Lilypie Angel and Memorial tickers

April 30, 2009

Eye Surgery- de Deux



Ayla underwent her second (and final) laser eye surgery Tuesday afternoon to correct her ROP. Dr. Lee is going to examine Ayla's eyes Sunday or Monday for the final verdict. There is a possibility Ayla may need to transport to Portland for additional surgery as the disease in her right eye is more severe than in the left. Little sweet has been doing so well despite the odds stacked against her- what a trooper she is!

She came off the breathing tube last night and back to the nasal canula and doing great. Her poor eyes are swollen and red but regardless, she opened them enough to peek around and check things out. Ayla struggles with wicked acid-reflux and we are hoping the adjustments to her feeds and Prilosec will alleviate the pain she experiences.
We love our munkin!

April 27, 2009

All Smiles







The other day Ayla was experiencing a little 'gas' and pulling the CUTEST smiling facial expressions....couldn't resist posting a few! She has been steadily gaining weight and is now at a 3.8 pounds- a bit over twice her original size! Still has a 'weighs' to go but is on her way....

April 23, 2009

Little Star




Ayla deserves some braggin'...she is such a stinkin cutie and 10 weeks old today! 70 days ago she was born weighing in at 1 pound 6 ounces and now just look at her! She is 3 pounds 4 ounces, off IV's, the nasty breathing tube (except for a nasal oxygen canula) and getting some chub. We are soooooo proud of our brave, feisty munkin! Last night she had 'real bath' in a 'real tub' and dolled up in a 'real' dress complete with a fancy bow. She looks like a 'real' baby- well, she is real baby but she is getting bigger!

What a blessing it is to have our girls; One angel-baby and one here with us. We know that Zoey is watching over her big sis and helping her grow. Ayla is still so small and we forget that perspective because we're always bragging about how "big" she is getting. Compared to Ryan's tube of Chapstick, she is very little....but GIANT in spirit! And yes, Ryan's chest hair IS really that long...haa haa haa

April 19, 2009

First Bath!




Ayla had her first real bath tonight!

It took us and an RN to bathe a 3.2 pound baby but hey- she's a fighter and had lots of cords that needed to be unhooked. Little Munkin settled down once she hit that warm, sudsy water...and we made quick work (under the direction of the RN, Jana) as Teresa recorded this new event. It was such fun to bathe little girl!


Afterwards, Ryan dressed Ayla in a matching shirt and hat complete with pink crochet cowgirl boots! Miss Ayla was stylin! She and Ryan settled in for some 'snuggle-time' and both promptly fell asleep...taking a bath is hard work!

April 17, 2009

Eye Surgery

Before Surgery
Ayla underwent laser eye surgery for an agressive ROP disease on Thursday- she did fairly well considering she is a 3 pound preemie who underwent a 3 hour surgery! Dr. Lee, who performed the surgery, mentioned that Ayla may require additional surgery next week as the ROP is quite severe. The doctor will examine her eyes on Monday to determine the success of the procedure. Dr. Lee was amazing! She informed us that "Ayla wins!" as the patient who required the most laser tags she's had to do yet...not an award to be proud of but that is Ayla- she can't do anything partial!

Ayla has been recovering okay; she struggles with the breathing tube and with being re-intubated. She is recieving Morphine and Pento for pain and to keep her relaxed. She is SO brave and strong! We love our feisty Munkin! Pictured are the before and after's of miss Ayla; poor sweetie looks like she's had an awful time of it!

April 13, 2009

Maddy's Birthday!

Rachel's little girl, Maddy-Patty, turned 4 years old over the weekend! We celebrated at the park with cake, ice-cream, pinata and of course, presents....Happy Birthday! Wow- the otherday she was only 2 years old....

Ryan and I visited just a few short minutes as we needed to get back to the hospital and snuggle miss Ayla and meet with the doctors. Aunt Teresa spoiled Ayla on Easter Sunday with a candy basket and some adorable onsies! Ayla can now wear snap-up little outfits as long as she tolerates them.

April 9, 2009

56 Days and 8 Weeks Old!

A milestone for our feisty Ayla-girl!
She is 2 months old today and growing bigger and stronger! Ayla has been doing great on the C-Pap Ventilator and will hopefully-within the next few weeks- graduate onto a canula. She is at full milk feeds (about an ounce) for her weight and receiving vitamins and additional calories for growth. She now weighs 2 lbs 8 oz.
Her chubby cheeks are adorable and kissable!

April 4, 2009

C-Pap: Chapter 2

Little Miss A (that's one of the many nicknames we have for Ayla) is beginning to settle into her new C-Pap ventilator; although none to happy about it.....Friday night at 6pm was the switch and it's taken her almost 24 hours to decide if she's going to settle in; she must think about these things for a bit. She's been fairly stable today and we're quite proud of her! After the C-Pap ordeal, mom was able to hold her for a few hours...though she was squirmy and agitated. Uncle Ray & Aunt Teresa stopped in to visit and give kisses to our sweet girl!