We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

As we are about to celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus, we can't help but think about the little baby that we now have in our life. We couldn't imagine bringing her into this world in a smelly stable with no medical staff to attend to us.

Yet that's how our savior came into the world. It was a humble beginning for an amazing man. Because of his life, death, and return to life we have the assurance that God is good and loves us very much.

Happy Birthday, Jesus. Sweet baby boy. Often when we hold our baby girl we think of what it must have been like for your Mommy and Daddy that day so long ago.

We will do everything we can to remember and truly understand that You are the reason for the season.

God bless,
Michael and Glenda

You Write the Caption

What caption would you write for this photo? Leave it in the comments link below. Merry Christmas!

Stuffed.

Hello again, ya'll,

Long time, no write. Sorry about that. I've been busy...mostly eating.

In the last week or so I've really kicked up the milk intake. I like to eat a lot and be full in my tummy! Sometimes it stresses Mommy and Daddy out, though, because I tend to cry when I want to eat. And when I want to eat a lot you know what that means.

I am getting bigger. I could start to rival the size of any full-term newborn now. By the way, I officially passed my original due date on December 2. Nobody's weighed me for a while, so we don't know exactly where I'm at, but I overheard Daddy saying that I'm probably around 7 pounds now.

The most annoying thing since last we spoke is that I've been a little stuffy in my nose. Because of that, Mommy and Daddy sometimes stick this pointy thing up my nose to suck snot out. It works but it...well...really sucks!

Okay, enough yapping from me. I have a bunch of pictures for you! Take care and Happy Holidays!

Sometimes Mommy and Daddy think I'm up to something. I don't know why they'd say that!

I get sleepy sometimes. Daddy thinks this picture is so cute.

What are you doing, Daddy?

Ooooh!

I'd pose if I weren't so drowsy.

Sometimes life is rough,...

...REALLY rough!

Daddy's fed me a couple times now that Mommy's milk is also available in bottle form!

Pain in the Buttgen

Oh, friends...

I have a rash on my diaper! It's so bad that my back side even hurts!

Well, it's better now than it was yesterday. It got to the point that a little spot on my bottom bled a little bit. I couldn't help but scream my head off. Mommy and Daddy took me to the doctor's office to make sure it wasn't anything worse.

Like I said, it's better now. They put some special ointment called No-Snorin' (or something like that) and VanBibber's cream on me and it doesn't hurt nearly as much since it's clearing up.

One of the other things the nurses told Mommy and Daddy to do was to give me special baths where they bake two spoons of soda on a table and then put it in the bath water. Sounds a little weird to me, but hey, they know what they're doing.

By the way, when the doctor's office weighed me yesterday, I was over 6 pounds wearing a onesy, socks, and a diaper!

So that's all for now. Here's some pictures from my special bath:

Baths are just like being born all over again. Naked, wet, and cold! I started crying about 5 seconds after this picture. Note the red spot on my bottom.

Mommy snuggled me up in a soft towel to dry me off after my bath.

Blessings and Protection

Hello friends and family,

Mommy and Daddy here with another update on Katherine from our perspective. It's been two weeks since she was born.

Katherine is doing SO WELL! She had her first doctor's visit today and came through with flying colors. The best news was that she's gained so much weight that she's passed her birth weight! She's now five pounds, nine ounces. The doctor said that they expect a baby to only get back to their birth weight after two weeks, so meeting that and passing it is quite an accomplishment.

All of her other stats are great. She's keeping her temperature up really well and breathing fine. Boy can she cry with the best of them! She's also moving all her limbs great, tracking slow moving objects with her eyes, hearing well, and even lifts and moves her head better than you'd expect a preemie to do. Another amazing thing she's already doing is trying to turn over when we give her a little "tummy time."

Our little girl has truly been blessed. Numerous people have said how lucky and/or blessed she is to be doing so well after being born almost six weeks early. LOTS of people comment on how big she looks for being so early. Many think she looks like a full term baby.

We attribute her blessings to prayer. We prayed for our baby every day before she was born. We believed that God would do miraculous things in her life and He did.

Where the blessings of physical health and strength ended, they picked up with her mental strength. Katherine is a fighter. She fought to come into this world (early) and then fought to get out of the hospital. You might recall that she was expected to be in the hospital two to three weeks. She left after less than 10 days. Wow.

But Katherine still needs our help. She's still fragile and we can make it easier on her for the next few months. We three (Big Brother, Mommy and Daddy) will all be getting flu shots to protect ourselves from sickness and, in turn, protect her. Giving our little girl the flu could be devastating for her. We'll also be limiting her exposure to the public for a while just to be safe.

We do ask for anyone who could possibly come in contact with Katherine this fall and winter to get a flu shot, too. That goes for family and friends alike. You may think you're healthy when you see her, but the bummer about the flu is that you're most contagious before you show any symptoms of it. Independence residents can get the shots each Wednesday from the Health Department (more info). Obviously we'll continue asking for people to wash their hands before interacting with her as well.

If we're all vigilant, our little fighter will stay healthy with God's help. If she can stay healthy then there'll be few road blocks along the way to getting bigger and stronger.

Thanks again for all the prayers, thoughts, and support that have been sent our direction in the last month or so since Mommy was first put on bed rest. It's all been such a blessing to us and has really lightened the load of the stressful times we've experienced.

Keep watching this blog for further updates...and don't forget your flu shot. ;-)

God Bless,
Michael and Glenda

Home, Sweet Home

Hello friends,

I hope you didn't think I was done with this blog now that I'm home. I just took a few days off to get settled into my new digs.

Home life is pretty cool. I still sleep a lot, but now instead of sleeping in my apartment or crib all the time in the hospital, Mommy and Daddy hold me a LOT. It's pretty awesome!

We're starting to figure out a routine around here. The stinky part about it -- literally -- is that they always change my diaper when it's time to wake up to eat. I don't like getting my diaper changed. I mean I REALLY don't like getting my diaper changed. I make that known each time by screaming and crying my head off. Mommy and Daddy do help me out by singing to me to calm me down. It helps a lot, but it's still uncomfortable and awkward.

I'm eating awesome now, too! I love eating so much that I'd do it all the time if Mommy let me. Unfortunately that's not in the cards, as they say. Of course, it also would help if I didn't fall asleep after a while. Hey, I'm a growing girl and I need my beauty rest!

I overheard Mommy and Daddy talking about taking me to the doctor today. I hope they don't poke and prod me too much. I got enough of that in the hospital.

That's all for now. Keep checking back every once and a while to see what I'm up to.

love,
Katherine Tiona

You know I'm gonna post pictures:

Here's the cart of all the stuff we built up while at the hospital!

Mommy carries me out.

Big Brother and I were so tired that we both fell asleep on Mommy the night that I came home. Mommy looks really tired too!

Sometimes I hold the binky in my mouth so it doesn't fall out.

Home is Where Our Heart Is

Our baby girl is home.

Almost Home

The van is ready for our little girl to come home. Daddy's on the way to the hospital now.

BREAKING NEWS

Katherine's going home today! More later.

Smiles,
Michael

In-Room Wireless Access

Hey there, faithful readers,

Katherine here, blogging from a NEW LOCATION!

No, I'm not home yet, BUT the mean nurses stopped being mean this morning and took out my stupid feeding tube. Since that was the only thing keeping me in Nursery City, I've moved on to Mommy's room and get to stay with her all the time now. How cool is that?! Daddy and Mommy already have spent so much time cuddling with me today. It was so great!

We had a bunch of visitors today. A bunch of family visited, a lady from Mommy's work came, and a couple of Daddy's friends even stopped by.

I still spend a lot of time sleeping though, instead of entertaining company. I even still fall asleep after a while of eating, which frustrates Mommy and Daddy sometimes because they keep wanting me to get bigger. But apparently I've gained weight three days in a row now, so I must be doing something right.

I overheard Daddy talking to Mommy about stuff he bought for my carrier and the van to get stuff ready for when I leave here. It's so exciting to think that I might get to go home soon!

We'll see what happens. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers of support and good wishes. Keep them up. Talk to you again soon!

Love,
KTB

Sorry, but only one picture this time.:

Daddy says: Isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen? Note the little red mark on her left cheek where the tape for her feeding tube was.

Happy Halloween!

Hi there!

There's a lot to say this time around so let's get started:

First off, I'm now more than a week old. Can you believe it's already been a week?

The blue light special WAS successful in chasing away bad ol' Billy Ruben and his jaundice, so they took the light away yesterday. Bear and I don't have to wear our sunglasses anymore, though I have to say that I looked quite stylish in them. :-p

Not only that, but the mean nurses moved me out of my apartment! They think I'm keeping warm enough on my own, so now I get to sleep in a crib without any heat. That's okay, though, because it helps me stay more alert when Mommy and I do feedings.

Speaking of feedings, I'm eating a lot better so I'm gaining weight! Mr. Doctor even lowered the amount of food their pushing through the stupid tube so that I eat more that Mommy gives me.

Probably the best part is that I get to wear clothes now! (religiously) I was naked, and they clothed me. It helps me stay warm but also gives people another reason to "ooh" and "ahh" at me -- besides the fact that I'm already so adorable. He he --

DADDY SAYS: Um, Katherine. You may have a big head in proportion to your body, but let's not go overboard yet, okay sweetheart? Love you, honey!

Ahem. Anyway...check out the picture below of me looking like a pumpkin for Halloween. Big thanks to Mommy for the hand-made hat and Aunt Amy for the cute outfit. ;-)

So it's all good news where I'm concerned. Mommy and Daddy are SO happy. They tell me that it's possible -- and just possible -- that I'll go home by the end of this weekend. Cross your fingers and say your prayers that I'll be as big and strong as I need to be to go home when the time is right and that the nurses and doctors will make the right decisions.

Okay, it's time to sleep, but first more pictures!

My very first outfit. I hadn't left the apartment quite yet.

Chillin' in my crib.
(You don't know how long Daddy has been waiting to type that)

Yay! I'm a little pumpkin! Happy Halloween everybody!

Meet the Neighbors

Okay fans,

There's not much news where I'm concerned but it doesn't mean this day wasn't worth talking about.

I did overhear Mommy, Daddy, and Mean Nurse Stephanie talking about how the blue light special will probably go away tomorrow. That's good, because sleeping is much more comfortable without those sunglasses strapped to my head. Bear was telling me that his shades are getting a bit uncomfortable since he borrowed them from Mr. Potato Head -- whose head, incidentally, is narrower than Bear's.

There was a flurry of activity outside of my apartment today. At least three new kids moved into the neighborhood. Two of them had to get a bunch of special attention since they are brother and sister and moved out of their Mommy's tummy about a week earlier than I did. I guess they're not breathing as well as I am, so that's too bad. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Another baby is on the other side of the room. I hear him or her cry every once and a while, but it doesn't bother me much since my apartment is pretty well shielded from the outside noise.

I only got to see Daddy for a few minutes today and didn't see Big Brother at all because of all the commotion. Kind of a bummer, but there's always tomorrow.

I guess I still need to be patient WHILE I'm still a patient...in the hospital...now with neighbors.

You get one picture from today:

A thousand words.

Daddy's Update

Hey friends and family,

"Daddy" here, giving you an update on our little girl and sharing a bit from our perspective on how things are going.

We've been happy to hear all good news about Katherine. The doctor most recently told us that she's doing almost as well as a full-term baby when it comes to her lungs and jaundice and that we can expect her to be in the hospital for much less than three weeks. How long that is depends on how well she gains weight between now and then.

So her lungs are awesome. She can scream with the best of them! The nurses have even said they hear her very well when she's upset with her isolet closed up.

Katherine's bilirubin count and jaundice has been coming down thanks to the photo therapy she's been getting the last couple of days. In fact, the light has been on the lower of two settings and is still getting the job done. We can expect the photo therapy to be complete in the next couple of days.

She's eating better thanks to a small plastic device that Glenda uses while nursing. Miss Katherine has a better target to latch onto with it and nursed a lot better and for longer each time today. She even does better if she can get started with it and then it's taken away a short time later. They expect that after a while she won't need it at all.

We hope to see some good weight gain from her in the next several days. She backslid a little, then gained a little, and then backslid a little, so we have yet to see consistent improvement. The doctor did say, however, that when Katherine starts gaining weight consistently then she'll be able to move to a regular crib. That's great news, but we also want to make sure that she's making really good gains before moving so that she'll be less likely to backslide and head back to the isolet.

Benjamin seems to be holding up pretty well under the circumstances. He's been his typical self and hasn't really shown any noticeable signs of stress or frustration. I think it helps that he gets to come home every night and sleep in his own bed. We're hoping that going to school this week will be good for him, keeping as much normalcy in his life as possible.

He does love his sister a lot and really thinks she's cool. He likes to go down to the nursery and just watch her sleep and especially likes being able to see her awake and touch her when she comes out of the isolet for nursing. It was so cute the other day: He very sheepishly mentioned that he might want to call her something other than "Katherine." I guess he thought he'd get in trouble for calling her something else. I told him that it's fine to call her something else, and he said he'd kind of like to call her "Katie." He hasn't since then, but he now has parental permission if he wants to. :-)

Glenda and I are hanging in there. I'll be honest. It's been rough on us.

For her it's been spending nearly all her time at the hospital. When I say that, I mean that she's reluctantly left once for an hour Saturday since having the baby Tuesday. Living in a place that's so sterile and un-homely takes its toll and I've been trying to encourage her to get out, even if it's just for an hour or two at a time max.

I've gotten to the point that I cringe at the prospect of going back there. I want to see my wife and baby but have no interest in seeing that place. We've been there so many times since labor day weekend and spent SO much time there since the baby was born that I'm tired of it. My stress level rises higher and higher the longer I'm there. It felt really good to come home this evening even though I hated having to leave my two favorite ladies there.

So in summary, it's stressful but finite. Katherine is improving but we hate having to deal with any of this in the first place. But know it's best for her.

So keep us in your thoughts and prayers and please visit if you get the chance. Visitors really do brighten up our day.

Smiles,
Michael

Oh yeah, can't have a blog post without some pictures:

Katherine and I enjoy some time together.

Bear got tired of the bright blue light and found some shades of his own.

Grandma Jana got to touch Katherine for the first time after a feeding Sunday.

Blue Light Special

Greetings again, my loyal readers,

So apparently, some guy named "Billy Ruben" has been bothering me some, so the mean nurses have turned on this bright blue light inside my apartment to scare him away. They say he brings some thing called "jaundice" and that I don't want any of that from him. I get to wear these really cool sunglasses while the light's on and get kind of a nice tan in the process! ;-)

I got a brand new visitor yesterday! Grandpa Glenn came to see me! He'd been in another hospital himself because his leg was hurting and they needed to fix it. So he finally broke out of there yesterday and the first thing he did was come to see me. Isn't that sweet? It was nice to hear him in person -- though I couldn't see him because of my sunglasses. Oh well.

Another first happened Saturday: Big Brother got to hold me for the very first time! That was awesome! After Mommy and Daddy held me for a little while, they gave Big Brother a shot at it and he did great. It was nice to be in his arms for just a little bit.

The mean nurses and Mommy and Daddy all say that I'm kind of impatient. I don't know what's up with that, because I'm pretty sure that being in a hospital means that I'm patient. Hello guys! My Daddy likes to tell other people "patience ain't just sick people in a hospital." Maybe that's what he's talking about? Anyway, I do the best I can to let the mean nurses do what they have to do to me and to not fuss and wiggle when feeding or getting my diaper changed. I guess I have some to work on, but that's okay. I'll get there, yeah?

The doctors and mean nurses seem to all think that I won't be here any more than 3 weeks, and some think it'll be quite a bit shorter than that. I'm SOOOOOOO looking forward to going home with Mommy, Daddy, and Big Brother soon. That'll be nice to get out of here.

I guess I just need to be patient.

Love,
Katherine

Now, some more pictures!:

Here's a good picture of me tanning and keeping nasty ol' Mr. Ruben away. Check out the shades!

Big Brother looks on as I tan.

Big Brother holding me for the first time!

Baby Steps

Hey again,

It's the weekend! That doesn't mean much for a little one in the NICU, but apparently other people get excited about that. ;-)

I had a little bit of progress in the last day or so. I gained a little bit of weight -- thanks to the stupid tube in my nose (grumble) -- and the mean nurses were actually kind of nice for a change when they took away the sugar water tube that was hooked into my hand. Now I just need to focus on eating more when Mommy comes to feed me. Sometimes I get distracted and a couple of times yesterday I got the hiccups right in the middle of eating. Yikes!

The mean nurses were also nice enough to let Daddy and Big Brother come visit me at the same time. Mommy gets to hold me a lot for feedings, but Daddy got to hold me twice yesterday after she was done, which he and I both liked a lot. I think Daddy's voice is really soothing and it's nice to be close to him. He and Mommy both love me so much! Big Brother loves singing to me while I eat. He's so awesome!

Mommy and Daddy have had a bunch of visitors, and that's been nice for them. Unfortunately, most of those visitors can't come see me, but Daddy has a TV camera that he's used to "shoot" me, although I didn't feel anything when he did it. (shrug) They wanted me to pass along that they welcome the company of visitors because shacking up in a hospital room can be pretty boring.

Okay, so that's all to say today. Hey, I'm a poet and I didn't even know it!

Love,
Katherine Tiona

Pictures, yo:

Here's me and my stupid nose tube.

Mommy, Daddy, and Big Brother still come by to say hello between feedings.

Some super nice ladies from Mommy's work brought this by. So cute! Okay Daddy, where's my allowance so I can put it in my new Elephant Bank?
(Daddy's Note: I figure she's going to ask for a cell phone any day now!)

Miss Stephanie, the nicest of the mean nurses, made this cool name tag for my apartment.

Apartment Dweller

Hey again, friends,

It's day 3 of being in this world and it's been kind of difficult for a little body like mine to keep up with everything. Life inside mommy's tummy was a LOT less stressful!

So here's how things are going: The mean nurses moved me into my own little studio apartment. It's a lot quieter in here and they say it helps them to keep me warm.

My temperature's all well and good, but apparently I'm just not feeding enough, so they've put this icky tube in my nose that goes all the way to my stomach. That was rough on Mommy and Daddy to learn that, but in the end it's going to help me get back up to the weight they want me to be.

The doctor told Mommy and Daddy that I will probably be here at the hospital for two to three more weeks. Sigh. I'd really like to go home, but I guess that this is best for me right now. Whenever I can keep my weight up and stay warm then I guess they'll let me blow this popsicle stand.

Thanks so much to everybody that's sent good wishes and congratulations. Mommy and Daddy said they're so grateful for everything.

We'd all like to ask that you keep praying that I get bigger and stronger as quickly as possible so I can get this stupid tube out of my nose, leave this apartment and go home.

Love,
Katherine

Now pictures from Thursday!

I like to strike poses for the camera.

Big brother Benjamin checks out my studio apartment.

Bear watches over me while I rest.

The Beginning

Dear Friends,

Through the miracle of modern technology -- in this case Blogger -- Daddy said he'd pass along this note and a few pictures from me.

I'm doing pretty well and spend a lot of time under the warmer in the nursery. Sometimes the mean nurse lady tries to wake me up so I can "feed" or something, but I'm usually SO TIRED! They get me awake long enough to eat some, but then I just drift back to sleep again. That's okay, though, 'cause I'm getting a little better at feeding every time I try it.

Mommy will be officially released from the hospital on something called "Thursday," but will be "board" staying in the same room while I stick around here and get stronger.

The mean nurse lady says that I have to do that feeding thing really well, stay warm on my own, and keep a lot of sugar in me -- though I don't think that means I can eat candy bars all the time -- before I can go home. I'll work on that, because I'd much prefer to snuggle with Mommy and Daddy at home than lie in this warmer most of the time. They won't even let me go to Mommy's room to hang out and watch cable TV. Nuts!

I need to mention this brown-haired boy who's my new big brother. He's cool! He and I had a little chat the morning after I was born (see the attached picture). Well, he did most of the talking, but I like hearing his voice. Here's the best part: He gave me this really cute white teddy bear with pink dots all over it as a present for me being born. Isn't that sweet?! The bear sits in my warmer with me and keeps me company.

So that's it for now. Check out the pictures of Daddy holding me at about 15 hours old. I liked having him hold me. I just looked around and stuck my tongue out at him sometimes. :-) Anyway, Mommy and Daddy love me so much. It's awesome!

Well, bye for now,
Katherine