8/27 Day 16

Today was another good day with our little man. Lincoln is up to 1770 grams...which I think is nearly 4 lbs. Now that he's not having his temperature controlled, we wrap him up like a burrito (Brent calls him a torpedo), and it's so adorable!

Today a harpist came in to the NICU and played for an hour or so! It was so cool! The heavenly, soothing music was perfect for all those little angels! I talked to her as she was leaving and found out that she comes a couple times a week (though she's been away on vacation for awhile, which is why I've not seen her before) and has been for years. She was born here at St. Joe's and in the NICU as an infant for 63 days! I was so impressed at her desire to continue to give back to the unit that gave her life! She's probably about my age.

I met with a lactation specialist today to get some tips on introducing Link to nursing. One idea she gave me was to soothe him with my pinky on the roof of his mouth rather than the binky. The binky is good because he practices sucking, but my pinky is better because he gets the smell and taste of me, plus I can get a feel for how he's developing his little mechanism. I'm getting frustrated because feeding is the only thing left he has to do...but it's the one that takes the longest, the most patience, and the most development on his part. Even some full term babies have serious problems with it. Let's hope that he's as precocious in this as in everything else.

It's funny....had Lincoln still been in the womb, he'd only be at 32 weeks now. I'd have 8 more weeks of pregnancy in front of me! I guess, if you try to count the blessings in a rough circumstance, one could look on the bright side and say "Hey, I gained 20 lbs in my pregnancy and lost 15 of them all in one day!" I suppose I would have had a lot more work to do had I given birth in October! Now, it's Link that has to do all the work, and sometimes I just feel so miserably guilty for that. I know I shouldn't. We have no known cause for his early birth. As far as we know, I did everything right. I ate well. I kept up mild exercise. I was getting good sleep and not stressing about anything (at least since school had been out) and I've never done drugs or alcohol a day in my life. One could theorize and wonder, and the doctors even did tests to see if it was an infection or something, but, at the end of the day, only the Lord knows the big plan.

15 days of life and a BIG BOY bed!

Lincoln got to move into a big boy bed today!!! He now can control his own temperature so no longer needs the isolette! Yay! No more changing his diaper through two little holes! He also gained 36 grams since yesterday! Brent was able to escape a couple times during his work day to come over and visit Link and I at St. Joe's. We love our little guy soooooo much!!! It's funny, today I had someone tell me "Oh, don't worry, you have 18 years to get sick of Lincoln." My thought was just how I would love nothing more than to just cuddle with him ALL DAY LONG!

2 weeks and running!

Well, the first good news is that our little Link has regained and exceeded his birth weight! He's now 3 pounds 11 1/2 oz. For those of you who don't know how it works, here's an explanation: babies are born with extra weight to deal with the stress of labor and that initial life outside the uterus, and that weight is then lost. Additionally, many of the IV fluids used during labor (and I had lots, as I was in labor for 5 days) are lost in those initial days of life. It is normal for babies to lose about 5% of their birth weight and then return back to birth weight within 2-3 weeks of life. So, we're hoping that he just keeps fattening up! He is still on 33 ml of milk every 3 hours. The milk has been fortified with 4 extra calories per ounce, vitamin D, protein (as of yesterday), and new today, a multi-vitamin to help aid in healthy growth. Dude, wouldn't it just be easier to give the guy a slice of pizza!

Today we were joyed by a visit from Brent's cousins, Brad (from Arizona) and Brenda (from California). They were so excited to see our little guy, and it was fun to visit with them over lunch and show them how Lincoln's little life is working these days. They even got to witness a good poopy diaper!

We also got a sweet little package in the mail from a dear sister in my home ward (Coeur d'Alene), Linda Edwards! She sent the cutest little soft (stuffed animal-like) baseball, football, basketball and soccer ball! She had already gotten us a gift at my shower in Coeur d'Alene! What a thoughtful and wonderful lady Linda is!!!

We are continually touched by the prayers and well-wishes from all over the world. Thank you all, and God bless!

13th day of life!!! 8/24

Link looks a little dazed and confused in this one, but I love how little he looks next to the teddy bear that Tim and Hayley got for him.




Lincoln was so darn cute today. His nurse got me excited because she was talking about how great he's doing and how he hasn't had any complications, etc. and then encouraged me to make sure I was ready for his homecoming with the carseat, crib, etc. Now, I'm trying NOT to get my hopes up, because I know how long he's supposed to be in there, but this is really soon!!! Brent keeps reminding me that initially they tell everyone not to hope for anything before the original due date (his is Oct. 22nd) because he wants to protect me from an emotional breakdown, but I'm just gonna go ahead and hope anyway!!!!! So, now that we have the crib put together, I went out and bought the crib mattress this evening and am washing all the sheets, blankets, etc. I'm excited to have it all put together. Link tried at nursing again today and did decently. He's starting to do those cute little baby things like holding me with his little hands and looking at me while he tries to feed. Love it. Brent was able to escape from the hospital across the street where he's currently in his medicine rotation a couple times today and visit us! Isn't he cute in his white coat? I've got the cutest boys in the world!

12 DAYS OLD 08/23

Link gained 60 grams since yesterday!!!!! What a chunker, eh? Ha ha. Today was Brent's first day on his internal medicine hospital rotation (across the street from Link's hospital actually) so I figured that this was the last I'd see of him for a couple months. I had been at the hospital for about three hours with Link when Brent called and said "Hey, I'm done. I'm coming over." I was shocked because it was only like 3:00 in the afternoon! So we got to have some good family time together today. Link was pretty fussy today until his feedings came along. It's making me wonder if they should up his amounts again. He was moved into a more basic isolette, as he no longer needs all the fanciness of the "giraffe." It frees up a ton of space in his little room, so we love that, as it has previously always been quite crowed if more than just Brent and I are there. Link and I spent a good long time kangarooing and listening to Bach concertos today. He says that he prefers the joy and lightheartedness of Mozart's works, so I'll oblige him tomorrow. Don't tell his Dad! Brent's a big fan of the opressive organ and harpsichord. :) I love to rub my cheeks against his soft little head. His hair is so silky! I hope he doesn't lose it, cause with all that cute dark hair, I could really get some stylish dos going on! At one point today, Link was awake and looking around with those big confused eyes of his. I looked at him and said "Link, why are you so darn cute," which was immediately followed by him crossing his eyes together! Brent and I both laughed out loud, because it was right on cue. He learned that from DaVinci, I'm sure. We took another crack at nursing today with mild success. It's hard cause he's just so little...I don't know how to hold him!! I think I'll bring in my Boppy tomorrow. I think that'll help. Today we got a big package in the mail from Steve and Melissa (Brent's brother and sister-in-law). Liss is super crafty and made the most adorable stuff for Link. She made a really cute blanket, receiving blanket, bib, 2 binky holders, 3 personalized onsies, a hooded towel, a wipe wallet, and then included a bunch of clothes and stuff that their little boy used a couple years ago. Talk about a stellar surprise! Thanks so much guys! I think that'll help. I was overwhelmed with a sweet appreciation and love for motherhood today. I spent several hours just holding our little guy and thinking about what it means to be a mother. In the past both Brent and I have been somewhat afraid of starting a family. I've worried, at times, that that "motherly instinct" wouldn't kick in or something and that I wouldn't be good at parenting. Today I felt such joy just holding our little Lincoln to my chest and quieting his tiny cries. He needs me! He needs me more than anyone else ever has! I'm so happy just to respond to those needs and love him. This is going to be a joyful journey indeed.

Grand Teton Climb

Isn't my hubby the hottest and grizzliest guy around? (okay, not so grizzly, but he's tough!) Look at these pics from his latest date with a mountain, and you'll see what I mean! The Grand Teton may not quite be a fourteener in height, but it's ridiculous in technical requirements. Glad he came back alive! :)

11 days in the NICU 8/22

Brent and I headed straight to the hospital after sacrament meeting today to see our little guy. He's so precious! We started off the visit with care time (diaper, temperature, vitals), then some kangaroo time, and rounds. Once again, he's doing great, but progress will be slow for awhile. They're keeping him at 33 ml of my milk every 3 hours, but now raising the fortification from 22 calories per oz. to 24. We'll get him fattened up in no time! Ha ha. He's kind of a long skinny thing, so it might take awhile! We tried nursing again. He's getting used to it...a couple little sucks, then a lot of wide-eyed looking around, an adjusting of his mouth, taste of a drop of milk...it looks like he's really thinking about it! It's still very early to see much improvement in that arena, but I figure that a little exposure to it each day while he's receiving the milk from his feeding tube will help him associate the full tummy with the invasion. :) We were privileged to have a visit from my step-brother Roland, his wife Marci and their 3 kiddos, Noah, Emma, and Kaisa today. They were passing through on their way back to Virginia and wanted to meet the little guy. They gave us the cutest little dinosaur outfit that's in premie size, so it's perfect! We also were visited by Brent's med school/mountaineering buddies, Luke and Corey and Corey's wife, Kim who have been dying to meet Lincoln. We are so blessed to have such great friends, and the visits are great because they make the long 4-5 hour hospital visits more like a party! It's fun to show our little guy off. Yesterday we finally rememebered to bring in a little cd player and some cds of Bach and Mozart. We've got to get those little neurons connecting! Heaven knows I'm a big believer in the healing power of music...and whether or not Brent thinks that it's "evidence based" or not, he's a big fan of the classics. Ha ha...with all this good music exposure and those long fingers, Lincoln will be playing at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in no time!!!