metalic" items. She giggled and smiled the whole time Linda was here. We looked through catalogs for some items for Kaylyn this spring. We hope to receive a grant for a rocking horse, year subscription to a braille book club, a vibrating teether, and a classical music box. Linda wants us to work on Kaylyn's shift of gaze from one object to another and reacting visually to sounds being produced (which will be much easier with her hearing aids!) We will see Dr. Johnson on Monday and hope to have another update about her eyes then!
It sounds like January will bring a visit to the E-N-T specialist in Minot if he feels Kaylyn is big enough to scope. Dr. Carver and her speech pathologist are concerned that there may be some vocal cord damage or scar tissue build up from the ventilator. We expected this so hope to find out one way or another what is causing her hoarse cry and soft noises.
Thanks again for the thoughts and prayers. We appreciate all the phone calls, gifts, and goodies we have received! Please continue to pray for Kaylyn's continued growth and development.
Kaylyn had a wonderful weekend! It was her first "Christmas" with the Johnson side of the family. Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Alysa, and Uncle Brian all came to help Kaylyn celebrate! She was absolutely spoiled but extremely exhausted when the weekend visitors left! She would only eat in the room where all the "fun" was going on--usual a game of cards at the dining room table. She likes to be where the action is! It is so much fun to see how loved she is by everyone! Auntie even made her a special book about her journey in the NICU.
She continues to amaze us by the little things she sees and hears. Her head control and body movements seem to be right on track with her development. She continues to roll over from tummy to back, only when daddy is not home. He has not seen her do it once yet! She thinks she is funny!
We traveled to Minot today to see Dr. Johnson. Kaylyn was not happy to be leaving her cozy home! She cried hard for the first several minutes of our trip. Good thing grandma and grandpa Johnson decided to go along! We were very excited when we got to the appointment and saw friends from the NICU. Of course no one had a camera along to take a picture of the beautiful babies! Dr. Johnson was very happy with her eyes today! (Kaylyn was not at all!) He said they look about the same as last time, but seemed surprised, in a good way, with the left eye. He said that structurally the eyes look good. He will see her again the end of January and hopefully recommend a optometrist in Minot to check for vision problems in March. He said that by 6 months (from her due date) they will be able to tell if she will have trouble with lazy eye, cross eyes, or nearsightness. We will see about glasses then. If they suspect a problem she will get glasses ASAP. He also would like to refer us to a pediatric opthalmologist at he University of Minnesota to work with her this spring. (that may be Kaylyn's first big trip--hopefully Uncle Todd has room!)
We feel so blessed to have such a miracle in our lives and also such wonderful friends and family! We wish you all a very Merry Christmas! I am sure we will have more updates during the holiday break!
I just had to add a couple of Kaylyn's "cute" stories from the past couple days!
Mommy loves to put Kaylyn inside her boppy to practice sitting up with some support. Kaylyn has other ideas--she is working so hard to pull herself up into a sitting position. Anytime we sit her up, her tummy muscles tighten up and she pulls her head and shoulders forward for a few seconds and then gets tired. She is very dramatic and sticks out her pouty lip and sighs!
Last night, mommy and daddy were talking and we looked down at Kaylyn who was sitting in her boppy staring at the Christmas tree lights (her favorite thing to do!) and all of a sudden her itsy bitsy hands went over her eyes and she waited for mommy to say "Where's Kaylyn?" and she slowly pulled her hands away. Daddy and mommy both yelled "Peekaboo!" and SHE GIGGLED! It was the most beautiful sound!
MERRY CHRISTMAS