I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

Sadly, Mark had to leave his girls and get on a plane to return to Guam.

• Katelee is doing well now. We do have to wait until her birth certificate is officially filed (expected this week) before applying for a passport (4 - 8 weeks). Then, she can travel the globe! She had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and she is up to 4 lbs, 10 oz. Thus, she is gaining about 1/2 oz per day.
• Olivia is still doing a great job of being a big sister. She loves to hold, touch, and kiss Katelee. She seems to have an incredible, nurturing disposition. She probably gets that from her mom.
• And, of course, Courtney is a wonderful mother and wife. Sleep deprivation doesn't seem to slow her down at all!!!

Needless to say, we are disappointed to spend Christmas apart this year, but we are blessed to have supportive family helping. We are thankful for all the help.

Big Smiles

Santa Claus

Olivia visited Santa at the Mall tonight. It took some bartering to even get her close to him. First, her cousin had to come with her. There is safety in numbers.

Second, Santa had to agree not to say, "Ho, Ho, Ho." We have no idea why this one was a critical item, but Olivia thought "Ho, Ho, Ho" was too scary.

Santa agreed, and the two entered Santa's lair. CJ, her cousin, was quite brave and hopped right onto his lap. However, Olivia kept her guard.

r Sitting on his lap? Out of the question.
r Standing within his reach? No way!
r Sit on a stool at his feet? Maybe.
a Move the stool out a little bit and touch it with her hand while smiling for the camera? Ok!!! This certainly seemed safe enough.

Santa was nice enough to give Olivia a book before she left. And, Olivia finally felt safe enough to tell her mother to tell Santa what she wants for Christmas -- a HORSE. Then, she questioned why Santa didn't give her a horse right then. But, a trip to Chuckee Cheese helped ease the disappointment. We did get one of the best pictures of Olivia at Chuckee Cheese, and we'll post that tomorrow.

Cookies!

Cookie Monsters

Turning the Corner toward Christmas

Olivia puts her painted hands on the Christmas tree skirt

Katelee makes her mark too

Time to decorate the Christmas tree

Turkey Day Crash

Grandpa & Katelee watching football

Thanksgiving Blessings

All the grandkids at the Mitchell's Thanksgiving Feast!

Olivia vs. Turkey Leg at Grandma Donner's
Winner: Olivia

Olivia vs. Pumpkin Pie
Winner: Pumpkin Pie

No Turkey for me?!!
I'm so hungry I could eat this hand!

Build A Bear

As part of Olivia's "I'm a big sister" initiation, Grandma and Grandpa took her out to find a doll/stuffed animal. They went to a Build A Bear store.

Can I have the Bear?

Ok, no Bear? I'll take a cat.

Now, time to give this cat a cool name . . . like Gilbert!
*Gilbert comes from the cartoon Caillou

Every good cat needs some blue PJs

Ta-Da! Meet, Gilbert the Cat!!!

Out of Here

Well, we are out of here (noon on Tuesday)!

Olivia was quite excited to be able to hold Katelee. She wants to hold her hand, pat her head, and love on her.

Failure

Katelee had her car seat test today. Unfortunately, she did not study hard enough. Her oxygen levels kept dipping below 90%.

But, with some good prayers, she is still allowed to go home. She'll just go home in a sleep carrier. She's taking after her older sister!

Success

Night 1 in the Care-By-Parent room was successful. Katelee ate every three hours. The nurse checked on her at 2:30 and she had lost just a bit of weight, but she was not overly concerned. Katelee woke up with a big appetite this morning. The best aspect of the room? No windows! It is so nice and dark! Our hospitality room had a huge window with a sheer curtain and large street light positioned outside of it. It was also located on the other side of the hospital, which meant a long trek for Courtney, which meant less sleep. So, everybody is happy!!!

Changing Rooms

Great Aunt Vicki and Grandma Donner visited today. This is the same Aunt who used to give Mark swirlies, so Olivia and Katelee were warned.

We learned Katelee is graduating ahead of schedule into another room. The private room is complete with TV, refrigerator, and a set of parents. She will reside in this room for 2 days. If she continues to gain weight, not get caught smoking or drinking, and behaves herself, she will be allowed to leave the hospital.

Grandpa visits Katelee in her new room.
Look Grandpa, no wires or feeding tubes or monitors!

Cha Cha Chimps

Olivia, Dangles (the chimp), and Mom enjoy Cha Cha Chimps
(a definite recommend!)

Post #101

Angels watching over me

Sister Time

Introductions

Katelee, meet Grandma Donner

Olivia, meet your new little sister

Katelee, meet your family
No, your sister usually doesn't wear a mask

World, meet a bundle of trouble!

13 Nov 07 Update

Katelee graduates to big preemie clothes after her IV lines are removed. She still has monitor wires attached though.

You like my new duds?

Debbie is taking good care of me, but she gets me frustrated as she rubs my head to keep me awake during feedings. And, she keeps sticking me with needles! Other than that, she is ok.

Olivia Time

In order to get some good Olivia time, we escaped from the hospital to the ADHD nightmare of Chuck E Cheese's! It turned out to be a great outing. Courtney ate all the pizza and ordered dessert, Mark played all the games, and Olivia crawled through the free tubes (after we bought 25 tokens). She did enjoy several of the games, the mechanical singing animals, and Mom & Dad time. We brought some pizza back for Katelee, but she was sleeping and could not eat it.

Olivia Attacks Dad at Air Hockey

Clifford The Big Red Dog (one of Olivia's favorite cartoons)

Mom & Olivia pose at the Sketcher Picture Machine

Olivia has been practicing "I Love You" through the window to Katelee

Great Grandma Visit

So, this is who I got half my name from?

Granna (Kathron) visits

New Pics

All this baby stuff just wears me out.

The Latest

Miss Katelee continues to grow and learn. She tried breast feeding a little again today, and she decided it wasn't so bad. She didn't eat too long that way, but she did get some milk. Her intake is being increased each feeding now, and she is up to 17 cc.

She was given some clothes to wear today, and her temperature inside her isolated crib will slowly be lowered. This is in an attempt to eventually move her to an open crib.

Olivia continues to do well with all the transition. We are hoping to introduce the girls face to face tomorrow. One of the pediatricians said we might be able to swing that for a few minutes. We'll be sure to get lots of pics of that.

Right now, sleep is the hot commodity. We visit Katelee every 3 hours for about an hour. Then, Courtney has to pump, which takes 15 - 30 minutes. That gives about 1.5 hours before doing it all again. We are fortunate enough to have great nurses take care of Katelee during the midnight hours, so we don't have to make those times (although Courtney still does sometimes).

Courtney also continues to heal nicely. We were blessed to be given a hospitality room at the hospital while Katelee is here. It is on one wing, so it takes some walking to get back to the NICU. Thus, Courtney is getting her walking done.

Thanks for all the prayers!

Feeding Time

Well, feedings have gone relatively well. The girl can put down some milk very quickly. They started her with only 5 cc of milk, and they go up 1 cc every 2 feedings. So, she is up to 10 cc now. Unfortunately, she gets a little tired before being able to finish it all. So, they had to insert a tube to feed her. We'll continue to try bottle feeding, but the tube will supplement what she lacks. And, Courtney will begin breast feeding once per day.

Men at Work

Look like Dad?

Chow Time

Grandpa's Turn

Post-Lunch Crash