Sharing Our Joy: Savannah Update/ Kevin's First Fall Festival

Today was a busy day. I probably should be in bed but I have to pump in 20 minutes so I might as well stay up til then.

The NICU journey is not a forward progression. It is often taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Day by Day things can change. Before I make this sound awful- Savannah is doing great. She is stable, but she did have some minor setback/struggles today.

- The nasal cannula is back up to 4 liters. She was having difficulty breathing. She was struggling and very tired so they increased the oxygen to give her the break she needs. She is still little so it is to be expected. Her little body is doing so many things now that it shouldn't have to be doing.

- Her stomach was distended today. They measured it and were concerned. They ordered an xray. The xray showed only air- which is good! It could be a lot worse. A follow up xray will be done again tomorrow to confirm that it is just air. They had to slow her feedings down. She is receiving 9ml still but the 9ml is fed to her over a hour period. This approach is working. Her stomach size did reduce but it is not back to normal yet.

- I was not able to hold her today because she was having a "rough" day and they did not want to overstimulate her. I was so disappointed because they were going to let me hold her in the morning but I opted for the afternoon because Baby Kevin was in the waiting area and I knew I'd be back in the afternoon. Well by the time I came back her cannula went from a 2.5 to 4 so they didn't want to stress her out.

Now the better news for Savannah

- She is currently off the humidity in her isolette. Her skin is maturing so they don't think she needs the humidity.

- She is off the photo therapy. Her bili levels are great.

- Even with all the struggles, she gained weight! She weighed in at 2lbs 4oz tonight. Which is a huge jump! The nurse is going to weigh her again at 2am because it may not have been an accurate weight.

-Disclaimer: Savannah please don't hate me for sharing this news when you're older. I know I might be embarrassing you already. I guess it's what us moms do. I love you very much sweetie. She had blood on her diaper today which can be a VERY bad sign. I panicked because I know the possible implications of blood and poop in a diaper. The good news- It is not the evil that I had feared. The doctor checked her and it appears that she has a small tear on her rectal sphincter. Yes, this is still not good and she cries loudly with each diaper change so I imagine it must not feel good, but it will heal. They are going to keep an eye on this to ensure that it's not the evil thing.

- Her Oma got to meet her today for the first time. She slept peacefully throughout the visit.

- Savannah's godparents were chosen today. We took our good friends, Vanessa and Chris, to breakfast this morning to "ask"them to be the god parents. I say "ask" because Daddy Kevin didn't "ask". He told them.

Please continue to pray for Savannah's development and that she will remain infection free and continue to be strong. Please also pray for Savannah's neighbor- she is not doing well. It was so hard to see her mom crying today and scary too because things can change so quickly in the nicu world. I won't discuss what's wrong because I want to respect their privacy. It is curable but it can also be life threatening. The next 24 hours are crucial for this baby so please lift her up in your prayers as well.

Hi Oma- how was Israel? It's good to finally meet you!

Oma at Savannah's bedside....bed #20

It was hard to take a picture of us together due to the lighting and the glare off her isolette.

Now on to Toddler Kevin :) He's not a Baby anymore some may say :) He had a great day today! It was so good to see him laugh, talk, and smile. He spent some time in the morning with Vanessa at the dog parade hosted by the hospital- it was held in the parking lot. I didn't think to take pictures :( but he loved it. He kept saying "dog". We took him to his first fall festival. It was at Oma's church. He got to ride a pony for the first time- which he called a dog. He got to pet a goat, cow, chicken and saw a duck. All of the above animals were dog or bird to him. :) He participated in his first cake walk and won a delicious pumpkin dessert for us.I felt bad because we left early because I was so tired! But he did have a great time.

Hey! Come here you "bird". Kevin with Uncle Neal in the petting zoo area.

Another "bird" also known as a chicken.

hmmm I've never ridden a dog before. Wonder if I can ride grandma's dog? this of course was the pony ride.

At the cake walk, so confused at first. "hmm I just dance around until the music stops? I can do this. " He participated with the help of Aunt Jonetta. His Oma and cousin Olivia were in charge of the cake walk area. They had a lot of desserts but we picked the "healthiest" one so Kevin could enjoy his prize.