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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

To Do List

To Do List for the Day

1. Turn Olivia into an Angel

2. Introduce Olivia to Katelee

3. Begin feeding Katelee

#1. a

#2. a

#3. a(with a vengeance)

Successful Day a

Let's Try a Video

Short video of a sweet cry

Latest Pics

First Cuddles

Dozing

Comfy

A Baby Story

November 5th, 2007

It was a dark and stormy night . . .

Wait, it was a beautiful Autumn day in the Ozarks. Courtney had a doctor's appointment scheduled for 1:30 with the intent to monitor Katelee and get another ultrasound. However, she started experiencing 1-sided contractions around noon. Medication seemed to stop them a little bit though.
We arrived at the doctor's office on time and Courtney was hooked up to the monitor. They noticed Katelee's heart rate kept dropping with each contraction. So, they decided to do a bio-physical profile ultrasound to evaluate her stress level. A keen ultrasound tech spotted a mass, which turned out to be a blood clot. The doctor said, "Prepare for a baby!" He said a C-section was likely today.
So, we were whisked off to Labor & Delivery for some more monitoring about 2:00 p.m. They hooked up heart monitors again to Courtney's belly and immediately witnessed a severe deceleration. In seconds, Ninjas jumped from every closet to poke and prod Courtney and prep her for operation. The baby was going to be delivered NOW.
After being prepped, she was taken to the Operating Room, given a spinal block, and waited for Mark to arrive. Meanwhile, Mark waited patiently in a room wearing scrubs like a second string quarterback waiting for his number to be called. When the moment arrived, he entered the OR to see the docs scalpel-happy and starting without him. Meanwhile, Courtney was lying on her back with a curtain wall over her chest just smiling. Good thing she couldn't see beyond the curtain!
The operation didn't take long, and Katelee was pulled out at 1531. She was handed off to the pediatrician, who wiped her clean, sucked out gunk from her mouth, and then used a respirator bag to get her breathing. It was a nice cry to hear after about a minute. Meanwhile, Courtney continued to smile behind the curtain as they started stitching her belly back together. Mark bounced between Courtney and Katelee, and he showed off his Proud Papa skills by cutting the umbilical chord.
Finally, Courtney was put back together, and she was able to hold Katelee briefly. Then, Katelee was taken quickly to the NICU to help with her breathing. We were out of the OR by 4:15 p.m.

Katelee continued to have labored breathing throughout the day. They placed her under an oxygen hood and gave her up to 60% oxygen. They also had to give her a blood transfusion due to a loss of blood (refer back to the blood clot observed by the ultrasound tech) from the placenta abruption. Finally, around 7:00 p.m., they decided she needed to be placed on a ventilator. They also gave her Surfactin to help her lung development. This seemed to help her relax and sleep.

November 6th
Katelee is still on the ventilator, but she is breathing normal oxygen levels. They say she may come off of the ventilator today. Her parents had their first diaper change today. Have you ever seen black tar? Our baby is pooping black tar. Momma is recovering nicely, but she sure is loopy from the drugs! Olivia can't wait to get her hands on Katelee, but the NICU has a no-kids policy. So, for now, she observes through the window. As for Daddy, he's just glad he was here.

Tale of the Tape

Born
Olivia Grace Taylor: Feb 5th, 2005
Katelee Sarah Taylor: Nov 5th, 2007

Week of Pregnancy
Olivia Grace Taylor: 33 weeks, 4 days
Katelee Sarah Taylor: 33 weeks, 3 days

Time of Birth
Olivia Grace Taylor: 9:31 a.m.
Katelee Sarah Taylor: 3:31 p.m.

Weight
Olivia Grace Taylor: 4 lbs, 6 oz
Katelee Sarah Taylor: 4 lbs, 6 oz

Place of Birth
Olivia Grace Taylor: Warrensburg, MO
Katelee Sarah Taylor: Springfield, MO

Beauty Shots

Daddy's Ring

Holding Hands

Wrapped

Close Up

Visitors

Proud Momma

Grandma Mitchell

Uncle Matt

Grandma Donner


Big Sister Olivia (from the viewing window)

And Grandma Donner and Grandpa

Aunt Sara

Welcome to this World

Introducing . . .

Miss Katelee Sarah Taylor

33 weeks, 3 days

4 lbs 6 oz

18 inches

Born at St. John's Hospital, Springfield, MO

@ 3:31 p.m.

via C-Section

November Ducks

Olivia and Mark headed to Branson to spend the night with Grandma Donner. We snagged some tickets to Ride the Ducks on Friday afternoon. Olivia even earned an Honorary Captain Certificate for driving the Duck on the water.

No, you can't bring it home.

Driving the Duck

Mark, Olivia, & Quacker

More pics are on our Photo page.

Post Halloween Crash

We put Olivia to bed, but this is what we found when we checked on her.

Halloween Part III -- The Final Scene

The Deadly Pink Spider picks its location of opportunity carefully. In this rare photo, she is seen at the Battlefield Mall roaming from vendor to vendor with her jack-o-lantern, setting her trap with a sly smile, a soft "trick or treat," and an eager bag thrust toward her prey.

While the spider may conquer quickly, her endurance is limited. She must pace herself with well timed moments of rest. This does make her vulnerable to the jealousy and envy of other competitors who admire her beauty. If seating is unavailable, the spider will climb on top of her father or grandpa in order to move throughout her environment.

Finally, the night is complete as the deadly pink spider sheds her skin and takes account of her loot. In the next moments, she will inhale the sugary sweets, run around in circles for 2 hours howling, and then pass out for the evening. And she knows . . . tomorrow is another day, but there is only one Halloween per year -- the night of the Deadly Pink Spider!

Halloween Part II -- The Deadly Pink Spider

Rarely seen in its natural habitat, the deadly pink spider is seen here being lured out by sugary sweets. While she looks innocent enough, her ferocious appetite for candy is enough to send this smiling arachnoid into a terrible tantrum if not satisfied.

The deadly pink spider can be seen here preparing to pounce.

Here, the deadly pink spider has captured her prey. The next few minutes will involve the spider squeezing the neck of her prey until he is unconscious.

Halloween I -- The Jack-O-Lantern

First, you pick a good pumpkin

Second, you let daddy handle the cutting

Third, you pull off the top, see the gunk inside, and decide you are not going to stick your hand in there because it will get all icky!

Finally, you take credit for your jack-o-lantern.

Back in MO

Well, I have arrived. I was able to catch a plane from Guam to Travis AFB as a medical escort for a patient. Then, a few frequent flyer miles got me to Springfield. I left Saturday morning, got to Travis AFB Saturday morning, slept for a few hours, caught a red-eye to DFW, and flew into Springfield on Sunday. Needless to say, Courtney and Olivia were excited to welcome me. It is Wednesday now (Halloween), and I'm still recovering from jet lag. I went to bed last night at 8:30 and got up this morning at 4:30, but it is getting better.

We have had a couple doctor appointments while I've been home. All looks good, and now it is just a waiting game. Courtney is on full bed rest and popping anti-contraction pills like M&Ms.

Speaking of M&Ms, tonight is Halloween. Olivia will be dressed in her pink spider costume. Of course, we'll be sure to get pictures. Until then, enjoy this one:

Good news

Well, Courtney got to come home from the hospital today. The doctors decided nothing was really changing that much, so why keep her? The biggest concern was Katelee's heart rate dropping during contractions, but they did a biophysical ultrasound to monitor her, and I guess she passed. She didn't ace it, but we'll make her study harder next time! Courtney is quite happy to be home. It is a little tough on Olivia having mom home without being able to play though. Don't worry . . . dad is on the way! Hopefully, all plane connections will be made with ease!

Here's a fun pic we took one night in August after putting Olivia to sleep.

Weekly Update

Courtney has been enjoying the lovely walls of St. Johns hospital this past week. She went in on Tuesday due to contractions, and they have kept her there for monitoring. The plan at this point is to keep her over the weekend and continue monitoring. She is still only dilated to 1 cm, and she is 70% effaced at this point. They also did a biophysical ultrasound to monitor Katelee, and she scored a 6/10. Not sure exactly what that means, but they weren't worried.

As for Mark, the plan is for me to head out of Guam starting next weekend. I'll try to catch a hop (a military flight), which can be tricky sometimes. But, this is not the busy season, so there should be plenty of seats available. Where those planes are going is the important part! So, this may be a busy week preparing to leave. The plan is to stay through November and return at the end of the month. I'll have to work through December, but then I'll come back and get the whole family when they are ready to return.

No pictures this week, but if you just have time to spend, Blogger has a new toy allowing you to see everyone's pictures: http://play.blogger.com/.

We'll keep you posted on new developments!

Mid October

Well, it has been about a week since the last post. Not much is new. The latest was a late night last night for Courtney. She called me late (her time) with contractions. After a bath didn't calm them down, she visited the hospital. Unfortunately, the contractions had caused a little bit of dilation, but some meds helped stop the contractions for a while. She has now been put on bed rest with orders to avoid chores and relations. She is at 30 weeks, so needless to say, Katelee needs to cook a bit longer. They did give her some steroids to help with lung development.

Saying Goodbye at the Airport

We were able to webcam a bit this week, which was nice. Granted, I get the better end of the deal since Courtney sees me in the morning (not pretty) and I see them in the afternoon (very pretty). Olivia read a book about a horse named Lucille to me.

Grandpa & Olivia at the Zoo

Coping

Holding Grandma Donner's Kitty

A month has passed since leaving Guam. Of course, Mark returned after a couple of weeks, but how are Courtney and Olivia adjusting? Mark & Courtney talk nearly every day, and Olivia wants to talk sometimes. Courtney has become involved in a Bible study, as well as a play group. They have also gone to Barnes & Noble to read, created a care package for daddy, and visited the zoo!

Tigers!

Courtney told the story of overhearing Olivia rocking a toy baby to sleep. She was comforting the baby by saying, "It's ok. I know you miss your daddy. He has to work though." She has been a bit more vocal lately saying she wants to come home.

Baking cookies for Daddy's care package

But, it isn't all bad. They are having a lot of fun. They just returned from a weekend in Branson with Grandma Donner and Grandpa Joe. They also got to swim at the hotel pool. Courtney is now 29 weeks pregnant. Can you tell? She continues to have contractions, but nothing is changing. That is good.

Basketball Belly

As always, see more pictures at Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/taylormadefamily/

Another Week

Hello! It is Sunday afternoon in Guam. I just returned from church and grocery shopping. It has been a busy week here in Guam after a helicopter crash. It is a stark reminder of the risk our pilots and aircrew have, even when training.

We had a great marriage retreat on Saturday called Heart of the Father. 23 couples joined us at a local hotel. My part was Christian Romance, and I think it went well. Courtney was originally supposed to co-teach with me, but they pushed the date back, and she had already returned State-side.

Courtney is doing well, despite missing her husband! She had a doctor appointment yesterday, and all is still well. Even though she continues to have contractions daily, they are not changing anything. So, just part of this pregnancy. Olivia misses her daddy. She constantly asks when she can go home to Guam. Of course, she is having fun too. Yesterday, they went to the zoo. Today, they went to watch her cousins play football. Courtney and her have found a playgroup to attend, and Courtney has found a Bible study with other moms.

I found this article interesting:
The world's tiniest baby - meet the 10oz bundle of defiance

Amazing pictures!

I'm Back / They Aren't

Well, I had to say goodbye to the family on Sunday to return to Guam. It was tough. I returned to work on Wednesday a bit jet lagged and with a bit of a head cold.

The time at home was good though. We were able to play tourist in Branson. We went to Wings of the World, where Olivia got to be in a "magic show." We also went to the Butterfly Palace. Then, Grandma Donner took Olivia for the night so Courtney and I could have a night on the town together. We ate at Red Lobster, went to see the Pierce Arrow Show, and stayed at the hotel.

We were also able to enjoy some good family dinners. We may have just eaten the whole time we were there!

Of particular note, we were able to have another ultrasound -- this one in 3D. You can see all the great pictures by clicking the Photos link on the right.