Quick update...

Emily had a fairly good day at home with Grandma while I was at work... still a little wheezy, but it doesn't seem to be getting any worse. We made a doctor's appointment for tomorrow afternoon as a follow up. She's a trooper during the breathing treatments, it seems almost soothing to her. I'll post tomorrow after her doctor's appointment.

Pneumonia

Yeah, I wish I was kidding, but yesterday's excitement was more than just picking up Grandma at the airport. Aaron noticed Emily seemed wheezy and on our way to the airport we noticed it seemed to be getting worse. I called the NICU looking for some rescue advice and was told to go directly to the ER. So, two chest Xrays and two breathing treatments later, the doctor told us that Emily has pneumonia. The choice to admit her to the hospital was ours. We could take her home and do the suctioning and breathing treatments ourselves or check her into the hospital for an overnight (or more) stay. The doctor thought it could be more dangerous to expose her to the flu, etc. by admitting her, so we did bring her home. So long to my 5-7 hours of sleep at night, she has to get breathing treatments every 4 hours and suction her out as needed. She isn't running a temperature yet, still has her appetite, and seems to be in a fairly good mood. Great timing, I'm supposed to return to work tomorrow.

Saturday

I thought I'd share Aaron's snapshot of Emily and I enjoying our Thanksgiving nap, politely sharing the couch with Faryn. I was supposed to be watching a movie, but I can't quite tell you what happened after the first 30 minutes.

My last day of family leave was Friday. I'm back to work on Monday. Grandma Harms flies in this evening, she'll be taking care of Emily until school is out for summer.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Torticolis

That's the "condition" that causes Emily to look to the left, according to the therapist we worked with today. But all that means is that she has tight muscles on the right side and back of her neck.

The initial evaluation lasted an hour and a half. Emily failed the five month old test (no surprise), but did fairly well on the expectations for a two month old. She does have range of motion to the left and right, so this therapist believes that the torticolis will resolve itself within three months if we do the recommended exercises and stretches twice a day. Another good sign is that her head is still shaped well, so it shows that we caught this early. He also wants us to encourage more use and awareness of the right hand by massaging it and have her sit up more with just supporting her trunk.

Overall, I'm pleased with what happened. We'll take Emily to see this therapist once a month when we go to Twin for our pediatric appointments just so they can monitor her progress.

Photos by Aaron

I had to go to work the past two days because of parent teacher conferences, so Aaron was on duty. His comment after it was all over was that he's thankful Grandma will be here to do this next week...

Here is his contribution to the blog. Gerda made a good baby prop and he read a new book to her that uses Emily's name in a story about fairies.

Therapy

The therapist came this afternoon, and Emily performed fabulously. She tracked the stuffed bee (one of the few toys that grab her interest) and followed it back and forth, not only while she was on her back but she lifted her head and did it while she was on her stomach. Gloria also had me move side to side while she held Emily, and she was able to follow me around. Emily also showed off her smile and her finger discovery. Our appointment with the therapist in Twin Falls is next Monday. I hope they agree that Emily is doing as well as Gloria and I believe she is.

New discovery

Emily (who is "two months" as of yesterday) has discovered her fingers and is completely fascinated by them. Who needs the paci anymore when there are these yummy treats that are always handy?

Off to the vet's office to buy dog food. This big outing was our excitement for the day.

Big Girl

Emily weighed 9 pounds, 9 ounces yesterday at her appointment. I'm a little shocked, I was hoping she was going to make the 8 pound mark. No wonder the newborn clothing isn't fitting anymore!

The doctor's only concern was the fact that Emily still prefers to look left and put her head way back, almost resting the back of her head on her shoulder. She has always done this , one NICU theory was that since Emily was the donor in the twin to twin syndrome and didn't have much room in the womb, this may have been the way she was "stuck" in there. The OT and nurses always battled this, and no matter what pillow or blanket combination they used, Emily always managed to weasel her head into this position. Cattywompus was the term the doctor used yesterday... So, something to work on in physical therapy.

Otherwise, the doctor was pleased with Emily's growth. Our next appointment will be sometime in early December when the office gets the syniges medication, a preventive for RSV. It's a monthly shot Emily will get through the winter. It's an expensive one, being quoted between $1,000-$3,000 a shot, but luckily insurance will cover it.

Emily hit 20 weeks on Saturday, making her adjusted age almost 8 weeks. This whole preemie age thing can be so confusing! She seems to be doing great, let's hope the pediatrician agrees tomorrow. I'm hoping to adjust the prilosec dose, she has been spitting up a lot lately, once having it come out her nose and mouth all at once.

Emily has to share her blog with our good boy Mig today. We have an appointment with our vet this morning, after being diagnosed with bone cancer this summer, it is time to say our goodbyes. He has had a good six years - swimming, hiking, protecting...

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself. ~Josh Billings

We were able to solve the jury duty dilemma - a letter to the judge and Aaron was able to get it postponed to January... And I was able to finally get the H1N1 vaccine today.

Next Tuesday we head back to Twin Falls to visit Emily's pediatrician for a weight check. Curious to find out what it is - I'm finding that her newborn clothes are starting to get a little tight and she's starting to wear some 0-3 month things.

Babysitter Needed

Can you believe this? I volunteered to go into work on November 19th to be there for parent teacher conferences and then was going to take an extra week off work (the week of Thanksgiving) using my personal days. It was a bit of a circus getting this schedule to work, not bad, but it took a bit of effort to get it down. So, the one day that Aaron was going to take off work and care for Emily, he gets summoned for jury duty! Just like every other hurdle we'll get it worked out. I may have to call the NICU for a rescue mission to see if they can get him out of it. Meanwhile, Emily is practicing her smile to charm any future babysitters. By the way, it's hard to catch a newborn's smile. When do they learn to respond to saying cheese?

Sleeping Beauty

The daytime naps are getting shorter. I used to be able to get so much done durning the day while she slept. Now that she's awake more we read, do tummy time and her physical therapy exercises. When she does nap, it is so peaceful.

All dressed up but nowhere to go...

Emily's first dress, but Aaron thinks she needs a break from pink for awhile. (smile)

Halloween