Riley is 1 month old!

Wow...I know I've said this before, but it's amazing how fast time is flying. As of just a few minutes ago (8:49pm) Riley was officially 1 month old. And as of last night, she was almost exactly a pound heavier than birth - around 3lb 4.5oz. Just looking at her, and comparing to pictures from birth, its awesome to see how much she has improved. Her skin color is more "normal", her whole body just seems more filled out, and her face is looking good too.

Riley had her first eye exam the other day. They were testing for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). This is somewhat common in premature infants, due to the amount of oxygen they are receiving - it can cause extra oxygen in the eyes, which results in extra blood vessels forming, which can detach the retinas. Laser surgery can fix this, but luckily Riley passed the test and won't need that. They will check this once again in a few weeks, but just like the other tests, its rare for something like this to occur after a negative test.

When we were up there today, one of the doctors gave us a complete run-down of Riley's condition in every category. She is ahead of the game in weight gain, feedings, size, and overall development. Her lungs are still a little behind, but she hasn't had as many instances of de-sat lately, and the seizure activity has stopped, from what they can tell. They had to turn up her PIP today, but since doing that she has been very stable. They are still very hopeful that over the next week she'll be weaned back down and have that ventilator out soon. Given her growth, that creates some optimism in this area. If she can remain stable through her handlings, we should be able to start doing some skin-to-skin.

Since everyone has been asking, here are a few photos of the nursery. Thanks again to the Grandmas for all their help getting it together. It's still a mess, as we've been sorting through all the stuff from the shower, getting furniture put together, and also purchased some more barely-used "hand-me-downs" from some friends tonight. Just need Riley to be there to complete it now!





I know I don't say this enough, but thank you to all who are sending in your thoughts and prayers, and the many who have stopped by to help us in many different areas. We are extremely appreciative and have felt very loved lately.