A Long Overdue Update

It's been a month since I've posted any sort of real update...the problem is there just isn't enough hours in the day. Everything from before still needs to get done, plus I lose 3-4 hours between driving and Elly's visits, and another 3 or so hours is lost each day to pumping. By the end of the day I'm just exhausted, it's funny I thought I was tired before!

So here's the scoop...Elly is officially 2 months now. She hit 3 lbs on Christmas Eve and is 3 lbs 6 oz to date! It's amazing to see really! A 2 pound gain over 2 months on a regular person is not noticeable, but on such a small one it is so noticeable! She has been moved to a simple nasal canelia (spelling?) for her breathing. This has made holding her so much easier and nicer. It also means she doesn't have to wear all the head gear and has been able to wear some cute hats that were given to her. She has currently had her O's in the 20's between 21 & 25 depending on the day. This is GREAT progress, because it has been as high as 100 in the past! Also the normal air that we breathe is at 20, so she is really not getting too much assistance. She has had some more alert times lately, and we've been able to get a good look at her eyes. They are a beautiful deep blue. I still haven't been able to capture a great picture of them though because she opens them wide when it is dim, but then the pictures don't come out well because of lighting. If we turn on the lights for better pictures she squints up, and usually closes her eyes. We have been able to help give her a bath, which was fun. They filled her "tub" (those hospital basins they give you to throw up in) with warm water and a few drops of soap and used one of the oxygen tubes to make it bubble up, it was like a baby spa. I swear she was grinning in there with that ahhh look on her face. On the 23rd Santa visited the NICU which was fun. On Christmas we took her picture in her stocking, yes she fit with plenty of room to spare. Also on Christmas she got her first hold from someone other than me or Dave, they let my Mom hold her. Mom says that was the best Christmas gift. And that in a nutshell is the Elly news.

The other 3 have been keeping me busy, especially with the winter break and Jimmy being home from school. We've done projects, and played games, and kept up with things around the house. We have really wanted to do some play dates with friends, but Timmy has a cold and so we are steering clear of others for the time being. Due to the cold he has also been extra clingy which has made regular tasks difficult and drawn out. I think the best project so far has been the re purposing of their Halloween pumpkin patch pumpkins. They had been playing with them out front and stacked the up and called it frosty...so we made their imagination reality by painting and accessorizing the pumpkins...all from things we had around the house...

Mom, Dad, Laura, and Doug came here for Christmas and we really enjoyed their visit! The kids got their traditional Christmas Eve gift of new PJ's to wear...The "BIG" present this year was sea world passes for everyone. It made shopping real easy on us! We gave it to them early since Dave had the 2 days before Christmas off. They were definitely surprised! My favorite part is that it's a gift they can use year round without adding extra "stuff" around the house. We went for a few hours on the 23rd, and 24th. We saw the Christmas shows, and rode a few rides. Timmy loved the log ride and would of loved to do that all day. My fave was Christmas on Sesame street show. It took me back, I love Sesame street! And the costumes were soo good! I really just wanted to run up and hug cookie monster! I'm such a kid!

Before Mom and Dad left we went downtown one evening for dinner at one of Dad's fave spots, Schilo's Deli. It was yummy, and lots of fun! The kids loved the homemade root beer!

Over all we have had a busy, but good month. We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and wish you all a Happy New Year!