"But Why?" and 3 Week Update

"But why?" This question has been asked of mom and dad about 3,263 times in the last week by Sylvia. I guess she finally hit the age where she wants to know why things are how they are.

A: Sylvia, it's time for school.
S: But why?

A: Sylvia, let's buckle into our carseat
S: But why?

J: Let's put our pajamas on
S: But why?

Well... you get the picture. I guess that is much better than "NO!"

Today after school we packed up a picnic and headed to Lake Elmo Park. We enjoyed some time on the swings prior to our picnic and Sylvia was a smiley little peanut!

She even played some hide and seek with camera.

Surprisingly our picnic was somewhat peaceful and leaving wasn't too difficult. i.e. no kicking and screaming on the way to the car. I guess promises of a Dairy Queen Blizzard will do that!

Since most of the posts have been Violet based over the past three weeks, we needed to give Sylvia her due, but I am sure you all want an update on the little one as well... Her three week birthday was today. She had a couple ups and downs this week with the O2 levels, but was hanging in there today for almost 4 hours without O2. I happened to be there to grab a couple pictures without the tube in her nose.

Her weight has sorta peaked just below the 4# mark, but that is expected with the antibiotics and other meds she has been given over the past few days. The doctors and nurses say this is all "par for the course", but it is hard to see our little one back on O2 after being off it so early on in the process.

"View from the port hole"

We continue to spend as much time as we can at the hospital with her and can't wait for the day when she comes home... No updates on the timetable, but I'm guessing it will be for at least 2-3 weeks.

Princess and the Pea

Time for another upgrade... This time to a crib! Not sure if it will stick, as she is required to maintain her body temperature, but they wanted to give it a try. Not sure how she could lose any body temp with all the blankets she is wrapped up in...


She is wearing a t-shirt, a sleeper, a fleece swaddle, two cotton blankets, and a double-thick polar fleece blanket. Oh, and don't forget the hat!


Today she weighed in at 3# 14oz... Almost to the 4# mark!!! More updates to come.

2 Weeks Old (32 weeks)

It is hard to believe that our little Violet has been with us for two weeks already! She continues to do well. Getting "A's" on her tests already... Those may be big shoes to fill!

While Jamie has been able to go to the hospital everyday, dad has not been able to. Last Wednesday night, dad was able to get some cuddling time in with Violet. She is still connected to her feeding tube and monitoring equipment so it makes holding her a bit of a tetris-like operation, but it is definitely worth it.

Tiny foot and mom's hand

Daddy's wedding ring next to Violet

By 34 weeks, she should hopefully be up to 4 pounds and be moved from her isolette to a crib. She should also start nursing - so we will see how this next chapter turns out...

Violet Update

Just wanted to share a picture of our little peanut. She has been doing great! Her weight is back to birth weight and has been doing ok with taking milk. Some spitting up from time to time, but for the most part, she is just fine.

Jamie has been able to spend most every day in the NICU when Sylvia is in school and Adam is at work. Lots of kangaroo time (basically skin on skin contact) for mommy and Violet.


We got a picture of her digs for those who are interested. Basically a bunch of medical stuff, a couple monitors, a couch and work area to the left, and her little "bed" or isolette. It definitely looks much worse than it is... Oh, and the nurses and doctors have been fantastic!


No word on an estimated time to come home... We just need to continue doing what we are doing and the homecoming will be right around the corner.

Happy 1st Week Birthday Violet

Fun Facts

-she pooped 4 times in one day and still gained 2 oz
-her brain scan results came back and they looked good
-she got her IV out yesterday
-once she gets to 4 lbs she get to move up to a crib
-momma got more vicodin today
-we will try to get more pics soon-the room is kept pretty dark so it's hard to take pictures, but we will get more soon

and we can't forget about Sylvia...

S-momma do you like cupcakes?
M-yes
S-momma do you like purple cupcakes?
M-doesn't everybody like purple cupcakes?
S- momma do you like milk?
S- momma do you like cookies?
S- momma do you like ... and so on

Tiny Update

Violet is all done with her lights and she gained an ounce :) Momma got her staples out (26) and is enjoying fresh air and hugs from Sylvia.

Little Sprout

Dear Diary,
It's 3:15am and I just got back from visiting our little sprout. She had her first bath so her hair was fluffy and she smelled so good. We snuggled in for our kangaroo time and she melted my heart. I am not sure how the nurses don't fall in love with all the babies? She already likes her nuk and she sounds like Maggie from the Simpson's.
Good Night
P.S.grow little sprout grow!

Update

Just wanted to give a quick update. Violet is doing great. She is breathing on her own and the nurses say she is a rock star. She should be done with most of her IV's in a week. The doctor said that she is a bit jaundice which is very common and will probably need to start the lights tomorrow. I just learned that she is in the 75th percentile for her size. I was surprised by that, but maybe she would have been a Brodd baby if she would have a stayed longer?

She is a snuggle bug. We did our first kangaroo-skin to skin last night and she snuggled right in.

Since I know some of you won't be able to resist buying her a little outfit or 2 the NICU nurse recommend that we buy newborn size instead of preemie because once she goes home that size will fit her for a bit longer and she would be just about big enough to fit into them.

After lots of discussion and votes from the nurses we picked Anna for her middle name.

I hope to go home from the hospital either Monday night or Tuesday!

Violet

We would like to introduce Little Miss Violet.

She had a great first 18 hours, so Jamie got to spend some time holding her! She has been breathing on her own since this morning and all vitals look great.

Already has a pacifier... and the color is perfect!

Mom, Dad, and Violet

Talking with the nurses today, it is still unknown when she can come home. A lot depends on how she breaths, eats, and maintains body temp. They are estimating 5-7 weeks if all goes well.

The tiny diaper

Thank you all for the good wishes, prayers, company, and food over the last two weeks. Jamie should be coming home on Monday or Tuesday.

Mom and Dad are still working through the middle name, but we wanted to get this out now.

Baby Brodd is Here!!!

During this morning's ultrasound it was discovered that baby was in breech. We were surprised considering she was head down during the ultrasound last week. That, coupled, with Jamie's contractions that increased in intensity throughout the day made the choice for a scheduled c-section the smart choice to make.

She is currently in the NICU and things look great - all things considered.

She was born at 7:12PM
Weight - 1490 grams (3# 4.55oz)
Height - 16"
Head - 11.5"

We were both able to see her tonight. She is kicking up a storm and doing great. She is breathing mostly on her own and they will continue to run some tests and monitor baby closely over the next 48 hours.

We hope to have an update tomorrow with a picture and more importantly a name.

Update

Quick update on Jamie's status...

Thursday morning she started having contractions at a somewhat normal pattern. This slowed throughout the day and was allowed to go back to her bigger room last night. Even though she is flat on her back, at least we were back in her room.

Well contractions started again this morning around 2AM but still not in a real regular pattern. We are waiting for the Dr. to stop by today and discuss the next steps.

We will update the blog once we know more.

Big Smiles

I just wanted to share this silly picture from daycare and give a little update. Momma and baby are just hanging out. We have our weekly Biophysical Profile on Friday so we should have an update then.
I get to look forward to a little pizza party tonight with Adam and Sylvia and then maybe a wheelchair ride!