It has been a really long time...

Our sweet little bright-eyed girl!

BIG YAWN!!!

Already fixin' to be a Daddy's girl!

Such a cutie pie!

Noël busy at work helping Mommy put up the wall decals in the girls' room.

Yes, that would be a squirrel! =)

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I think I've been so 'off' because I went back to work! Eek! I know I don't work much (just 8 to 16 hours weekly), but I work overnight so I'm left EXTREMELY exhausted. I don't sleep during the day before, so I head in and stay up all night. By time I get home, I've pulled over 24 hours. Then, for whatever strange reason, I still can't sleep. My max so far is 2 1/2 hours, then I'll be up all the next day 'til bedtime. It's really crazy, completely unhealthy, and leaves me dragging, but somehow I've managed to survive. =)

A lot has happened changed since the nearly 2 weeks since I last updated on our sweet girl. I pulled out my notebook, and am going to go through it and hit the highlights. Last time I posted, Flara had just come off of her oxygen. I honestly didn't think the girl would make it, but she has continued to pull through. The same day her oxygen was stopped, she also was transitioned out of her isolette. She now sleeps in a crib like a big girl!

One thing we had repeatedly mentioned was fears over infection with her central line. We were praying and praying for somehow Flara to get to have it removed. Well, God took care of it! We went to visit Flara the night after her move to the big crib, and were told we wouldn't get to hold her because her central line had clotted off. A clot buster was put in the line to try to dissolve the clot. After much waiting (and us sitting and saying, God, let that stuff just NOT work), it was determined it was a lost cause! We were (secretly) excited! We knew Flara would have to have a regular IV because her feeds weren't high enough yet to necessitate not needing IV fluids, but we were happy. She only needed a couple more days, so we figured we could just handle it. A few days later, she was close to full feeds, and another of her regular IV's went bad. Rather than restarting it, the nurse asked the doctor if she could just leave it out. Thankfully, the doc agreed! So, little Flara made it back to full feeds and has been a week without any IV fluids. That's great!

Flara had her hearing screen. She passed on one side, but not on the other. It could possibly be a fluke, but it could also be that she has some sort of hearing damage. In-utero infection is one of the top contributors of hearing loss in newborns, so it's always a possibility. Honestly, Mike and I weren't even upset. Flara will have a repeat screening (probably this week) to retest the failing ear. We know she has good hearing in one ear, so we'll take whatever results we are given. I've said it a million times, and that's that our little Flara is alive and healthy, and for that we are so thankful. Head bleeds, (possible) hearing loss, tummy troubles... our course could be so much worse. God has just done an amazing work to keep little Flara through all of this, and to be comforting and sustaining Mike, Noël, and me through it as well.

After Flara transitioned from intestinal feeds to tummy feeds, she did have some difficulty with digesting her milk. At times, milk would just drip constantly out of her nose. It would make me so sad for her! The doctors started her on zantac and reglan (reflux medications), and that has made a big difference. The nurses also really ramp her bed up at a high angle, so she sleeps on a nice incline, held in by a sling! She seems to really like it!

All of the meds that were helping Flara with her periods of stopping breathing and heart rate drops have been stopped. Although she still has quick periods of heart rate drops now, the apnea (stopped breathing) finally seems to be resolved. Usually, when she drops her heart rate, it seems to be from her having reflux.

She was given a short period of trying bottles. She did really well with it, but it really wore Flara out. So, for now, bottles are on hold, but we are still working on nursing. Some days she does great, and other days she'll be so tired she can't even get her eyes open, let alone eat! We just have to sit and be patient and let her grow and get stronger. Flara's day will come soon enough!

Flara also got her 2 month immunizations. That just seems crazy! It's hard to believe our little gal is that old, but she really is! Today marks her 10 week old birthday! That's a long time to be shuttling back and forth with an hourlong drive to visit our little girl, all while toting a 21 month old toddler! We are soooo looking forward to getting Flara home!

While we miss little Flara (especially today being our 'unable to visit Sunday'), we are so thankful that she has nurses (her primaries!) who love her to death! It makes me happy when I call and I'm told how much they held and loved on her, and took her for strolls around the nursery. I like knowing that she's not just laying in her darkened room wondering where anybody is to love on her! These gals will ALWAYS be loved and appreciated for loving our little girl so much when we're unable to be there for her! They're Flara's extended family of mommies. I know she loves them, too! =)

Last, Flara is now past the 2 kilogram mark! Mike, in his dorkiness, wanted to post on facebook that he now has a 'kilo' when Flara hit 1 kilo. He missed it, so now he's the proud owner of a '2 kilo.' Yeah, like I said... dork! hahaha! I'm sure not many of you are into conversions, so that means Flara is 4 pounds and 7 ounces! She's also 17.6 inches long. Such a big girl! Gestationally, she is now 36+4 weeks old. That's so hard to believe!

That's all I have to post on for now! I hope you all had great Turkey Lurkey Days! We did! =)