Life of Riley: 20 weeks old

Sorry its been over a week since I posted, the evenings have just been going by too quickly and I haven't taken the time. Last Tuesday, we went to see Dr. Riva, the pulmonary specialist. Didn't find out too much new information, but she did say that she didn't foresee any long-term problems with Riley, other than her likelihood to have asthma and be prone to lung disorders as a youngster. She also told us we could shut the monitor off during the day. We turned up her O2 level a bit, as Dr. Riva said she would rather her saturation be high all the time, than occasionally dipping low as it did on the lower setting. Since the monitor misfires more than anything when she is awake and active, she said we are a better monitor than the machine. So as a result, we only need it when we "aren't paying attention" (i.e. when we are sleeping). We will go back in two months to see her and hopefully be able to get rid of the oxygen.

Life at home as been pretty good. She is sleeping well during the night, usually about 4-5 hours at a time - and even went over 6 hours twice this weekend. This has made it pretty easy on us, since we haven't had to be in that "sleep deprived" stage at all. During the day, Pam has found ways to keep Riley occupied in her bouncy seat and swing so she can get other tasks done (laundry, cleaning, pumping, etc.) She has loved laying on her stomach and has gotten real good at holding her head up and looking around. When she isn't being fussy, she'll spend a lot of time just looking around and taking it all in. She has even begun batting at the toys hanging in front of her in her seat. She turns exactly 20 weeks old today, which is about 4 1/2 months and is about 7 weeks "adjusted age". Given her situation, she has a lot of 4 month old traits and a lot of 1 month old traits. It's been fun seeing the balance.

We were able to go through all her clothes and diapers and return a bunch of stuff last week. Found a bunch of outfits that she had already outgrown, and were able to take back all the preemie and newborn diapers that weren't opened. She is already in size 1 diapers, and her clothes are a mix of Newborn and 0-3 months, depending on the brand. Looking at those preemie onesies that we had already opened and washed, they look like doll clothes! Guess we'll try and donate them to the hospital or something.

Yesterday, she even surprised us with another milestone. She rolled over! Pam had her on her stomach with her arms under her holding her up. At one point she kind of leaned to one side and fell to her back. Not sure if this counts as "rolling over" but we'll count it! Proud of her either way.

We also want to say a huge THANK YOU to my cousins Christal and Michelle for organizing the steady flow of home cooked meals for us, and to all our friends who volunteered to help as well. Not having to worry about what or when to eat has been a huge help, and we really appreciate it.
Here's a few pics from the past week...

Aunt Laura (Pam's sister) holding Riley for the first time.