Thinking about starting to update this Blog again now that things in my life have settled down and are peaceful again. I am sure my family up in Ohio would love to see pictures of the kids and keep up with their goings on.

We are so very busy but so very happy!!

More to come...I promise!!!

Just a little comparison to show you how much our miracle is growing!!!

I cannot believe how long it has been since I have updated this thing.

Azriel came home on November 30th after 52 long days in the NICU. I got to drink my coffee in my pajamas the very next morning and every morning since. The little things make me so happy.

Azriel is on Oxygen and an apnea monitor. The equipment is not hard to deal with except when we go places. It is a lot to carry with you all the time. I have made an executive mommy decision, though. I do not keep the monitor on her during the day. I think she needs a break from that thing and so do I. She has never set it off in the 3 weeks she has been home and so I think we will be OK without it during the day.

A week ago Azriel was 6lbs 6oz. So, I'll bet she is close to 7 lbs now. She is actually fitting into some of her clothes. I truly thought that day would never come.

She has never been able to really focus her eyes on anything as far as I could tell. Well I was watching her this morning in her swing and she was looking at the fishys. She amazes me every day.

Ashley and Lexi are home from school for Christmas Vacation...they are bored out of their minds and ready to go back already. I am so glad that they like school. We have always been such a busy family and with the baby home we have been forced to slow waaaaayyy down...like almost to a complete stop. It is taking a lot of getting used to by all of us. I know Chris and the girls are loving that I cook dinner again. It has been a long time since I have been able to or have had the time to do that.

Azriel was given a plaque at Church Wednesday night. She was named the miracle of the year. I know that she is our miracle and how cool is it that we can say that we have all witnessed a miracle in our lives.

I want to wish every one of you A VERY MERRY AND BLESSED CHRISTMAS!!! I thank God for all of you every day!!

The Best Shower Ever!!

Saturday night friends and family threw me a baby shower. They had been asking for a long time when they could do this and it took me a long time to let myself believe that Azriel was going to come home...but I do now and let them throw a shower.

I have the best friends and family. I could not ask for anything better. I walked into the church Sat. night and they were waiting for me at the door. There was a huge poster with Azriel's name on it and several pictures of her. My brother made it and it was at the door when you walked in. There was also a teddy bear that everyone signed.

When I walked in there were so many people there I was speechless. There was a beautiful table full of awesome food...even a chocolate fountain. Another table was set up to serve drinks...margaritas, strawberry daiquiris, pina coladas...all non-alcoholic of course. And DJ McHartthrobin (Kevin) was there to keep the music playing for my dance party baby shower. We had so much fun. We did the macarena, the electric slide, YMCA, and danced to a lot more. Everyone figured I had been cooped up for so long I needed a night of fun and dancing!!! They were right!

There were so many people and so many gifts I was just overwhelmed. Between the gifts and the gift certificates there is not much we are going to have to buy for Azriel. (actually I think the gift cards will cover most of it)

I just cannot put into words how grateful we are to be so very blessed by all of the people that we love and love us back. They are just soooo awesome.

As soon as I get some pictures sent to me I will post them here.

Thank you for everything!!!

Love to all,
Lisa

5 weeks old...I can hardly believe it. Some days it feels like she was born yesterday and other days it feels like a lifetime ago.

Azriel is up to 4lbs 12.8oz and is still getting 2 bottles a day.

She got a blood transfusion yesterday...which freaked me out a little bit. We were told that this is normal once they have been in the NICU for a while. They do a lot of bloodwork and preemies have a hard time making red blood cells so they eventually need a bit of a boost.

When Chris and I got to the hospital this morning she was awake and alert and she finished her bottle in 15 minutes. After she finished eating she was looking for more food till her next feeding at noon. She also did not require any extra oxygen while I was feeding her, which is a first. After seeing how good she is doing I feel much better about the transfusion. She apparently needed it.

Ashley and Lexi are doing really well. Ashley is taking horseback riding lessons with a lady from church once a week and she absolutely LOVES it. Lexi is just Lexi...100 miles an hour all day long until she crashes. They are both ready for their sister to come home.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers we feel them!!

Lisa

WooHoo another spare minute to post an update!!! And I actually have 45 minutes before I have to pick the girls up from school.

Tuesday morning I went to the hospital to give Azriel her bottle feeding and when I got there Chris said she was a little cool...her temp was 97.7. So, they swaddled her and gave her to me to feed. A warm swaddled baby is already difficult to feed. She was apparently not in the mood. She did not want anything to do with her bottle and dropped her 02 levels about 7 times...one of those times it was in the 60's (90's are good) and she started to turn blue. I think she was trying to let me know who is boss (Do we see a little Lexi in her???). She did not finish her feeding...we finished it up through her OG tube. Needless to say I left the hospital feeling a little freaked out.

Yesterday she did much better...and even better today.

We think she will be able to progress to 2 bottles a day if her feeding tomorrow morning goes well...PLEASE pray it goes well.

She is up to 4lbs 5oz and almost 18 inches long. It is so hard to believe she will be a month old tomorrow...and she should still be inside me for another 6 weeks.

My poor baby should not be having to learn to eat with a bottle, regulate her temp and breath yet. She has to work so hard, and we love her for every bit of her tenacity.

Ashley and Lexi are pretty tired of Mom and Dad being so tired and so busy. They go to Nana's house 3 nights a week. They get so much more attention over there right now than they get at home. I feel badly about that, but hopefully when Azriel gets home all that will change and we will find our "NEW NORMAL".

Please pray that Azriel continues to improve. And also that Chris and I can maintain some sanity and strength. We are exhausted. Also, please pray that Ashley and Lexi will understand that we love them so very much and things will calm down soon.

Love to all of you!!
Lisa

I just wanted to post this picture...it was taken about 2 weeks ago. The thing I am holding next to Azriel is my checkbook. I love the comparison.

OK...I know it has been a LOOONG time since I have updated and I am sorry. It has been really hard to get a couple extra minutes without falling asleep. I am soooooo tired. I CANNOT believe that Azriel will be 4 weeks old tomorrow!

The 45 minute drive each way back and forth to the hospital is exhausting. But, I love spending time with Azriel so, the fortune we are spending on gas and food is worth it.

As of Saturday night at 9:00 Azriel weighed 4lbs 3.2oz. She is going to be as rollie pollie as her sisters were, which is ok by me, seeing as 2 weeks ago she was 2lbs 7oz. She is on nasal oxygen and will come home on that and an apnea monitor. She doesn't have apnea episodes as far as I know (Nurses don't tell you everything), but the monitor is standard when coming home on Oxygen.

Azriel's feedings are up to 32 cc's every 3 hours...this is just over an ounce at each feeding. She got her first bottle on Wednesday, Nov 1st. She did much better than we thought she would. Her nurse was very pleased. We started out with only 1/3 of an ounce in her bottle...figuring we would have to give her the other 2/3 oz in her feeding tube. She did really well with the bottle so we gave her the rest in her bottle too. So, now she gets one bottle feeding a day. As soon as she gets this down really well they will up it to 2 bottles a day and as she gets that down ok they will up it again and so on. Azriel has to be taking all her feeds by bottle or breast before she can come home.

Babies learn the sucking reflex at 32 to 34 weeks gestationally...Azriel will be 34 weeks Wednesday. She is a little immature for being almost 34 weeks but this is most likely because she had to fight so hard before she was born. As far as we are concerned she is doing everything perfectly for her!!!

I am ready for her to come home. I would like to be able to get into a routine...relax a little. (As if that will be possible)

We don't have her room ready yet...but that is my project this week. I have to sort through the girls stuff and see what we need to keep and what to get rid of. Then I have to rearrange, paint the walls, and clean the carpet. I need to have all this done by Saturday because that is when the shower is. Pray for me to have some stamina to get this all done. My energy levels are still really low.

We are hoping to have our little miracle baby home by Thanksgiving. I do not see why she would not be. Because she will be so little and really susceptible to illness we will be hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas at or little house...fun fun...we hardly have enough room for us. We are, however, so happy to be able to have her home with us healthy that we welcome the chance to have the holidays at our humble abode.

Thank you again for your continued prayers for Azriel's progress. We are seeing answers to prayer everyday!!

Love to all of you,
Lisa

Chris went to the hospital last night by himself. He was feeling bad because he only gets to see her for a short time in the morning before he goes to work.

They have increased her feedings to 25cc's every 3 hours...almost an ounce...and she has gained weight. She is 3lbs. 3oz. When Chris got there last night she was in an incubator instead of the open NICU bed. This was weird to see, but it is a good sign. This means that they don't think there are any major issues that would cause them to have to access her immediately. The incubator is better for her skin. The open bed has a dry heat warmer over her that tends to dry out her skin. The incubator keeps a constant temp and it is moist heat so her skin wont get as dried out.

We are so thankful that she is here. God has truly given us a miracle. I have no idea why God thought that we deserved this but I thank Him every day.

Azriel truly has a purpose in this world, and she has already shown us a couple of them. This whole situation over the last 7 months has brought Chris and I closer than we have been in a very long time...maybe ever. She has also changed her daddy. I think this has been a life defining time for him. She also showed us part of her purpose when she saved my life. If it had not been for me being in the hospital for her the blood clot in my chest would have never been found. She is truly a MIRACLE!!

Please pray for Azriel's growth and development, the doctors and nurses, and all the other families going through this situation and any other difficult time.

Sara Ultz...you are in our prayers!!!

God Bless,
Lisa

Just thought I would add a family picture!!

Love to all of you!!
Lisa

This is a picture that I took this morning at the hospital. Azriel is doing very well. Still on just the nasal canula and monitors. They have upped her feedings to 20cc's plus a human milk fortifier that they add to my breastmilk. This should help her put on some real weight. She is down to 2lbs 7oz, but we are told that this is ok. She was so horribly swollen when she was born that they are sure all her weight loss is fluid.

I got to give her a bath today for the first time. She was so wide awake after. She was looking at me as I was talking to her. It is so cool that she recognizes my voice. If I talk to her when she is fussy she calms down. That does a mommy's heart good.

Please continue to pray for her growth and the growth of her lungs. Pray for the doctor's and nurses that are in charge of her care. Fell free to pray for anything else as you feel led.

Thank you to everyone for all of the prayers you have been offering up for our family. We have definately felt them and we love you all for it.

God Bless,

Lisa