First real tears :(

Nothing too bad, Victoria just had to get her monthly Synagis vaccination (to protect her against getting RSV). She didn't cry for too long, but long enough to produce some real tears.

One bonus to going and getting that done today: she got weighed! We're over 7 pounds!!!! 7 pounds, 1 ounce to be exact. We would have found out tomorrow at the doctor's office, but a day early is okay, too! And the hospital scale (where we were today) is digital and a little more accurate than the one at the doctor's.

Snuggling up with the blanket Busha made.

Playin' with the Pups

Okay, so you can tell by Olly's ears that he's not totally thrilled with this, but Victoria was enjoying it! And Foxy loves how Victoria smells - for as much as Foxy can actually smell, that is!

Hanging out with Jaj

My dad came to visit last night, brought us dinner (I love Famous Dave's!!!), and kept us company for a few hours. Thanks, Jaj!

Little (but encouraging!) Milestones

Finally, Victoria has pretty much grown out of her preemie clothes, and is into the newborn stuff! I guess now it begins that there's a very brief window where clothes fit her the way they should - they're going to be either too big or too small more often. I'm not complaining by any means, though!

Just Pics

Fun in the Sun

Well, not exactly. More like snoring in the sun. Everything seems to be on par now for us. We are guessing that Victoria is well past the 6 and 1/2 pound mark as she eats much more and appears bigger every day. Not much else to report....However, we would like to wish Aunt Kathy a speedy recovery and thank her for sticking up for us. You know what we mean!

No News....Good News

Not much to update...Victoria continues to do well and we feel much more adjusted. Just a reminder that tomorrow would have been the original due date. Which means Victoria is finally TERM! 10 weeks, seems like forever! Here is a picture from Jan. 12, back in the NICU.

What Can You Do In 5 Hours? Only 2 Doctor Visits

Hello all. This is Rod again with a quick update. Today we had 2 doctor appointments. First was the eye doctor at 8:20 AM. Of course, we arrived early and the doctor was late. After they put her eye drops in, we had to wait another hour before actually seeing the doctor. Results were good. Showing that Victoria still has some immaturity in her left eye, but no signs of ROP.

Second appointment was at 1:30 PM with the pediatrician. This one didn't take near as long, but we also received good news. Victoria has gained over 8 ounces in the past 6 days. That puts her up to 5 lbs. 15 oz....and almost a chunky 6 POUNDS.

Tomorrow we will spend the day relaxing and watching TV. No more doctor's appointments for 2 weeks. Yeah!

A Parting Shot!
BTW...The State of Massachusetts is requiring Walmart to stock the "morning after pill" following a recent lawsuit. I bet Larry Bird is embarrassed he ever played ball in that state. ;)

For those who keep asking...

Here's a pic of our family - I think the first real photo of the three of us since the early days in the NICU. Though you can't really see it, the bib says "Daddy's little Valentine" - thanks, Manna!

Thanks, mom and dad for a nice visit, and for dinner last night - I'm glad we could cure a little case of boredom for all of us!

Crazy

I don't care if I go crazy, one two three four five six, switch.
Crazy go I if care don't I, six five four three two one switch.

Remember that from back in the Girl Scout days??? Kinda how I feel today... more stir crazy than anything. I'm actually looking forward to doctors appointments just to get out!

Oh - unrelated to Victoria, but still exciting news: I had an orthodontist appointment last week, and he said I'm ready to get my braces off as soon as they can fit me in! The downside: their earliest appointment isn't until March 8!!!! Argh!
~kristin~

A watchful eye

Foxy loves Victoria!

Fancy schmancy

Victoria had to show off her new robe, a gift from Grandpa Russ!

We had our follow up appointment with the pediatrician today and it went fairly well. The only small worry was that Victoria only gained 2 ounces in a week, when they'd like to see around an ounce a day gained. We've got to be on a more strict feeding every 2 to 3 hours now, which means waking Victoria up to eat day and night. So much for her sleeping nice long hours!

First Bath At Home

This picture was taken on Sunday. Just looking through the photos and thought this was a good one to put on the page. We are off to the Pediatrician for a check up.

Just Doing What We Do Best

Just a quick note...It seems that we don't have a lot of time to spare these days. This is a good thing however. Victoria is still doing well. She is eating more and more each day. She has been sleeping about 5 to 6 hours at night. GREAT!

A side note, Kristin was "Down sized" today....referring to her job. :) Her company has "restructured" and reduced staffing in every department. Looking at this through the half full glass, at least now Kristin will be able to file for unemployment and stay home with Victoria for 3 or 4 months. Plus, after witnessing some of the companies management styles, it was apparent that down sizing was inevitable. So, if anyone out there knows of a good, high paying, job...Please let us know.

Victoria's Voice

Rod and I will be joining my cousins Erin and Shane Reinhard (along with anyone else we can talk into it) in the Port Huron Walk America in April to support the March of Dimes. The money will support the Port Huron Division of the March of Dimes and will help fund research and education in the area of premature births and birth defects. Please click here and donate if you are able, or sign up an join us at the walk...better yet, do both! :) The name of the team is "Victoria's Voice". Thanks again to Erin and Shane Reinhard for stepping up in our daughter's name.

Our own precious flower

Who Needs Sleep?

Hello all! This is Rod checking in again. It has been an interesting few days with Victoria being home. I realize exactly how little I know about what I am doing. The good news is, Kristin appears to be much better at this parenting thing. Neither of us has gotten much sleep, and mostly in 2 to 3 hour blocks. We discovered that Victoria absolutely does not like the vitamins we have to give her. She has spit them up each and every time. Other than that, we are just learning as we go. Overall, it has been a wonderful experience so far....Hopefully when she is a teenager I will still be saying that.

Online Nursery Pics

Although a little overdue, we finally have photos on the hospital's online nursery! They're not the best pictures, as Victoria was starving and a little cranky, but we still want to share them! The password is "schanck". Please ignore the fact that they said she was born on 12/1 and not 12/9! Here's a better picture of Victoria in her "coming home" outfit.

We'll grow into it!

As you can see, the carseat is a little big, but hopefully not for long!

Not even home for 24 hours and we had to make our first outing. We had an appointment with Dr. Shanker, Victoria's pediatrician, this morning. Everything went well... nothing that we hadn't gone over with the doctors and nurses in the NICU! Next week we get more shots.

I can't begin to express how great it feels to be home as a complete family, with Victoria in our arms. I love that the farthest I have to go to see her, touch her, hear her is just the other room.

Our first night was (happily) uneventful, though neither Rod nor I got much sleep. My ears were so tuned to every little peep Victoria made, and tuned in even more when I didn't hear any peeps!

Updates may slow a little, now that we don't have a ton to report every day, but by no means will they stop! We intend to keep this site up and going to keep everyone informed on how we're doing.

Now it's time to flush that old hospital routine down the toilet and create our own new routine as a family. I can't wait.

Welcome Home Victoria

A picture says a thousand words. Our baby is finally home!

March of Dimes

This is not intended to stir the abortion debate. If you would like to support the March of Dimes please go here.

The wonderful part of living within the 1st Amendment is the ability to disagree with someone who believes the answer is obvious.

A step in the right direction!

Victoria moved to a crib yesterday!!! I called in the morning before I headed over to the NICU to find out how her night went. The nurses told me the doctor said it was time for a crib! They now monitor her closely for a day or so to make sure she can maintain her temperature (under all the layers of clothes, of course!). He also asked that I breastfeed her for 12 hours worth of feedings in a row (4 feedings). I did that yesterday. That's to make sure Victoria will still be able to thrive with me exclusively nursing. Though, we will bottle feed occasionally, I imagine, when convenient.Hopefully, if all goes well, we might have a complete family at home by the weekend! It is getting more and more difficult not to get anxious for her homecoming!

The opthamologist checked Victoria's eyes yesterday, and said he doesn't see much change (which is a good thing) in the level of the ROP. We'll still have regular follow up visits with him after Victoria is discharged.

Her weight gain seems to be evening out - Monday she gained 20 grams, and last night she gained 45. We're now 5 lbs, 5.4 oz.