Emma's First Week in the NICU

Emma is a fighter! She has had a great first week in the NICU and continues to get stronger and stronger everyday,

I was discharged from the hospital on Monday night and it was the hardest thing to walk out of the hospital not carrying my baby with me. I didn't want to leave the hospital parking lot and driving away to where I couldn't see the building anymore was so painful. I don't understand why God continues to throw us curveballs however Rett and I have grown stronger individually and as a couple because of it- and I wouldn't trade that in for the world.

Emma is our perfect little angel and we can't wait until the three of us can hang out as a family at home, show her her room and hug and kiss on her all of the time.

In her week in the NICU she has been a champion for her doctors and nurses. One of the neonatalogists calls her "his little rockstar." And one of her nurses, Jamie, has put a sticker in her isolette that says "The Queen." That is for sure! She is in charge and already has us all wrapped around her little finger.

Here are some of our favorite moments from this week:

1. We call her "our little monkey" as she found one of her tubes in her isolette and looked like she was hanging from it and doing pull ups
2. Her first smile while Daddy was holding her
3. Mommy giving kisses on her head and Emma giving kisses back to Mommy on her chest (she even gave me a little hickey)
4. Graduating to the big girl side of the NICU
5. Reaching her hand out to me when I say goodnight to her
6. Sleeping with her blanket so I could smell her all night long
7. Calling each night before we go to bed to check on her
8. And my favorite...Kangaroo Treatment which is skin to skin time where we can cuddle for an hour

Today will be a hard day as Rett returns to work and I will be at the hospital by myself until he can join me for her early evening feeding. And Tuesdays continue to be chemo days however it is hard to focus on myself now as all I can think about it getting to Emma and helping her get stronger every day.

Here are some photos from the week.

we love snuggle time

mini me

monkeying around

Three generations and Double Pi Phi Legacy

big smiles

Our Family dressed in PINK

Emma's isolette with her name and photo of mommy and daddy

1 week old!

great feeding with Daddy!

Love,
Jenna and Rett