"Our Normal Life"

LB even got her first mani during her stay.

When I created this blog years ago, I titled it "Our Normal Life" as a simple play on the fact that we live in Bloomington-Normal, IL. The past couple months have been anything but normal, which would typically be just fine with me, except when the topic is having children. In that case, normal is ideal.

Though it has been a bit of a roller coaster, the past two months have also been a lot of fun. After our last week-long stay in the hospital, I'm hopeful that the next couple months with Linden will be more "normal" than the last. And I feel good about that prospect because during our time in Peoria at the Children's Hospital, we were able to take a few more steps toward normal.

Grandpa Miller celebrating his b-day with his first grandchild.

Regular eye check-ups come standard with the preemie package because using oxygen early in life can lead to an increased chance of retinopathy of prematurity (rop). According to the National Eye Institute (NEI), ROP can lead to blindness in one out of 48 infants weighing less than 2.7 pounds (1,251 grams) at birth. Stevie Wonder is the most notable public figure with blindness from ROP. Linden would need eye check-ups until the blood vessels in her eyes have matured. She had one in the NICU, another out-patient in Peoria, and we anticipated having to continue check-ups in Peoria every two weeks for a few months, or until her eyes fully matured. While she was in the hospital, we were able to get another check-up and learned that her eyes are good to go! No more appointments needed until 6 months from now. One more concern crossed off our list of worries. 

Extreme close-up!

As readers of this blog already know, RSV is what we're most concerned about protecting Linden from these next few months. RSV is a common virus that's easily transferred from November through March. Linden's low birth weight qualified her for access to, and insurance coverage for, the synagis shot which helps reduce risk of contracting RSV. Every doc we've talked to has warned us that we have to be diligent about working with our insurance and medical suppliers to ensure that Linden receives these monthly shots. So, we asked about them while we were in the hospital and were able to secure her November dose before we were discharged. 

The only issue was that she seemed to have a bit of a reaction to the shot. An hour after she received it, she became very distraught and wouldn't take her bottle (the first time this has happened in her short life). We ended up staying one more night than we had planned, but that was okay by us. It meant that when we drove home on November 15, we were confident that Linden was in good health. 

LB's favorite things: Mom, bottle,
reflux-preventative incline. In that order.
That blue bag is her monitor.

In other news, Linden has continued to put on weight and is now over 7 pounds! She has officially outgrown her "preemie" clothes and is starting to work her way through all the newborn outfits. If it weren't for the smart monitor which tethers her to within 10 feet of a wall outlet at all times, Linden would most certainly pass on the streets as a typical newborn. 

We love her lots and she seems to be taking to us as well. Her favorite time to be awake is from midnight to three in the morning, so we're adjusting to that schedule as we work on adjusting her to being awake when the sun is out. But, hey, there's nothing more normal than your newborn turning you into a sleep-deprived zombie, am I right?