One Week, One Day, One Blessing At A Time

Yesterday our little Haley was one week old. It's already been an entire week! I went to church yesterday and of course was emotional during certain songs, and upon seeing friends who wanted to check on me and see how we were all doing. It was overwhelming and encouraging all at once. I was recounting the events and cannot believe how far we've come in one week.

One week ago, my liver was malfunctioning, my kidneys were failing, I had fluid on my lungs, my blood pressure was getting higher and higher, my edema was severe, and my baby girl was not receiving the blood or nourishment she needed in utero. We were both physically disadvantaged, and she needed to be delivered - seven weeks (and one day) premature.

Despite all of that, I delivered a healthy, beautiful baby girl. And she is absolutely thriving!

Yesterday Haley had a very big day. Her feedings were increased to 7 mils!! She was held by her Gramma Sandy, her Grampa Gary, her Grandad Greg, and her Grandma Paula. She was given a suppository - and she had some good poops!! She will probably kill me in about 14 years for posting that. But it was exhilarating news in our household yesterday! At 9:00 last night, her feedings were increased to 9 mils. She will be packing on the pounds in no time!

Speaking of pounds, last night at bath time, we weighed her once again. Our little Haley was half a smidge shy of three pounds. THREE POUNDS!! She's gaining steadily, praise God! Four pounds is the really crucial milestone weight, so we are anxiously awaiting her healthy arrival at that mark.

We also noticed last night at bath time, they have moved her gavage (feeding tube) from her mouth to her nose. This is EXCELLENT as now she can start working on suckling and swallowing, and hopefully be able to feed by suckling soon!! She will suckle on bottles, and then we will transition to nursing, but this is all very exciting and very encouraging.

My parents left this morning and it was sad to see them go. They have been such a blessing over this last week, and have taken care of us far beyond what we imagined or expected - they really went above and beyond. We will miss having them around and look forward to seeing them again once we bring Haley home. We love you, Mom and Dad!

I'm just bursting at the seams with excitement for how well Haley is doing, and how gracious God has been in protecting her and providing for her. She has captured my heart, Brent's heart, and has caused us both to lean fully on God's provision and strength - something we needed an extra "push" to do. Our little miracle - our Haley Laine - changing lives one blessing at a time!