Little Miss Mya Moo is growing up. Not only is she getting taller, but she's full of suggestions to make life better for everyone. Brady went to visit Sophie tonight, but before he left, he put her stool in the room so she could climb into bed by herself. She liked that idea so much, that she informed me she wouldn't need it to climb up to the microwave anymore to heat up her milk (which she insists on doing herself). Instead, her daddy will lift her up every time--but not mom because she can't life Mya yet--and the stool can stay by the crib every day. Pretty ingenious problem-solving for a little kid to keep things how she likes it. Can't argue with that.
Litte Miss Sophie (or Mya-phia as Mya refers to her), is growing too. She had lost a little weight after birth, which is normal, but she's now 2 lbs. 12oz. She's already up to eight feedings a day; she eats through a tube that's inserted into her mouth down into the stomach at each feeding. She looks healthier and bigger every single day.
We've been doing "skin-to-skin" with Sophie. It's so addicting. We're only able to take her out of the incubator once a day, and only one of us is able to hold her. We usually get to hold her for about an hour, but I think the nurse thought it was so sweet when Brady held her, she let him hold her for two hours. He said his limbs were completely asleep, but he didn't care.
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As soon as we get to Sophie's incubator and start talking, her little eyes peep open and she follows our voices. She doesn't see much yet, but she can see light and dark, and will follow sounds that she recognizes. Her sense of smell is another sense that she uses more than I realized. The nurses gave us a small piece of fleece that we tucked in our shirts to pick up our scents. Sophie has it in her incubator with her now so she can recognize us that way, as well.*
I can't believe it's only been a week since Sophie way born; it seems like much longer. The truth is, it breaks my heart to be away from her. I've found myself feeling sad that my pregnancy is over--it only lasted about six months. Not that I enjoy being pregnant, but the whole experience has been very emotional. I worked so hard at staying pregnant that now I find myself forgetting I'm not pregnant anymore. I felt such a bond with Sophie as we sat in the hospital together for four weeks. And now, I feel so empty inside. I felt that way after I had Mya, but the difference is I could go pick up Mya to remind me why I wasn't pregnant. People ask me all the time how I'm doing and this is the real answer. But the good news is I know this feeling won't last forever, and I know Sophie will be home sooner than I realize, and I know she is being taken care. There's a lot to be grateful for.
17 comments:
Oh Sarah~ im sorry you have t go through this. but u are right, there is a lot to be grateful for and she IS being taken care of. please keep us posted. you are in my prayers.
Mya is such a grown up little girl! And Sophie, she looks so sweet and cuddly. I love your positive outlook on the situation. You're a great example.
congratulations on the birth of your new baby! What an experience! I love you guys!
man you got it all together girl. those pics are so precious. and mya will be the sweetest sister to her little mya-phie. already a week has past and your baby is thriving. i am so happy for you. pretty soon she will be tattling on mya for you! love you and take it easy and keep your hope up!
Those pictures are absolutely touching! Like, beautiful. I'm so impressed with you Sarah... and so glad that you're honest with yourself about what you're feeling and able to see that it's temporary. That's a huge blessing... I know a lot of women wouldn't have the strength you have! The best part of all is that little Mya-phie is being taken great care of.
Love you guys!
Your girls are darling! Isn't it crazy to think you have daughter(s) now! Sarah, you are such an amazing mom, and both your girls will be blessed by your quiet strenghth in which you exude.
Thank you for your incredible example of faith!
Love ya girl,
Karine
Oh Sarady, how emotional! I don't think words can fully express what you guys are feeling right now... Recently I met a lady (about 35 y/o) who had been born at 28 weeks. But she said she was actually the tallest in her kindergarten class. Mya-phia has wonderful, committed parents and advanced medical technology. I'm sure she will grow so well ;) When you feel down, listen to http://radio.lds.org/eng/. It will lift up your feelings :)
Sarah, this post made me bawl! No kidding. I LOVE how the nurse let brady hold Sophie for two hours and he stayed like that even though his limbs were falling asleep. When I read that I had my first snot-bubble. Thank you for the update! I love you guys. I love that little Mya moo and her ingenious ideas. Sophie is so sweet! Look at her. She is looking up at mom and she is so strong. Thanks for opening up about how you feel. I can only imagine...I am so proud of you. You are amazing.
Thanks for posting. The photos are beautiful. I've wanted to call a million times to check on you, but stop myself to give you some time to be with Mya. If you ever need a ride to the hospital or somewhere else, just let me know!
That totally makes sense that you feel empty. You had this beautiful baby in your body and now she's out and you can't even be with her very much. That would break my heart. But you guys look like you are doing so good. She does look strong. Keep it up.
Loves,
Mitzi
Thanks for being so honest. I now have a small glimpse of what it must feel like for your family. Of any family I know, you are the ones who will make it through this and grow from it. I think we call that resilience!
Thank you for your comments, everyone. I'm so glad that I have such loving and support friends and family, because I don't know how we'd survive without you!
sarah--first, congrats on the addition to your family! this post and photos are so heartbreaking (in a good way, i guess). i'm so sad for you that you've had to go through all of this, but glad that she's doing well. hope you're recovering ok from the c-section. i guess this post made me tear up because i know that feeling after having each of my kids--missing them because they weren't inside of me any more--but like you said, i was able to go pick them up. i bet those nicu nurses love her to pieces, too, when you're away. hope the staff is taking good care of you guys! and i hope you live close to the hospital. and i hope your family and ward are taking care of you, too. wish i could be there with you. {{{{{hugs}}}}} i'm sending huge hugs your way, miss sarah.
Oh my goodness gracious!! Why hadn't we heard about this sooner? I'm glad that you commented on our blog bc we had the wrong url altogether. Congratulations on the beautiful little girl. She's a survivor. Love you guys!
Thank you for updating your blog, I am thinking/praying for you all. You are amazing, missed and loved!
Sarah! My heart goes out to you. Thank you for updating us. Despite what you and Sophia have been through, you both look healthy and Heavenly Father is looking out for you. I remember leaving Dallin for the first time at the NICU, I felt like a part of me had been ripped out and had to stay behind. It was so, so hard. But it got easier. Somehow, though lots of help from up above, I was able to keep my sanity. The NICU nurses are so awesome and special. I hope that your little one gets bigger so you can hold her more often and that you can take out the feeding tube. Do you get to weigh the diapers and take her temperature? Eventually the nurses let us do that. I was fun to do all of that stuff and watch the small changes everyday. You can do this. Drop Mya by our house anytime you need some alone time with Brady!
Congratulations on the new addition! She is soooo cute! Sorry I haven't been great at keeping in touch. I hope things are going great for you all and we'll keep Sophie in our prayers.
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