Holding Hands

Our Little Angel

Dec 5 thru Dec 14

Another big week for miss Rylee! She's still doing pretty well for being such a tiny little girl. She's had a few ups and downs this last week or so but is still plugging right along. Here are a few big moments since our last update:

Rylee got a visit from the big man himself, SANTA (and Mrs Clause)!

It's official: Rylee's on the GOOD List.

Mommy got to HOLD Rylee for the first time! She was such a good girl. She snuggled in her blankie and held mommy's finger, and peeked at mom from under her little hat. She liked being held so much that she protested going back into her isolette! Daddy wasn't able to be there because he thought he might be getting sick (he got to hold her the next time, a few days later).

Rylee is showing a little more personality and "voicing" her opinions. Her nurse says she has decided she doesn't like her CPAP very much (she gets hold of it with both hands and tugs as hard as she can!), and she apparently isn't a fan of having a wet diaper (who can blame her?).

She had a rough night on Tuesday (she had more episodes of apnea and bradycardia than usual and just wasn't looking or acting her sweet self), so she got a blood transfusion, which did wonders! By the next day she was back to herself, breathing better and being less fussy.

FYI: That same night she also lost her umbilical cord (at 2 o'clock in the morning)!

She's still tolerating her feedings very well, and has gained 5 ounces over her birth weight (as of Sunday, December 13th she weighs in at a whopping 2 lbs 5 oz!!)

Her biggest issue seems to be remembering to breath, which is very typical for a baby born as early as she was. Her doctors and nurses are keeping a close eye on her and helping her out when she needs it. They say it's frustrating to see her have her ups and downs with her breathing, but it just takes time and when she's ready she'll let us know! So far she's done VERY well and all her tests have come back normal! We are all just taking it a day at a time, and enjoying the time we get to spend with her and missing her when we are away!

Tiny Hands!

Snug As A Bug

Rylee's First Week

Our little Rylee has done so well her first week!

Here's a just a few of her accomplishments:

*Graduated from ventilator to CPAP on her 2nd day (she's only getting a little help to breathe)

*Passed her echo with flying colors (her heart is looking good and working like it should)

*The ultrasound of her head was totally clean (no brain bleeds, yea!)

*She's using mommy's milk to gain weight

(her tummy is working, lots more poopy diapers!)

*No infections (she gets to stop her antibiotics)

*Her feedings are going so well she doesn't need her PICC line anymore! (Less risk for infection)

Other happy moments this week:

*Daddy's first diaper change!

*Mommy's first diaper change

*Grandma and Grandpa Barnes came to visit

(Grandpa wants to know where her socks are!!)

*Grandma Jones came to visit (Can't believe she's soooo tiny!)

*Cousin Danelle got a quick peek

*Held mommy's finger while she slept (Precious!)

Lance and I and little Rylee are all doing well. We just want to say

thank you for all the thoughts and prayers, concerned phone calls, cards/letters, beautiful flowers, words of encouragement, and for everyone's willingness to help however they can!

We appreciate all that you've done and we love you all. Thank you so much!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING RYLEE MORGAN!!

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! The last week or so has been a challenge to say the least, and now that things have calmed down a bit (at least for the time being), I've decided to start this blog as a way to share my experiences and as a way to look back on all that we have been through so far, and all that we have left ahead.

Our "story" started back in June/July when Lance and I found out we were expecting our first child. We had been trying to start our family for about 8-9 months, and were on the verge of seeking professional help, when we got the good news. Needless to say we were ecstatic! About a week or 2 after we'd gotten "the 2 pink lines" on at least 5 pregnancy tests, I started spotting. It scared me to death! I called my Dr's office on my lunch break on a Monday morning, and was told to go home immediately and put my feet up. I was on bed rest for 3 days straight.

Lance had recently been to Brownsville, Texas for work, and picked up what we are both now convinced was the swine flu. Lance was the first to get sick, and ended up getting a course of IV antibiotics for pneumonia, and within about a week he was feeling well enough to at least go back to work. It was definitely the sickest he's ever been, and I think it really scared him. I, on the other hand, went from being on bed rest for bleeding/spotting, to being bedridden with whatever it was that made Lance so sick, only I ended up with bronchitis and a nasty fever for a solid month! Let's just say we've both had better summers, but eventually we both recovered and things went pretty well from there on out.

As far as the pregnancy, my biggest issue until recently was "morning sickness", which in my case was morning, noon, and night sickness. Zofran became my constant companion and my miracle worker. My monthly checkups went well, and by 20 weeks I had finally started to gain weight after the 10 lbs I had lost being sick over the summer.

We had our ultrasound on Oct 12th. Lance met me at the hospital for our 9 am appointment, and the U/S tech spent a good 30-45 minutes trying to get a look and what the doctor's needed, and what we desperately wanted to see. This was our first glimpse into what we were in store for with out little Rylee. We left the ultrasound not knowing if we were having a boy or a girl. Apparently, she wasn't in the mood that morning to reveal herself to the world, and preferred to keep the umbilical cord held snugly between her legs! That morning I got to make the uneventful phone call to my mom letting her know that we were definitely having a "baby". Instead of calling her our little girl, that morning Rylee became "our little monkey"!

Luckily, I took advantage of my lunch break that day to go and see if I could get a copy of the few worthwhile pictures we did get, and the tech said he would be happy to give it another shot if I had the time. This time Rylee was a good little girl, and we got beautiful pictures of her little face, feet, arms, legs, and the million dollar "money shot" that we'd been anxiously awaiting. I was so excited to finally know, but I still wish that Lance could have been there to see her in action.

From that point on the pregnancy was going really well. I had much less morning sickness, I was starting to show more and more all the time. Around the start of week 24 I started noticing what I thought was a bit of urine leaking whenever my bladder was really full, or when I would stand up after sitting for a while. I just thought it was one of those glamorous pregnancy changes, and joked about "peeing my pants" with friends and family. It continued to get more and more prominent as I worked through the week, and by the weekend I started to get an uneasy feeling.

Saturday, the 14th of November was a big day. Our family got to go to the temple and be together as Livie was sealed to Erika and Dave! Her and her big sister Addi looked like little blonde-haired angels. It was a special day for the entire family. After we ate lunch and visited for a while at Erika's house, Lance and I went on a shopping mission. Finally at 25 weeks I broke down and bought my very own maternity wardrobe! I had a good time trying on clothes and picturing how I would look a few weeks and months down the road. I even tried on the extra padding for my belly that's supposed to add 20 weeks!