One Week on Saturday

Jen's Update to All of YOU:

Praising God for milestones, Gigi had her one week birthday on Saturday, September 2nd which is also the day that she made it to two pounds! She had all of her family, including grandparetns there to celebrate this major achievement with her!

As for her health, we prayed for success with the central line and our Awesome God heard. Mercifully, little Gigi went through this procedure uneventfully and her line was placed successfully. It is called a PICC line and she recieves her TPN (total parental nourishment) through this line. She also has a (nose to stomach ) Gastric tube through which she is recieving 5cc of Jen's breast milk every 3 hours. The plan is to increase the feeding by 1cc each day. The goal and hope is for her to have 18cc's of breast milk and at that point they can stop the TPN feedings, and might also be able to remove the PICC line.

Drew, tear eyed and feeling blessed, was able to hold her on her 1 week birthday and she settled in and napped with him, quite happy and content.

Recently, "kangaroo care" was started... which is just as beneficial for mommy as it is for baby!! Jen holds Gigi on her bare chest.....chest to chest...skin to skin... with her head turned so she can listen through her chest to hear her heart beat. She has been tolerating this beautifully for about an hour each time they visit, and she receives her breastmilk at this time, to associate a full belly with being held by mommy. She'll hopefully start developing more of a sucking ability in about 3 weeks, then work will begin to coordinate her sucking/swallowing/breathing simultaneously before she can take a bottle.

The following are Jen's words exactly:
It's so wonderful to hold her, and smell her, and kiss her!!! She is beautiful and doing lots of "baby" things.... yawning, opening her eyes, hiccupping, streching, trying to suck her thumb. We love to see something new each day! Her nurses are wonderful, as God has provided her with a loving team of people each day. This is a huge comfort each time we have to leave her behind as we head home. Kelly & Conor have been in to see her and have responded very lovingly... both can't wait to hold her.

We've been tremendoulsly blessed by the outpouring of love... prayers, meals delivered to our home, offers for rides to the hospital for Jen when Drew is working, offers for help with day-to-day household needs, playdates for Kelly & Conor...and our friend even mowed our lawn today!! Gigi's grandparents have been here providing love and support, and helping Kelly and Conor maintain some normalcy through this all. We are so very grateful!!

Every day God reveals himself to us more and more, and provides us with more than we could have ever hoped for. The praise we give Him just never seems like enough to us, as we are in awe of His amazing works in Gigi and in us!!!

I apologize, I am speechless, I have no words but THANK YOU, GOD! I have cried over and over when I have read these words from Jen. To feel the happiness that she is feeling when she holds her and has thos "baby moments" and is providing "kangaroo time" it leaves me just feeling full of love for the baby for Jen and for the whole family. Their family has grown in numbers with the early arrival of this sweet tiny one. She may be tiny but she has made everyone's heart overflow with hope, wonder and love!

Thou has enlarged me when I was in distress. Psalm 4:1