Morgan Kate

Maybe it's starting the Prevacid for reflux. Maybe it's stopping the Levsin drops. Maybe it's all our prayers. Maybe it's starting the Erythromycin for motility. Maybe it's stopping the inhaled steroid. Maybe it's all our prayers. Maybe it's being off of the oxygen during the day. Maybe it's being out of Mom and Dad's room. Maybe it's all our prayers. Whatever is is, maybe it will last.

We have been holding our breath for several days now and waiting for the other shoe to drop. I am afraid to even say it out loud or mention it for fear of jinxing things. But things have been going really well. However, my thinking is that if you all know that things are going well then you can continue to pray that things will keep going well. Please, please, please. 

First, since Friday night Morgan Kate has been sleeping at night and not during the day. This means Mommy and Daddy are sleeping too. It's amazing how much better you feel when your baby sleeps at night. We have come up with a sort of "bedtime routine" and it seems to be working. Thank goodness. Last Friday morning I was a mess. I was so, so, so very tired. When Travis and I woke up (after about two hours of sleep) I just cried and cried. When my dad took Morgan Kate and I to the pediatrician later in the morning I even cried to her. That night Morgan Kate slept. Maybe it was my crying or maybe it's because Kaky was here and she worked some of her magic.

Second, Morgan Kate has also been taking her bottle every three hours, which is much more manageable than every two hours. She even cries when we take it from her to burp her. There have been a few times when she doesn't want the entire thing and I don't push the issue. Monday morning she weighed in at nine pounds and six ounces. Wow! Now I realize that our "feeding success" could be temporary. Many preemies face issues with eating. They have weeks where everything goes smoothly and then there are weeks where they want nothing to do with food. I just pray that the success continues and that Morgan Kate will continue to grow and thrive. 

Now that we are on some sort of schedule, Travis and I are sticking to it. At 8pm each night we bathe her, lather her up with lotion, reattach all of her monitors, put her cannula back on, dress her and get her ready for bed. We feed her at 9pm and then she is off to sleepy land. If the phone rings during this time we don't answer. If we are doing something else and 8:00 approaches we immediately stop. If we happen to be on the phone and the call reaches that time, we end it. We are doing whatever we have to do to keep this going. 

No appointments this week. After we went to the pediatrician Monday morning and told her that things were going well, she told us to take the week "off". All we are supposed to do is work on our routine. And that sounds great to me!