She's been moving and squirming quite a bit, and seems to have more "intentional" and fluid movement. Tonight, she opened her eyes quite a bit while we were doing her regular changing, and at one point she was looking wide-eyed at me and it really felt like she knew what she was looking at. All the times before when she opened her eyes, they weren't in focus with each other, and it really didn't appear that she was looking at anything in particular. I tried to snap a few photos, but the only one that turned out decent was an earlier one when the nurse was helping "pose" her for a picture. You can see her dark eyes though, just like her mom.
Her oxygen levels still seem to vary from day to day, so we don't know when we'll be able to start holding her. It seems like once they get low enough, the next day she goes back up. She's doing well in every other area but hasn't had much consistency with the ventilator. We're still holding out hope to be able to do a little "skin-to-skin" holding before she hits the one month mark next week. In the meantime, we'll just have to settle for the minimal "hand-hugging" we get to do. As frustrating as it is to not be able to pick her up, we still get quite a bit of satisfaction sitting there and staring at her while she sleeps. At the end of the day, we know that we'll do whatever she needs to continue thriving - and if that means no holding, then we are fine with that. They'll be plenty of time for that later on.
What an amazing picture with her eyes open!!!
ReplyDeleteRiley reall has come a LONG way! Each day is just a blessing!
LOVE YOU, RILEY
Grandma Ginni
Three weeks... hard to believe, but she has grown so much! :) It's nice to see her little eyes open. Such a sweet little angel :)
ReplyDeleteLove you Riley!!!
Love you Pam, Joey, and Baxter!!
It was great to see and be able to touch Riley this weekend. I am sad that my next opportunity may be a long time away. I think about you every day! It was also fun to play with Baxter! He seems to be doing well, despite all the craziness going on. Hope you all have a great week and that very soon, you're able to hold your beautiful baby girl! Love you all!
ReplyDeleteAuntie Nikki
Great picture! Thanks again for taking us up to see her this past weekend. We'll make another trip down before the end of the summer I hope!
ReplyDeleteHello Joe and Pam,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to send you a short note to let you know you are my thoughts and prayers. I am a friend of Cristal's from work who went through the exact SAME...and I mean, so, far it seems like I'm reading my own blog SAME thing you guys are going through.
My baby was born at 28 weeks at 1 lb 5 oz. She turned 18 months old on the 17th of this month and today, for the first time ever, she walked.
So, please take heart when I say...it WILL get better. My Jade was born on December 17th and came home on March 1st...but it varies kid to kid...in total she was in the hospital for 2 1/2 months. If Riley keeps improving at her current rate, she should be on the same time as my little one or even faster!
Jade was on oxygen until June 1st, but today, you wouldn't even know she was premature.
Having run this gauntlet...if you ever have any questions or concerns you'd like to know if I went through, please feel free to send me a message via facebook or my email jadengems@cox.net
Christal is a good friend and she is the one that told me about you guys. Preemie parents have to stick together for support. So, please let me know if there is anything I can do to help!