Aubree's 1st Week Home

So far so good! I've said it before, and I'll say it again...How do you stop looking at something so beautiful?? Aubree's first week at home with mommy and daddy has went really well. She has met her two furry friends Bing and Cash, as well as a few human friends too! I can't help it, but I love dressing her each day with something new. She looks so pretty in all the wonderful outfits that were given to her! She also got to meet her Uncle Kyle and Aunt Steph from California! Of course, she gave them some practice on bottle feeding and stinky diapers for when their little one is born!! :-) The whole sleeping arrangement works out great. Ben and I have now switched our times of getting up. I do the 2 a.m. and he does the 5 a.m., which works out much better. In fact, this morning after her 8 a.m. feeding, she fell right back to sleep, so mommy and daddy got to sleep in a little longer!! I guess I said everything has went well so far, but I forgot about her snotty nose. I believe she's got a bit of a cold. Her nose is snotty and her eye is runny. So, I got to be the mean one to drop saline drops up her nose and use the nasal aspirator on her, but I do believe we got a lot of the yucky stuff out. Hopefully it won't turn into anything major. I really don't think I could handle anything happening to her to where she'd end up back in the hospital. The doctor did warn us ahead of time though...with all she went through before coming home, ending up back in the hospital wouldn't take much.

Our 1st Night With Our Daugther At Home

It was just as I had imagined it to be!! Being a mommy is the best feeling in the world! Do you know how hard it is to take your eyes off of something so beautiful?? I couldn't quit watching her and believing that she is actually home with her mommy and daddy. Our first night went really well. We both stayed up until her 11 o'clock feeding then put her to bed. Ben took the 2 o'clock feeding and I took the 5 o'clock feeding...that way we could both get some sleep. I do have to say one good thing about her being in the NICU for so long is that she's on a schedule already. She eats every 3 hours, and starts to wake up about 10-20 minutes before hand to let us know it's time to feed her. We'll see how long this actually last though!

We FINALLY get to bring our daughter home!

July 15th, one month after Aubree was born, she finally decided to take to her bottle. We went from having her in level 3 of the NICU, which is where the sickest babies are kept, to level 2 in a matter of a week. She stayed in level 2 for about a week as well, before graduating to an open crib, rather than an isolet. We thought we were within days of taking her home, but she proved us wrong. She still wasn't strong enough to take her bottle every feeding, so they were still putting her food down her tube every other time. BUT...today is the day! She decided she had been in the NICU for too long. She started taking every bottle with no troubles at all. Seeing her do that made me the happiest mommy in the world because it meant she's come home soon. Dr. Vincent came around to see her and said if she keeps it up, she could be discharged on Thursday!! Two more days?? Are you kidding me...two more days and I get to bring my daughter home where she should be?? I was overwhelmed with excitement, but still nervous something would change and she'd have to stay longer. So, Ben and I stayed the next night in the parent care room with her as our "Trial Run", and at 9:00 Thursday morning, Dr. Vincent said she's going home!!! YEA!!!!!!!!!

What our daughter has been going through

When Aubree was first born, she was breathing like a puppy, at least that's how the nurse described it to me. She was actually panting really hard, which made her lungs work too hard. So, they had to give her oxygen to help slow her breathing down until she could do it on her own. It took her 4 days before they removed her CPAP (oxygen tube up her nose). Even though they removed her CPAP, she's still considered a "Touch-Me-Not" baby because it stimulates her too much. Not being able to hold your daughter is hard enough, but we can't even touch her with our finger. She also has an IV in to give her calories since she's not strong enough to take a bottle yet. She has her little shades on because she's jaundice, and the wires hooked up to her show her heartrate and O2 levels. We've been with her everyday hoping and praying she gets stronger and bigger so we can take her home. Thank you to all of you who have been keeping our little girl in your prayers. Having so many people who care about us and Aubree means the world to us!

Best Father's Day present ever!

Here she is, Aubree Kaylin Napier, 6 weeks early, and weighing only 4 lbs 0.3 ounces and is 17 1/4" long. I don't think I could have given Ben a better father's day gift. Aubree is our first baby, so beware if you find lots of pictures and videos of her. I'm a very camera happy person, so I like to document EVERYTHING! I hope you enjoy reading about and watching our little ladybug grow day by day! (Click on Title to view album)