After The Tenth..... When The Fun Really Begins

I haven't been around a ton of preemies, but I think it is a safe bet to say that most 5 month old babies who were born 5 weeks early don't usually wear 6-9 month clothes. Well I know of one who is, and she actually started before she was officially 5 months old. It is so strange to look back at her early pictures and to see just how small she really was. I have to wonder if people think I'm either lying or just pulling their leg, when I tell them her actual age.

I have to check with Annie on this one, but I think Laney is officially on the "growth chart" now, having reached a size that puts her on the "regular" chart and not just the "preemie" chart. I'm not certain of her percentages, but I think her length is way up there.

I often find myself just looking at my littlest little one and if she's awake, she is typically smiling back at me. I remember Macy being an easy going and happy baby, but this kid smiles ALL THE TIME. She's nowhere near as easy of a baby, but I think she coos, laughs and smiles way more. When she's in a good mood, it is really a good mood.

(Yes I might have been "enticing" her a bit...but take my word for it...she smiles and talks a lot)

The other thing I've noticed about Laney is that she seems to pay close attention to her big sister. If Macy is nearby, then Laney is probably watching her intensely. For a while Macy seemed obsessed with her sister and it seems we've now moved into a mutually obsessive relationship. Macy now likes to call out "hold it" when she wants her sister in her arms and so far, Laney doesn't mind being the "it."

Oh my...I almost forgot to tell you about Laney's expensive breakfast.This past weekend Annie took Laney up to Jacksonville (JAX) for a weekend visit with Beth. As an added bonus, the Minnesota clan was embarking on a cruise out of JAX the same weekend. They flew up Friday night to spend some time with Beth and then in the morning had breakfast with the Minnesotans. The idea was for them to return Sunday evening, but Laney had other plans. Turns out that her tiny little belly was a bit upset and she suffered through a monumental bought of diarrhea and they had to return home early; about 18 hours after they landed. They had just enough time to say hi to everyone, grab a quick bite and then got back onto a plane.  

Quite an adventerous second plane trip ever.

(PS...her belly eventually settled down and eveyrthing is ok now)

The other day I posted that Laney had reached double digits in pounds. Well last week we hit another double digit milestone, but this time it was in hemoglobin numbers. After stopping her treatments for a week, Laney's numbers actually climbed to 11, which is the cutoff point for continued medication. This new reading meant that after a little artificial kickstart, her body has finally kicked into gear and is producing a sufficient amount of blood stuff. (Remember, I have a Juris Doctorate and that is not the same as a real doctor....... so I don't really know what her body is supposed to be producing, but whatever it is, she's doing it now.)

This was obviously welcome news for two concerned parents but this also means no more shots and no more almost daily trips to the hospital. Annie's free time just jumped from 20 minutes a day to 1 hour and 20 minutes. WooHoo.

Coinciding with her new blood level jumps, is a more awake and interactive infant who has started to discover her tounge and now coos at us. Want to see what I mean?

(She hasn't quite gotten over her spitting-up habit, but I'm sure that will happen in due time)

With the early arrival date, we are now officially inside of 5 weeks out. It doesn't seem possible, but what was 3 will become 4 in just over a month. We really need to settle on a name. The hunt has seemingly come down to two choices, but it wouldn't surprise me if a previously yet disccussed name jumped into the fray at the last moment.

Other than the name front, I think we are just about ready for her arrival. Tomorrow night we are taking a tour of the hospital. I know what you are thinking...weren't we just there? Well this time we are going to pay attention to the C-section portion of the tour. I think Annie and I talked through that whole part last time. The tour also has a surprise addition this time, which works out great for us. They now include the NICU, which is perfect since we might have a temporary resident. (Still crossing our fingers that we can bypass it....) I still can't believe that they include the NICU in the tour, so I'm anxious to see where they actually take us. I'm betting on some viewing window that overlooks the NICU and that we don't actually cross into the room, but I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

Now that I think of it, Annie hit week 30 and it is time to update the progression video. I just added the past 6 weeks. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm enjoying watching the comparison of Macy and her sister in the side by side shots.

Watch the Video.