One Month!

Sweet little Elodie turned one month old yesterday! I really wish we didn't have to celebrate in the NICU, but it is what it is. I'm just grateful she's here and doing as well as she is! A month ago we had no idea what to expect, and she is definitely making us proud! Little miss is currently tipping the scales at a whopping 6 pounds 11 ounces, which is only 10 ounces over her birth weight. Slowly but surely! Her head circumference is currently at 37.5cm, and the plates of her skull are overlapping like crazy. I really hope her head starts growing again so they shift back to a more normal appearance. If they should fuse too early, she will need surgery to fix it, and that's the last thing this mommy wants to experience right now! Elodie's hairline is also receding, so between her overlapping plates and bald forehead, I think she'll be wearing a lot of hats for a while. :)

Developmentally, I think she's mostly on track for now. She is able to hold eye contact with me, and can kind of track right to left. She has minimal head control and can kind of turn her head from side to side when on her tummy. Since most of her time is spent either feeding or sleeping, we haven't done much tummy time yet. I noticed yesterday that she is watching the mobile they have over her crib, and she likes to look at a light-up fish toy attached to her crib. The nurses frequently comment on how strong she is, which sadly makes all of the pokes she needs to endure fairly difficult. Brian and I will be responsible for changing her subcutaneous catheter for injecting her Lovenox shots. The catheter is placed into her thigh and needs to be changed every 5 days. It's so sad having to inflict pain like that into your baby! The nurse tried to comfort me by reminding me that I'm doing it for her own good and "you've got to be cruel to be kind." But I still hate it! Elodie is starting to make those adorable cooing newborn sounds, but with her limited awake time I haven't heard them a whole lot. When she is awake, she is often very content and kicks and flails her arms around. I remember watching Noah do the same. It makes me laugh because it looks like she is shadow boxing. Her feeding is going incredibly well. She almost always eats her required amount, and often eats more. If it weren't for a few labs that need to be drawn on Thursday, I'd probably be waking her right now to feed her a bottle in her own room! That's right friends, her tentative discharge date is Friday! Please send positive vibes in our direction that we get to stick to that plan!