LooK at Me !!

LooK at Me !!
"l,M Walking !!!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

30 november 2008

Gracyn is at 1450gram today but is now munching her way through 21ml of EBM.She is still in her open cot but had to go back on the main line c-pap today as the nurses just think she needs that little bit extra help.Thats fine with us as she did the same coming off the respirator system to the c-pap a few weeks ago.She will make up her mind soon. She had a visit from Nana,Grandad,Auntie Chris, Tegan, ME,Mathew today, so she was a popular little girl today.
Its funny seeing her in clothes as we are so use to seeing her in just a nappie she actually looks somewhat nomal, just a smaller version of what we are all use to.Another visit from Auntie Chris tomorrow before she heads home to Dunedin, Thanks Chris for all your help and support while you have been here.I sure know Tegan has enjoyed your company.
All going well Gracyn should be in the Hutt Hospital before Christmas but she has to be on the Wellington C-pap for at least a week before that happens, again that will be up to her and when the nurses and Doctors and we are comfortable that she is up to being moved. We are in no rush here as she is getting the best of care in Wellington.
more tomorrow

Steve Ange Tegan Gracyn

Saturday, November 29, 2008

29th November 2008

It,s been a big day for all of us.Firstly Gracyn Has graduated from the nudist camp and is now wearing some cloths, she is also 1415grams,wearing big girl nappies, back on wellington c-pap and out of the enclosed incubator and on a thermo bed.This is a heated bed and is open,it,s like the incubater but with out the top on.Making handleing her a lot easier.
Tegan has also had a massive day spending it with Auntie Chris taking in the Xmas Parade, Mathews Cricket and having a ball of a time.
It is also Nana and Grandads 45 wedding aniversary and their 3 daughters Chris,Ginny and Angela organized a supprise party/ bbq at Ginnys place.Nana and Grandad had no idea they just kept wondering why all their close friends kept turning up.So a good suprise for them and an awsome party.
We will go and visit Gracyn again tomorrow and give her her second bath and hopefully get a cuddle.
i have posted some photos of Gracyn in her first outfit another milstone and a good one at that.
till tomorrow.

Steve Ange Tegan Gracyn

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

26 November 2008

I have just got back from doing Gracyn,s cares this evening and thought i better log a blog before all our loyal followers wonder whats going on.Some of our out of town friends have rung me up at work worried that i have,nt made an entry and asked if every thing was ok. It,s great to here that people do care.
Gracyn is doing fine still on the main line c-pap and back up to 18 ml of EBM over a 3/4 of an hour period. She is definatly filling out and looks more and more chubbier every day.No poopie stinkers for me today, she mite be saving them for Auntie Chris tomorrow. You sure notice the differance when you have,nt been in for a few days. They done a eye check on Gracyn today to make sure everything was working and developed in the eyes.With this they Inject a fluid into the eye so that they can trace whats happening, all was fine and i,m glad i was,nt there for that test. Gracyn has a audible heart murmur coming from her PDA valve.This is a valve that is suppose to close completly upon the babies first breath, Gracyn,s one has,nt but the doctors are not worried as it may close on it own, normal signs of a problem is that the child does,nt grow and has regular d-stats or a irregular heat beat.As we can see from her growth she has shown no signs appart from a murmer that this is bothering her.
Angela has been fitting out Gracyn,s room and got it all GIRLIEFIED, yep , pink and yellow bits everwhere and not a Ford poster or model car in sight. i must admit it does look good and it will definatly be ready for our wee girl to come home to.
All the Aunties are making a visit tomorrow so lucky Gracyn is going to be spoilt.

OHH !!! 1345GRMS TODAY

Steve,Ange,Tegan,Gracyn

Monday, November 24, 2008

24 November 2008

1315grams today and climbing. Whe have had a small set back with Gracyn going back on the mainline c-pap due to the ammount of de-stats she was having after feeding.Because she has no problem putting on the weight and growing they have reduced her food intake to 17ml. The doctors think that the food (EBM) is sitting in her tummy and causing pressure on her digaphram makeing her de-stat immediatly after food. The more d-stats she has the weaker she gets so a little bit of give and take and trial and error until she ready. They will try again next week with the wellington c-pap and see how she goes.
As we know we will have these up,s and down,s we just have to ride the rollercoaster until we get to the end.
Yesterday we went to the Short Straw Cafe for a lunch with some good friends of ours, a great place to take the kids as it is completly child friendly.When we got there i bumped into a friend of mine Daniel who was celebrating his son Taylor.s 2nd birthday. I told him about our wee Gracyn and the situation we were in, Daniel then told me that Taylor was a premature baby born a 23 weeks and 550grms and also 4 of the other chldren at the party were also premature babies. It,s funny how the circle of life goes, you buy a red car then all of a sudden every one has got a red car, you have a prem baby then every one has had one. It seems that everyone we bump into has had a prem baby or knows about one. But thats good as it justs shows us there is light at the end of he tunnel and it,s geting brighter by the day.
Angela had a good cuddle today and done her cares, she enjoys this and so do i, eventhough Gracyn is ignoring her father,s requests and saving all the big Jobbies for me.
more tomorrow

Steve, Ange,Tegan,Gracyn

Sunday, November 23, 2008

23 November

1245grams today and getting bigger.We had a great day today and Gracyn had her first bath. Another milstone,Angela thought nurse Lias was going to do the job but nope Ange was thrown in the deep end and Gracyn had her first bath,she was soo good and did,nt make a sound, she seem to enjoy the whole procedure and awake throughout..This ia a quicky bath because any long periods of handling just exhausts the wee girl. i managed to juggle the video camera and the digital camera to get some good photos and video of this awsome event.
Gracyn is tollerating the Wellington c-pap well, this system is a bit more comfortable for her and makes it a lot easier for her to open her eyes and say hello. Her hair has grown and has just about more than me, a wee blondie she is, just like Angela&i and Tegan were.

i have posted some photos of todays efforts, what a great day.

Steve, Ange, Tegan,Gracyn

22 November

I think one of the nurses was geting a little bit too excited for us as moving Gracyn to the Hutt will only happen when she can cope on the Welligton c-pap with minimal oxygen levels also when she is a little heavier.Lower Hutt can only cope with babies that are born over 30weeks, Gracyn hits that mark next thursday.So it would be safe to say that she still has another few weeks in WEllington.We are happy with that as we have struck up some good relationships with the staff and parents at Neo-Natal, it would be sad to leave just yet.
Gracyn had two visits from us yesturday, Ange,Tegan and myself went in the afternoon for a short while as Teg,s can only handle a short time in the unit as it is very warm.i want back in later on in the evening for my longest cuddle yet a good 2 hours.It was great Graycn seemed so content resting on my chest.She seems to know who it is and was stable throughout my visit not once sending the machine,s into a frenzy of bing bongs at all.
Gracyn is going to get her first bath this afternoon so Angela and i are going to go in and help, a quick dip in a very small bucket i presume all done inside her incubator, so ,i,ll get some photos of that to post.
till later

Steve,Ange,Tegan,Gracyn

Friday, November 21, 2008

21 November 2008

We have just had a call from Wellington Hospital telling us that Gracyn in now feeding 18mls of boobie juice (had to call it that just for you Heather) and managing it well. Gracyn is now on the Wellington C- pap machine which is the next step up and means she dos;nt have to wear the helmet style set up and is doing most of the work by herself.(another step forward)
They have put her on an iv antibiotic due to a rash that has happen by wearing the helmet style c-pap shown in the above picture.(and a step back) She has a little irritation under her chin which they are treating with the iv line. There is talk of getting her transfered to the Hutt Hospital as soon as the iv line gets taken out and her rash/infection has cleared. THis could be as soon as Sunday or Monday this will make a great differance to us all. There is no rush though as we are happy with the care she recieve,s in town. So Gracyn mite have a new bedroom in Hutt Hospital next week, Yee haa

How Exciting

Steve, Ange,Tegan,Gracyn

Thursday, November 20, 2008

20 november 2008

5 weeks old today a i have no idea where the time has gone. Auntie Chris made a visit today all the way from Dunedin apparently Gracyn gave he the one fingered salute jsut to say nice to see you Auntie and thanks for coming.
It,s Business as usual and not much to report as my wee girl is just doing exactly what she is suppose to do.So if the next 5 week go as fast as the last we will have her home in no-time, or at least in the Hutt Hospital.

till tomorrow

Steve,Ange,Tegan,Gracyn

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

19 November 2008

17ml of EBM(expressed breast milk, boobi juice) is now being consumed every 2 hours over a 1/2 hour period and she seems to tolerate it well. Angel and auntie Ginny went in for a visit to day, Gracyn opened her eyes and waved to Auntie.She looks so peacful in her incubator and is impoving day by day. Tomorrow she will be 5 weeks old and will get a special visit fron her Auntie Chris from Dunedin, so i will be able to post some new photos tomrrow. My new pair of arms get fitted tomorrow to help me with that list of jobs but one job i can cross of the list is that Gracyns room is all painted and just needs the carpet and curtains now.A big thanks to Nana and Grandad for there help with the painting, without there help i would have been at it forever.Thanks to Horsey & Bobby for the unplaned overnite stay over the weekend whlie Ange was sick this was much appriciated.
While i,m thanking People Thankyou to all the people who have been so supportive over the past 5 weeks, the food parcels, gifts, cards and flowers and messages of support have simply overwhelmed Angela and myself we appreciated it a lot and we sure value all of your friendship.

THANKS AGAIN
More tomorow

Steve,Angela,Tegan,Gracyn

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

18 November 2008

Angela is feeling a lot better today and spent the day at home with Tegan.I don,t know if that was a good thing or not as she has a list of jobs for me to do as long as my arm and is cracking the whip(she,s only been home 24hrs) for me to get on with them. Next time i.m at the hospital i,ll see if they can sew on an extra couple of arms to me so i can get this list done quicker. It,s good she is back to her old self and i,ll tackle the list with great enthusiasum so that i can get on with more important things like working on my Dodge.
Gracyn the little chuba chub is 1140grms and is being well behaved.Her heart scan went well today and they seem to think there will be no need for an opperation at this stage. 17ml of milk every 2 hours and seems to be tolerating it well her de-stats on the cpap machine seem to be getting less which is a good thing. It means she is doing it more and more by herself, but will still need the cpap for support for some time to come.
We hav,nt been intoday as Ange spent the day with Teg,s and pottered arround the house(making up dam lists of jobs)and blobbing out in her PJ,S.We call the ward several times a day for updates and the nurses fill us in on any progress. Tegan back to school tomorrow and Ange will spent some time in with Gracyn.

Steve,Ange,Tegan,Gracyn

Monday, November 17, 2008

17 th November 2008

Angela is finally home and man are we happy about that, especially one wee man called Tegan.He was soo happy i think he hugged her for a whole hour. I had a wrestless nite last nite as Tegan had a temp and was so hot, it was off to the afterhours a 3.45am for some treatment so today has been a long day.
Ange is a lot better and actually has some colour in her cheeks and feeling altogether better after the biggest poo in history.. She is tired but that is to be expected and it is great just to have her home.
Gracyn is a little gem she is doing well and had her brain scan today which the doctors were all happy about.There is only one issue that the doctors have and that there is a small heart murmer that may need an opperation to correct. They will perform a scan on her heart tomorrow to check this out. Apparently this is common in prem babies, sometimes this can correct itself sometimes not so we wil find out tomrrow what the next step will be.
till tomorrow

Steve,Ange,Tegan,Gracyn

Sunday, November 16, 2008

16 November 2008

1090grms and counting is Gracyn to day.She is pileing on the weight and being very well behaved. Angela managed down to the ward for two Hours of cuddles with Gracyn this afternoon so that cheered her up a bit. i ring up every morning for an update on Gracyn and the answer is always the same, she has been a star. So that is good.
We have seen four different doctors while Angela has been in the hospital and we have four different versions in what is wrong with Angela. On Mondays they all get together for a meeting and hopefully come to an agreement on what is actually wrong. They seem to think that they have put a hole in the uteris wall while performing the DNC.This will self heal apparently and iv antibiotics will take care of the infection. Gracyn gets a brain scan tomorrow, and we should have more news on how Angela is going.
Till Then

Steve,Ange, Tegan,Gracyn

Saturday, November 15, 2008

15 November 2008

Another nite in Hotel De Wgtn Hospital for Ange i,m afraid. More test xrays and swabs were done late last nite,only to find she has and infection,(mmm isn,t that what she went in to hospital for) so that is now being treated with Iv antibiotics.She also has a blockage in her bowel and hat is causing a bit of discomfort. All going well the iv antibiotics will kick in and she will feel alot better by the morning. And maybe have her home by tomorrow afernoon.

My wee Gracy is 1040grms and growing rather fast.They add some fortifier to Angela,s milk to boost the calories in each feed, thus helping her gain weight.Gracyn is going well and not much to report here as she seems to be behaving herself.

Steve,Ange,Tegan,Gracyn

Friday, November 14, 2008

14 November 2008

i am using the hospitals computer to log this bolg to nite, we have just done miss Gracyn,s Care, the big fat chubba chubba that she is. Yep the big 1kg mark has been meet and i,m about 30kilometers away from that bottle of Appletons Rum. I,LL have to wait till Ange is well enough before i endulge in some serious celebrations.
Ange had a fainting spell this afternoon after a visit to Gracyn, so they have taken some more blood for some tests.She is looking alot better now than yesterday as she was that white i could hardly find her between the white hospital sheets. So yet another nite in hospital for Ange.All going well she will be discharged tomorrow but not before she is a lot better than she is right now.
till tomrrow
Steve, Ange,Tegan,Gracyn

Thursday, November 13, 2008

13 November 2008

Ange had the planned DNC opperation this morning and was back i the ward by 10.30am.Unfortunatly Ange has been suffering some pain and cramping as a result of this procedure and had to stay another nite for observation, i backed that up by saying she is not leaving until she can move under her own steam, or at least go and see Gracyn without the use of a wheel chair and feeling faint. So another nite in the presidential suite in ward 14 Wgtn Hospital for Ange.The only good thing is she is close to Gracyn who is now 995grms wwooooo hoooo and so close to that 1kg mark. Some how i think i,ll have to pospone the Appeltons Rum Opening Ceremony until my big Girl can at least tuck me into bed.
Hopefully better news tomorrow.

Steve,Ange Tegan&Gracyn

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

12 november 2008

I,m thinking of renting out the house and moving into the hospital.We seem to spend most of our time there as this morning Ange was re-admited due to massive blood loss and generally not feelng the best.It was at his stage i reminded her that she may have to go through this a couple of more times as she originally wanted 4 children.You can imagine the responce i got then.Anyway they have kept her in over nite and is due to be first up on the operating table for a dnc tomorrow morning.I sure hope this is the last of it as i know she is getting fed up with all this drama.
Gracyn is doing fine and opened both her eyes today,yet another 1st,.She is slowly gaining weight and now at 980grms (just 20 more grms to go yeee haa!!)i was able to do her cares today and no poos for me, only for mummy as i have instructed her.

So roll on tomorrow and a better feeling Ange from here on in.

till tomorrow

Steve ,Ange,Tegan,Gracyn

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

11 November 2008

Not much to report today as Gracyn seems to be a well behaved wee girl. She has had another blood transfusion to up the white blood count.As they take blood samples all the time this can happen, so thats as about exciting as it gets for today.
Angela and i will head in tomorrow after work to hopefully get some cuddles.Tegan is staying at Nana,s &Grandads tomorrow nite as we have to be in at the hospital by 7am for Angela,s opperation check in time on Thursday morning. I have the day off to be with Ange so i,ll split my time between my two girlsin hospital and bring Ange home when she feels up t it.
more update,s tomorrow.

Steve Ange,Tegan&Gracyn

Monday, November 10, 2008

10 November 2008

It,s full steam ahead, Gracyn is now up to 15ml of E,B,M, BOOBI JUICE,OR MILK, what ever you want to call it.What a wee piggy.She is doing really well but gets a bit grumpy at times(what female is,nt).Gracyn is very active kicking her legs and pushing her C-pap straps off and nearly at that 1kg mark. She is active and she has actually lost a little bit of weight and now weighs in at 940grms, i,m sure she does;nt want me to open that bottle of Appletons rum.Gracyn no longer has the long line in and is relying on Angela milk now.They are going to add some complan/vitamins to the food to fatten he up a bit.When got to the hospital this afternoon Angela was doing her care,s and cleanng up a massive poo, it reminded me of a snowfreeze machine it kept coming and coming, i sure do see Mr Whippy in a different light now and will have to think twice before i actually eat one again.
Angela has to go in a get a small opperation on Thursday to remove the remaining pieces of placenta that is stuck inside her uteris, (in male speaking terms they are going to wash out he back of her ute)This has been bothering her since Gracyn has been born and hopefuly now it will finally get sorted and Angela will get back to 100%
till tomorrow

Steve Ange,Tegan,Gracyn

Sunday, November 9, 2008

9 th November 2008

Lots a cuddles for Ange to day nearly 2 hours, Gracyn has had a heap of visitors over this weekend,Mum&Dad,Linda Scott, Auntie Wendy, Auntie Ginny, Cousins Ben&Mathew and of cource her big brother Tegan. Teg,s has been so good over the past few weeks and although he finds it abit boring at The Hospital he still manages to find some nice words to say to his Little sister, telling her to hurry up and get out of here so he can have a cuddle comes to mind. i have posted some photos of this weekends visits. I have also posted a photo of a Wedding Cake(orders taken) that Angela somehow managed to find the time to make for a friend of ours, she has done an awsome job and the bride was so happy with the end result. Angela is also excellent at other dishes in the kitchen, her lasagne (which i have,nt had for a while is just tops) so thanks Linda and Nana for the next best thing.
Gracyn is now scoffing down 14ml of E B M ( Expressed Breast Milk bet ya did,nt know that one Heather), and doing very well, she has been stable all day and enjoyed the contact with Ange today. She is due to have the long line taken out tomorrow so another step ahead for my wee Girl.So it,s steady as she goes for now and thanks to all who have visited and helped over the weekend we truly appreciate it.

Steve Ange, Tegan&Gracyn

Friday, November 7, 2008

7th November 2008

Nothing else matters when you are with your favourite girls. I had my first cuddles today with Gracyn. I had to fight back the tears as this is a tremendous milestone. Gracyn was so content having some kangaroo cuddles with me and the time just flew. She is doing so well and i,m proud of her. This was another first and i,m looking forward to some more cuddles soon. Gracyn,s feeding well and doing all a wee baby of her age should do so our morning phone calls to the hospital are rather boring. The answer we get when we call is that she has been a wee angel and nothing to report, one day they will say they she has made us all a cupa tea and is now fast asleep.
Angela,s milk (just for you Heather) is obviously doing the business as she definatly enjoying every drop, as she has improved so much over the past few days.
i have posted some photos of today, Graycn is tucked up in my Tui t- shirt keeping all tostie-pie.And one of me Ange&Gracyn, what an awsome afternoon.

Steve, Ange,Tegan&Gracyn

Thursday, November 6, 2008

6th october 2008

I can smell the Appeltons rum from here, our wee girl is 960grms and taking on board 11mls of the good boobi juice every 2 hours. She is still doing well in the c-pap with only24-26% oxygen to help her, which is great. She still sometimes forgets to breath so a quick pat on the back remind,s herto do so, the machine that she is hooked up to tells the nurses when this happens.This is few and far between now which is another good sign.
There is no sign of infection anymore and her skin is looking really good,she is nolonger a bright pink more a proper skin colour. i put this down to the top quality bobbi juice that Angela produces. Once Gracyn is upto 13mls of breast milk they will remove the long line that feeds her the supplements, this is no longer needed as she recieves all the goodness from Angelas milk.The pressure is now on Ang to produce the good stuff for Gracyn.With the help form new breast pump that i got off the good old trade me which was the same price as a small jap car but we need it and thats all there is to it. She is pumping 3-4 times a day, as you ladies will know this is tiring stuff and Ang is getting a bit tired on it so even the drive into town, txting or even talking on the phone can be exhausting(i,m waiting for the call from telstraclear wondering if our phone is broke due to lack of use). I,m sure she will cope as she,s a battler our Ang just like her Daughter.
Good news is I,M GETTING A CUDDLE TOMORROW ! so i,m looking forward to that.
I,ll fill you all in tomorrow and post some more pic,s of me an my girl,s

Steve,Ange,Tegan Gracyn

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

4th November 2008

She,s a battler my wee Gracyn, still on the cpap and going well athough she is showing signs of tiring and may resort back the respirator. We were told about this and just have to go with the flow. Ang and Nana went in today for a few hours, i,ll head in tomorrow nite. She is showing signs of another infection but the staff are onto it and taking appropriate action. They sure know their jobs in this department and do their utmost to keep us informed of Gracyns progress. i cannot speak highly enoughof these dedicated proffessional, s they are just awsome.
Not much more to report until tomorrow and day20, man where has the weeks gone.

Steve, Ange,Tegan,Gracyn

Monday, November 3, 2008

3 November 2008 Cuddles R cool

It,s been a day of first,s today Angela managed to get some kangaroo cuddles with our wee girl Gracyn.With out the tubes down her throat we heard her voice for the first time.Ever so quiet content and quiet cries. It was good for Ang to get a cuddle, something i,m sure she has been hanging out to do.It was hard to fight back the tears for this somewhat little but very important part of this journey. My turn next. What a great day.
i have also found out that it is a CPAP system not a CPACK as i have been saying in previous posts,CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure another first geting the technical stuff right for a change. I am sure the nurses have told us all this but it was all just blah blah blah at the begining.
Gracyn has been on the cpap for over 48 hrs now and doing really well, she has lost a little weight (just when i thought the "Appeltons" was in sight) due to the fact that this cpap system is like a workout to her and getting everything working on her own burns calories. But thats good she may go back on the respirator depending on how tired she gets. Its day 18 and full steam ahead at the moment. 890grams and now scoffing 6 mls of boobi juice every 2 hours what a wee piggy.
i have put up some photos of Ang haveing a cuddle and some latest shots.

more tomorrow
Steve,Ange,Tegan,Gracyn

Sunday, November 2, 2008

2 November 2008

My wee angel is what the nurses are calling Gracyn. She has been a wee trooper over the past 24 hours, managing her c-pack system with no problems at all. She is now on 5ml of boobi juice every 2 hours and seems to be loving her tucker. It is business as usual and thats a good sign, she is doing exactly what she is suppose too.The infection she had a couple of days ago is all but gone so thats another good sign.We are having a good run of things at the moment and hope it continues as this makes us both feel good.

Uncle Craig, and Auntie Kaye went in for a visit today and they noticed the difference in Gracyn immediatly as they have only seen her once since she was born. Auntie Leanne took Angela into the hospital which is a great help as sometime,s you just can,t be bothered driving.It takes the presure off Angela too as she gets tired easy.
Tegan and i had a blast arround on his motorbike, went to the tattoo show and done shopping, so we spent a little time together which we both enjoy.I,ll head into town tomorrow after work to check on my girl as i just can,t go 2 days without seeing her.

see ya

Steve,Ange,Tegan,Gracyn

Saturday 1st November

A good day today as Gracyn went on the c-pack system to have a go at it by herself, on our last contact with the hospital she was doing well. Angela and i went into the hospital just in time to do her cares, "My turn", i was a bit reluctant to start with but the nurses and Ange insured me that she won,t break. So i ended up changing the smallest nappy i have ever done, no poopy stinkers though she knows to save them for mummy.It was great to have a hands on approch and i felt that i was actually doing something to help. It makes the time go faster as there is not alot you can do but talk to her and just be there.I hope she is listening and taking it all in, by the time she gets out she will know everything from the creation of the earth to the inner workings of a hairdryer.

920grms as of Saturday morning I can feel a sick day coming up during the week for i may have a serious hangover!!!
We will head into town on Sunday afternoon for a few hours and all going well she my have improved abit more.

More soon

Steve Ange, Tegan,Gracyn