Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Tiger Lily

So it's been a while since I've talked about Lily. It's not that there's nothing to report-- not at all. I've just been saving up all of the news for a giant post extravaganza! (If by 'giant' I mean 'a few paragraphs' and by 'extravaganza' I mean 'one measly post'....) Anyway, for those of you who have been wondering about her:

Lily April-- almost 3 days old

She is still in the hospital getting bigger and stronger, and she was moved out of the incubator just recently into a little bed! I call her Tiger Lily now, because from what I hear, she's pretty intense (in a good way, of course). She insists on sleeping on her stomach, and if the nurses put her on her back, she'll roll herself over into her favourite sleeping position (and for those of you who don't know, that's quite an accomplishment for a 3 lb baby!)


She has been getting fed breast milk directly through a tube in her nose, but she has been building up to the 'real thing' for a while now. Previously, my family was able to offer her Q-tips soaked in my sister's milk, and little Lily would lap it up like a kitten until every last possible drop was gone. (My middle sister said Lily loved it so much, it seemed like she would even chew the cotton right off the stick if it meant getting another little drop into her mouth! CUTE!!) Anyway, this past weekend, she tried out 'real' breastfeeding for the first time and was a natural at it, some might even say a pro!


If she continues to progress as quickly as she has been, she might be able to go home earlier than expected (so some time in March rather than mid-April).


I (finally) get to see her in mid-March, when we come into Calgary for a belated baby shower. I can't wait to finally meet my little niece, and I also can't wait to get some pictures of her! Sadly, neither of my sisters own a digital camera, so the pictures so far have been few and far between. I promise that will change when I come into town!

4 comments:

Jasmine said...

Little Lily sounds like a really tough little fighter alright, soooooooo sweet!!!! Can't wait for pix!

btw I'm definitely into the 'send me stuff' game, although from here it'll have to be really small and light stuff--a flimsy little airmail envelope with one piece of paper in it cost almost 2 euros to send home. I promise I'll keep my beggings small too : )

Robin said...

Lily is as cute as a button! So glad she is healthy and that your sister will be able to breast feed her (soon hopefully!).

ink said...

The NICU is depressingly devoid of logic. There's no science to which babies make it and which ones don't. There usually isn't much the doctors can do besides support their lungs, feed them, and wait and see. But you can tell which ones are going to make it based on spirit. We call it the "will to live". Or, on the counterside, "failure to thrive." It sounds like Lily has got the fighting spirit, and based on my very very rudimentary medical knowledge, I'd give her a thumbs up. Gold star!

carmelclose said...

So glad to hear that she's doing alright. She will love her new clothes that we all made with love at Make1. Hopefully you'll have time for a Tuesday SNB when you're in town.