One More Day?

We think Wednesday is the day!! The doctors and nurses seem very determined to get our family back together. And we are grateful...

The check list:
...Her billirubin level went down--she came out from under the lights. [check!]
...Adalynn has been eating 42 ml each feeding (veeerrrryyyy slowly, but she gets it done!). [check!]
...Her body temperature has been good because they wrap her up like a little papoose! [check!]
...And she is currently sitting in a car seat undergoing a "car seat test." The doctors have put her in there for 3 hours because that's how long our trip is back home. [almost a "check"!]

So we are hoping for another great night from Adalynn and we'll be discharged tomorrow! I can't tell you how much Tom and I pray for this to happen. We certainly want what is best for Adalynn...but we think Adalynn needs her "bubbas" and her brothers need her too! It will be six weeks tomorrow since we have all been together as a family at our home. Wow... I can't believe we made it.

More pictures of today:

Here is Adalynn when she first went down for the night. Notice how sprawled out she is under the lights.

This was funny... I woke up at around 2:30 and noticed Adalynn teetering on the edge of her little bed. She then plopped over on her back. She didn't seem to mind. I couldn't help but grab the camera. She is one wild sleeper!


I then put her back in the middle and she managed to push herself over to the side again. The night nurse said that she saw the porthole and was making her escape!


Here's Adalynn after the IVs are out, the lights gone and she has graduated to a crib (out of the incubator)! She's in real clothes!


Adalynn all snuggled up like a papoose to keep her body temperature regulated. Love this picture. She was looking at her daddy.


Daddy trying to mimic his little girl... or is it the other way around?


Aunt Cindy, Uncle Steve, Chelsea and Amberle stopped by on their way home from vacation. Their first time to see Adalynn! We then went out to a great lunch together at Terri Lynn's (restaurant recommended by Carie Whitham...it was her family's restaurant!). So yummy.


A picture of Adalynn in her crib. She is finally out of the incubator. Can't believe how far this little girl got in just one short week. We are so proud of you Adalynn! You are a true fighter!


It's unbelievable that this girl isn't even supposed to be born and yet her eyes are just so bright and her will is so strong. Truly I just gaze into the face of Adalynn and wonder what the Lord has in store for this miracle...for Adalynn Mirakel. She is a gift from Him and Him alone. I pray with all my heart that this mom doesn't get in the way of what He purposes to do in through Adalynn's life! Thank you, Lord, for letting be a part of this amazing journey.

A Feeder and a Grower

Another great day full of progress in Little Rock!

Last night, we were all (myself, Tom and the night nurse) up late just admiring little Adalynn. Tom just casually mentioned that he couldn't wait for that feeding tube to be off Adalynn's face... he said, "We haven't seen much of her since she's been born because of the tube and the bandage she has to wear for the billy lights." Well, apparently that is what the nurse wanted to hear! She started going on and on about the reason for the feeding tube was so that I could continue to nurse Adalynn while she continued to eat from another source--to avoid nipple confusion. We talked about it for awhile and we told her that we were more concerned about her getting the nourishment--we could work on breast feeding at home! So she said that she was going to do everything she could to get her eating from the bottle and get that feeding tube off by the morning! Adalynn has drained her bottles from that point on!

The doctor came by this morning and said the same thing... we want this little girl eating, growing and able to go home! In fact, we were talking about back-transporting Adalynn to a NICU in NWA and she said that I wouldn't be surprised if she does so well that we can discharge her to go home instead! UNREAL! Again, Adalynn is defying all the odds! This would obviously be our prayer... we'd love to have our new family of six together for the first time!

We just found out that she has gained her birth weight back... she's now 5'1" again! Wahoo! And she just ate a 42 ml bottle which translates to about 1 1/2 ounces (which she has for the last several bottles). That really is a lot of food for this little girl and she's so young! We are so proud of her...

So the checklist (and prayer requests) for Adalynn to go home is:

...Continue to eat on her own and maintain her weight

...Get off of the billy lights (get her billirubin level to stay low)

...Maintain her body temperature on her own--she has a heat controlled bed now. They plan to move her to a crib eventually.
...She has to sit in a car seat for a period of time and have her oxygen level checked.

More pictures from today:

This picture just cracks me up. This was one of the first times we saw her without anything on or attached to her face... look at this "little old lady" look! :)


Here is the first time that Tom has gotten to feed his little girl...


Don't know if you can see the "Popeye" expression on her face... she does that a lot!


Sleepy head. I just love this picture with sweet Adalynn and Tom feeding her. It gives you an idea how precious and little she is...


"I praise you because (Adalynn is) fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

Freedom!!

Today... after 39 days in the hospital... on my rear end, eating from the same menu each day, staring out the window at construction, looking forward to work on the computer, mail, visitors and trips to the shower each day... I was discharged from the hospital!!! Never did I think that freedom felt so good! :) Tom and I cleaned out the room and then headed out of the hospital parking lot. I was in a car for the first time since May 20th. We picked up prescriptions and then ate at a real live restaurant! Can't tell you how wonderful that was...even though it's hot in Little Rock, I didn't care. We even went out again tonight to have a Toffee Coffee Twisted Frosty from Wendy's--wow! You come to appreciate the little things...

Meanwhile, we've moved into Adalynn's room. She has a nice big room with one bed, a bathroom and shower. I get to hang here tonight. And then there are sleep rooms down the hall for the dads. It really only has a bed and a lamp in it, but Tom doesn't plan to spend much time there. He wants to be with his girls! :)

To get caught up... Adalynn has been improving each day. She was on a breathing tube right away, but they steadily reduced the oxygen and took out the tube when she was just 24 hours old. She's breathing on her own no problem! She has had up and down billiruben levels (meaning she is somewhat jaundice). She was under the lights for awhile, had them off for awhile and is now back under them through the night tonight. Adalynn's weight went from 5'1'' (birth weight) to 4'13' to 4'11' and the latest reading was up to 4'15"! She's definitely getting some nutrition! And she is a fidgety one...I imagine she's burning those calories quickly too!

At this point, they are specifically working on her learning how to "suck, swallow and breathe." She's got the breathe part down, but is working on the others. I continue to pump so that she has breast milk...and we've been working on her learning to eat from me as well as a bottle. She is getting good, I tell you! Tonight we watched her suck a bottle almost dry! Tom and I felt like brand-new, first time parents again! The sooner she learns this, the sooner we take her home!

We also talked to the doctor today and he brought up the possibility of Adalynn back-transporting up to Northwest Arkansas (and to a NICU there)! Of course, we were THRILLED by this! He said there is a lot of merit of having the family unit all back together while Adalynn was continuing to grow and develop in a NICU. We wholeheartedly agree! UAMS and this NICU have been absolutely wonderful. The staff and the facilities here are amazing. We are thankful for everything they have done for us. And we've developed quite a relationship! But we are ready to be at home...with our family... healing isn't just physical in nature...we need emotional healing too!

In spite of the transport happening, we have heard conflicting reports as to how long Adalynn could be in the NICU. We've heard 2, 3 and even 5 weeks! I'm counting on this Noble Miracle to continue to defy all odds. She is one fighter!

Here are more pictures to document our days:

Adalynn was supposed to be lying vertically in this picture. You can see that she is quite the wiggle worm. She's just laid out everywhere. The big bandage on her foot is the IV site (which they change frequently), the wires to her chest is for her heart rate readings and the tape on her nose is holding the feeding tube.




Tom and I just can't get over how she's always so laid out... no fetal positioning with this kid!


When we came back from our Frosty time at Wendy's, Adalynn had her convertible top off the incubator! We got some close up pictures...


Another picture of Adalynn's hair. It's SO soft and she has quite a bit! Our friend, Buffy, was here and she said that this girl needed a bow already!


Adalynn drinking from her first bottle! She inhaled it!


Adalynn's first burping!


Thank you friends for the continued prayers and support! I'm healing more and more each day (certainly ready for the soreness to go away) and Adalynn, of course, is doing great!

Thank you Lord--Our Great Physician!

Under the Lights

Things have calmed down considerably today... so I thought I would spend a little time catching up.

The surgery... was unlike anything I've ever experienced. For all of those that have done C-sections, I have a new respect for you. Once done, I looked at Tom and said, "I don't EVER want to do that again." The whole morning was a "hurry up and wait" scenario so it felt as though we would never get it done. They transported, we waited, they prepped, we waited, they questioned, we waited, they prepped some more, we waited... FINALLY we got in the OR. I had a spinal block and it worked for the most part, but I began to feel quite a bit during the last part of the surgery. I'm not sure that was supposed to happen. The best part was when we heard two little cries... Adalynn was born! The pediatrician and nurses whisked her away to get assessed and cleaned up. Tom got to follow Adalynn pretty soon after and was told that they thought she would be a LOT sicker after being "PROM" for so long. The doctor and nurses were pleasantly surprised.

Back in the OR, the doctors started to review my situation to see how much placenta had adhered to the uterus. It was "unusually adherent" according to the specialist (we were very thankful that he was in the surgery the entire time). But fortunately, most of the placenta came out--a small part was left in. They had to determine at that very moment whether or not to do a hysterectomy. The doctor said it was truly a miracle that they didn't have to do one. Because of the ablation, the uterus wasn't vascular enough and there wasn't much bleeding. If we would not have done the ablation, a hysterectomy would have happened for sure. And with the blood clotting disorder that I have, that would have been quite risky. Soooooo... it was a big BLESSING to have the surgery go the way it did.

Following the surgery... the morphine pump apparently stopped working. I kept asking the nurse if the medicine should be taking the edge off the pain... I just didn't feel any relief! And it got worse and worse. She kept saying to just give it a chance to start working, etc. I WAS trying to be patient, but I was QUITE uncomfortable--rather, it down-right hurt!! Finally, Tom went out in the hall and found a different nurse and asked her to come in and see if there was a problem with the morphine pump. She came in, looked at it and said, "this pump is not even on!" UGH! I think it had been over an hour at this point PLUS the discomfort during the surgery... needless to say, I was pretty uncomfortable. So this wonderful, dear and very patient nurse reset the machine and got the drip to finally work. Relief came. Whew. I'm sure I wasn't very good company up to that point! :) I was only supposed to be in recovery for an hour and we ended up being there for three. Lots of ice chips were consumed...

They took me back to the room at this point and Adalynn had gone to the NICU. Tom, the boys, Mom and Dad all got to see her there. The doctors and nurses kept a close eye on her, she had a breathing tube and was hooked up to a billion things... She also showed signs of jaundice so they needed to stick her under the "lights" to get her billiruben level right. She looked like she was on a tropical vacation! And getting quite a tan...

Notice her sunglasses, the tropical lights and how she's reclining... :)


Adalynn's vital sign monitor. Top number is heart rate, next one is oxygen level and the bottom number is her respiration's per minute.


Adalynn's foot with a little oxygen sensor. I just love her toes and feet!


Tom and I finally got to hold Adalynn in the middle of the night (12 hours following surgery). That was a sweet, sweet moment getting to spend that time with our little girl...

We'll get caught up more tomorrow, but in the meantime, I wanted to say a special Happy Birthday to my oldest baby, Crist. He's a big 14 today! Can't believe our boy is 14 years older than his brand new baby sister. Crist is having a special day with his brothers, cousin Miranda and his grandparents--going to the lake, pontoon boat and Shogun tonight. I'm so thankful for Memaw and Grandpa making his day so special when Tom and I aren't able to be there. Once again, this is probably the hardest summer ever...being apart from family, missing events. Crist knows that we are planning a special birthday for him when we get home. I miss my boys.

Birthday cake hand delivered to the NICU by Lindsey Phillips on behalf of the entire Phillips family... what a treat! Thank you, once again, Phillips family!


Tomorrow I'll be checking out of my hospital room and checking into Adalynn's... I'll write more then...

Baby Pics!

Hello family... Well, it's been a roller coaster ride following the C-section. Medications didn't work following surgery, not sleeping much when they did, getting to see Adalynn around 1am, hearing that the surgery itself was a miracle and just short of a hysterectomy... But I wanted to include some pictures of our Mirakel. Elizabeth, thank you for your amazing words and wisdom. You should be writing for Southern Living, my friend... I have always admired how you express yourself in words! Thank you for helping us in sharing the joy of our little girl to the world... I'm just so thankful to you! (I'll always be indebted to Elizabeth as she helped me get into the "blog world." This has been such therapy for me, and hopefully a wonderful baby book for Adalynn!)

I know I'm super duper biased...but I think Adalynn is just beautiful. Her skin color, her eyes, her hair, her perfectly shaped head, her cute little lips... she's an angel! She was a little jaundice and they've had to keep her under a "sun lamp"...so her skin is a little red in these pictures. But I think you can tell that she's got a proud mom and dad!

Adalynn on her birthday... They have kept a breathing tube in her since she went into the incubator. But we hear that she is doing so well, she will be breathing on her own tonight (6-25)


Me getting to hold her for the first time (1:00 in the morning!). She never closed her eyes...her baby blues just locked with mine the entire time!



Everyone's been asking about her hair...what color?, how much? Here's a picture of the back of her head, and this was after she had a bath. I think she's got her momma's and her big brother Dane's hair!


Proud Daddy... this was his first time to hold his baby girl!




Adalynn, we are just so proud of you. The nurses in the NICU said that they NEVER thought you'd be doing this well after being in the womb for five weeks with very little amniotic fluid! You are such a fighter. And once again, you've overcome any kind of odds that were against you! You, our girl, are a Noble Miracle!

More News About Adalynn

Tom says, "All is well with both Adalynn and her mother. Karen is resting and is excited about visiting Adalynn in the NICU tonight around midnight. This will be her first time to see her since delivery. Adalynn is doing very well. All her vital signs are great. We should know more tomorrow about how long her stay will be. Thanks again to all of you for the prayers. They were most certainly answered today. God bless all of you." What great news!

Remember those first few hours after delivery? Everything's a blur. Nurses in and out constantly. Vital signs checked and checked. Privacy, limited. The recovery. Away from home. While exhausted, adrenaline flows through the veins because you've just given birth and in Karen's case, you're desperate to see your beautiful miracle and hold her close.

Now, think about Karen and all the stacks of science that said Adalynn shouldn't be born today. How big is our God? Thank Him for this and for being the God of details while forming Adalynn's every fiber, for Karen's health, for today and for the days to follow when the Olsen's transform into a family of six. Ask Him for moments of priceless alone time, where this event can sink in to Tom and Karen's hearts forever as they study their baby girl's fingers and toes, the curve of her lips, the way she draws her legs to her chest, her grunts. Tom and Karen, drink deeply these moments and may you love deeply, each other, Adalynn and your boys, like never before.

Olsen family, we love you, are celebrating with you and give thanks to God for this day.

Adalynn Mirakel Olsen is Here!

At 12:50 pm, Tom got the word out that Adalynn Mirakel Olsen has arrived at 5 lbs. 1 oz. and both she and Karen are doing well! Tom says, "Yeah, God!!!" I second that.

As soon as more details or photos come, they will be posted here. So, come on back, ya hear? In the mean time, pray for a steady and smooth recovery for Karen and strength for sweet little Adalynn. She's going to need it with all those strapping lads loving on her constantly! I guess that's what a mother's tender touch is for. Can't you just imagine how loved this little girl, this miracle, is going to be?

Thanks be to God! She is here!