Finally HOME!

Emma is finally home with us!!! We are so excited to have her healthy, tube free, and growing! It was exactly two months of hospital stay between her and I. Emma is doing really well...besides the fact that night and day are mixed up...she definitely likes to be wide awake and fussy throughout the night:)! I'm sure most parents can relate. The first night was classic: no sleeping, not knowing why she is crying, Cade and I switching off every couple hours to try and get a shut eye for a few minutes...good times:). She is so cute and we love her to death! It is so fun, tiring, and wonderful being a parent.

This is Gene Cross that we live with. He was happy to see Emma and be her great grandpa!

Having fun taking pictures! She is so cute in her new little premie outfit! (from Stephanie's mom...very nice of her:)).

Giant Carseat...

So one of the things we had to do before being able to go home was to bring our carseat in and have a trial run. Emma had to sit in it for 90 minutes and see if her heart rate and oxygen levels stayed okay. She looked SO adorable in it because she is so itty bitty in that huge carseat! She looked so confused why we would stick her in it. It was great!


These are some one month birthday pictures that Linda, one of the NICU nurses, took of Emma. I love the kissy lips pose. Can't wait to take her home very soon!

One Month Old!

Today Emma is one month old...how time flies! She is now 5 whole pounds and 17 inches long! She is doing so great. I love her so much and am so proud of her improvement. Nursing has taken a while for her to get, but she is learning. It looks like she will be coming home with us sometime next week. The nurse practioner thinks she is ready to advance in breast feeding and getting her home soon. It has seemed like a long journey, but she will be home before we know it!



I got a great shot of her searching for her pacifier to suck on...

Of few! She found it...look how content :).

She can't keep her little socks on very well. I think her feet are so adorable!

Aunt Steph got to hold her for the first time. She has visited Emma many times, but finally got to hold her. Nathan and Wills got to see Emma through the window. I should have gotten a picture of that. Wills kept knocking on the window and pointing and saying "mama" and "baby". It was so cute!

A couple nights ago, Cade got to give Emma her first bottle. He really enjoyed that.


Well, soon she can come home! We can't wait for that day. I have had many Mom's tell me, "oh enjoy the sleep right now" or "enjoy not having to find babysitters", etc. But trust me, less sleep and finding babysitters will be just fine! As long as we get to finally have her with us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cade and I had a great Thanksgiving weekend! We have so much to be grateful for during this time. This year was our turn to go down to Arizona and spend Thanksgiving with Cade's family. However, with Emma in the hospital, that wasn't possible. So Grandma and Grandpa Close came here to spend it with us and see Emma! It was so fun to have them here and they were so happy to be able to see and hold their first grandchild. We spent a lot of time at the hospital!

Doesn't grandma look so great! Emma had fun being held by her. We finally got her to wake up enough to show grandma her beautiful eyes and fun expressions.


This is Emma's new bed (well, she's been in it for about a week). She is over 4 and 1/2 pounds and is able to keep her own body temperature just fine! We are so happy she is growing so great now!


We did have fun doing other activities besides going to the hospital. We went to A Christmas Carol in 3D and had a blast. Don't we look so stylish?



Things I am especially grateful for this season:
1. Family and friends and their support and love
2. The power of prayer
3. The peace and comfort I get from priesthood blessings
4. Life itself...it is so precious

Two weeks old and growing!

Emma is a little trooper. She is doing really well. The nurse told me today that she weighs 3 lbs 14 oz...only a couple ounces and she's 4 lbs! That is very exciting, especially because babies generally lose weight in the first week or two and then start gaining after that. She is doing better with breast feeding, but is still trying to get the hang of it. She is completely off of her IV's which is great...it means that she is getting all of her feedings through the gavage tube and breast feeding. The better she continues to nurse, the less she will need with the tube and the sooner she gets to come home with us! (This is her name tag by her bed. No, Mom...it's not a fat ballerina :)).

This is the bed she's been in the last week. The nurses just say it's a much better bed for her to grow because it keeps the heat in real well and it remains quiet so she can get good sleep.

She does have an oxygen tube to help her a little. They say she'll probably get off that soon, but whatever she needs to keep her growing and healthy! I'm so grateful for amazing medical care and nurses.

This is the scale we use now to weigh her before and after feedings. The goal is that she gains enough weight after nursing that she doesn't need anymore through the tube. We are happy that Emma is growing and still healthy! We can't wait to bring her home!

"Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice"

My Mom and sisters threw me a baby shower. It was supposed to happen the day after I got admitted into the hospital. Needless to say, it couldn't happen that day anymore and so it was postponed. It was kind of late notice, so I'm happy with how many family and friends came and the way it turned out!

The amazing ladies who put on the shower...

The theme was so cute and they did such a good job making everything look so great! The invitations, decorations, food and everything was amazing!




This little lamby is Cade's all time favorite thing we have gotten for Emma...pretty sure he thinks it's his :).

My Mom hand sewed a quilt that turned out beautiful! She spent SO much time and effort on it and I love that she did that for me and Emma!


My lovely sisters whom I love...Need I say anything more? :)

Cute Little Emma...one week down!

Our first family pictures! You can see that Daddy works so hard...he definitely isn't getting enough sleep. We love our little girl and can't get enough of visiting her! I go for a couple hours every day and then Cade and I go every night together. Emma is doing really well. She has been breathing on her own now since day three. Her heart, lungs, brain, everything is really healthy. She does have to be under the lights for jaundice, but she is doing very well. Just needs to keep growing and getting bigger! It may take a while, but we are happy she is healthy and doing well!



This is what she looks like when she is under the lights. Much cuter without the head gear :).


She LOVES her pacifier. The nurse was impressed with how well she could suck for her age. I got to nurse her for the first time today. It was great!

She loves her pacifier SO much she even sleeps ON it...


Yep, she's probably going to be a daddy's girl. She loves when daddy holds her.


Grandma Bleak's first time holding her.