Ok Heres the lastest Update: Friday was fun. Bayley had a pretty good day. Her tummy hurt off and on but not too bad. This was a weekend full of cousins! lol (First I will point out that I dont normally mention names of the people who come see Bayley or post pics of ppl holding her because I dont wanna forget someone and hurt feelings but this one time is different because she saw her cousins all in one weekend.) Friday afternoon Alana & Brody got to see Bayley for the first time! Alana was so cute with her! She held her for a long time and even gave her a bottle. She was a pro! Brody kinda run by her every now and then and said hey. lol He is all boy and would have rather played cars than hold a stinky baby lol. He did rub her arm tho and was sweet to her....but he didnt pose for a picture lol maybe next time. Friday night was the youth lockin at church and it was so fun! I didnt stay all night but I did go for 2 different parts of it (I came home for the 10 pm bottle and then shortly after the 2am bottle) Brian stayed with Bayley & they bonded (slept) lol. I have to say the teenagers did a great job planning the lockin and I think it went over wonderful. Alex did a great job on the devotional and joey did great leading singing. We had some silly song time that was quite eventful...and if anyone missed Becky u missed a treat. lol Hannah was the highlight of the night. That has to be the happiest girl I have ever seen and she thought everyone looked very funny and had a great time laughin her head off lol. Saturday was a special day for Bayley & Becca. Becca came to see Bayley for the first time and brought Bayley a special present. Becca gave Bayley all of her paci's because Becca is a big girl now! It was so sweet. Becca even had Bayley a lil cake to celebrate! She is the cutest lil thing and Bayley is very lucky to have such great cousins! Bayley has been spitting up more than usual but other than that things have been going ok. We had a pretty lazy day (Syd slept til 4). More tomorrow.

Today was a pretty good day. Bayley had a tummy ache EARLY this morning...she woke me up at 3:30 am and didnt settle down until 4:30-5:00. We took a nap from 6:15-10:00 and it was wonderful! Bayley did good on all of her bottles except one and that one she only took 50 ml but that is still an improvement from the day before. Dr. Latona's office called today to check on Bayley & that made me feel really good about them because they obviously had her on their minds and were concerned.
Ok now for those of you who dont know there are MANY people from our church who blog...I think we are all addicted! Well Anyway, I cant remember who started it but one of them did a 100 random facts post about themself...


1 I do not like peanuts but I do like peanut butter…creamy of course.
2 I talk to my Mother everyday even if we just say hey what is going on. it is somehow still comforting.
3 I love taking pictures of Sydney & now Bayley….I know that one is shocking!
4 I love my puppy Hayley although she doesn’t think we love her as much as we did before Bayley.
5 I skipped A LOT of classes in high school…but I never left without my Mother knowing that I was leaving…I called her Daily to let her know I was gone lol.
6 I have ZERO memory on somethings but I can tell you exact details of my first date with Brian… down to what we ordered at Burger King! Lol
7 I love to hear about Sydney’s day. She tells me exact details of some things and it is fun to see what she thinks to tell me….of course she always leaves out the important information.
8 Brian is a good Daddy & Husband.
9 If I have a tummy ache I like to drink a hot can of coke!
10 I am addicted to Icee’s. We go atleast 4-5 times a week!!! We know Granny Lillian by name and even have her home phone number. I guess you could say we are good customers lol.
11 Brian cant tell the difference in a cow & a buffalo!
12 Bayley is a tiny girl but she burps like a grown man.
13 I don’t like to talk on the phone as much as I used to but I do like to talk to Cindi while I take a bath. It is a habit now!
14 Speaking of Cindi, We once hit a cow. She swears it was just a big dog but Im telling you it was not a dog or it was the biggest dog in the world. It scared me to death!!
15 I like to watch Home Improvement shows with Brian early on Saturday mornings.
16 I love Daryl being our Wednesday night teacher…he makes me laugh…sometimes even when it isn’t supposed to be funny. Silly Man.
17 I miss Camp. I havent gone in 2 years and I have hated every minute of it. I WILL be there next year!
18 I am proud of Sydney being such a good student. She works hard & constantly amazes me with what she accomplishes!
19 I love Myspace. It is cheesy but I like it.
20 I do not like feet touching me.
21 I hate to hear someone whistle.
22 I am horrible in math…Sydney passed my knowledge of Math in 3rd grade.
23 I talk to Becky almost daily. I love to hear what is going on with Rae & Emily and of course her never ending house selling woes.
24 When I was growing up, my Mamaw always had left over biscuits, ham, sausage etc on her kitchen table and we would eat on it all day long…I would NEVER even think of eating sausage these days that hadn’t been properly refrigerated…but that was the best food ever.
25 I like black clothes…shocking I know.
26 Every time we have a big storm…I call my parents to warn them that it is coming…. Yes I know they have a TV and are smart but I worry that they wont be watching.
27 I am scared of dogs…except Hayley of course
28 Sydney’s cat loves paci’s …. unfortunately for Bayley he likes HER paci’s.
29 I am not into cruelty of animals but I would like to kill Sydney’s cat sometimes.
30 I had Sydney 2 weeks late and Bayley 11 weeks early.
31 I love tomato sandwiches!
32 I miss my Mamaw & Papaw (My Mom’s parents) & would give anything for Sydney & Bayley to meet them.
33 Me & Brian are cousins…VERY distant.
34 My Mother is the baby of 7 kids & her family is the best.
35 I WAS the youngest grandchild until Lacy Duke came along and stole my title!
36 I love Lacy more than she knows!
37 My mother can do anything…literally. Change light switches, sew clothes, cook better than a chef, I cannot remember her not being able to figure out how to do something.
38 I once helped my Daddy fix a truck with a hammer and a flashlight!
39 My Mother & Daddy are great parents & grandparents.
40 I hate pumping gas and will do anything to avoid it.
41 I like the drag races.
42 I love Christmas on the River.
43 I love going on a boat ride late in the afternoon.
44 I once got BEAT…no I Don’t mean spanked I mean BEAT on the side of a highway on the way to Gatlinburg…I think me & my brother made my dad mad 1 time too many.
45 I have only been to Gatlinburg twice in my life…the second trip was definitely better than the first..lol no beating.
46 I love the beach.
47 I had a miscarriage 3 ½ years ago.
48 I am a lil obsessed with hand washing these days & keeping Bayley healthy.
49 I have had issues in the past cooking Hamburger Helper…First I decided it took too long to cook so I put Hamburger Helper Stroganoff in the crockpot and cooked it while I was at work. I came home to snot in a pot. Then I at a later date ended up cooking Beef Pasta Hamburger Helper & we sat down to eat it when Sydney noticed that somehow I had forgotten to include the MEAT in it.
50 I love to hear Sydney laugh.
51 I do not like bats..the flying kind.
52 I am scared of the dark.
53 I love to stay up late and sleep late.
54 I love to watch Sydney hold Bayley.
55 When I die I want to be taken to Billy’s shop to have my hair done!
56 My Daddy has a half sister who lives in California who is wonderful.
57 I don’t like for my Daddy to go to the doctor by himself for any appointments. Even the allergy doctor it just bugs me I think he should have someone with him.
58 I miss Dr. Kartus. I loved that man!
59 I had Pregnancy Induced Hypertension with Bayley & had to take Magnesium by IV. That is HORRIBLE medicine that literally made me feel like I was on fire…but only for 30 minutes..then it was fine.
60 I love Dr. Cecilia Stradtman. She was a great boss and is a great friend & doctor.
61 I love the man who was my anesthesiologist with Bayley.
62 My epidural wore off with Sydney & I went into shock…I did not like her Anesthesiologist.
63 I hate hospital food.
64 I had 2 c-sections & after the first 3-4 days there was little to no pain.
65 I had a wreck 2 weeks before I developed PIH with Bayley.
66 I love to watch Brian when he sees Bayley smile. He looks like a kid again.
67 I have 2 nieces & 1 nephew and I love them all.
68 Paul & Amy are expecting another baby.
69 I cant remember who started this 100 things bit but I think Im mad at them now.
70 I still feel scared daily about a lot of things concerning Bayley’s health. There are so many things that can/do effect premies until they are 40 weeks. The extreme fear has subsided but I cant help but worry about her breathing, tummy, eyes, hearing, etc.
71 I love watching Sydney play soccer.
72 I miss snow.
73 I loved being pregnant with Sydney & had no problems.
74 I love shopping at Christmas time.
75 We keep our Christmas decorations in the building out back with the lawnmower in it…so Sydney thinks Christmas smells like the lawnmower…poor thing.
76 I like real Christmas trees but wont ever have one because of Cindi’s spider disaster she had that year.
77 I hate blood pressure medicine.
78 I do not like diet drinks.
79 I love my car…even though we have had a lot of problems with it.
80 I love to have all of our laundry done…but I hate actually doing laundry.
81 I love flip flops.
82 I love our youth at church…they are all great kids and are going to accomplish many things and I pray all stay strong in the church.
83 I love to watch Bayley sleep…more specific I love to hold Bayley and watch her sleep. There is nothing more relaxing than feeling her breath and wondering what she is dreaming about.
84 If it is technical or computer related Brian has it, can fix it or can do it. It is his only hobby.
85 I played flute in Pittman Junior High Band….I HATED IT.
86 I love my mothers potato salad.
87 Sydney always gets the latest Gilmore Girls Season for Christmas and we immediately have a marathon until we have watched all of the episodes.
88 I hate the dentist.
89 I hate peas of any kind.
90 I have a wienie dog collection at work that includes art work, picture frames, stuffed animals etc.
91 I love my house…it is WAYYY too small but it is home and I feel safe there.
92 I cannot cook spaghetti without thinking about Hannah McGee…that kid loves spaghetti more than anyone on this earth.
93 I love to shop with Sydney. We like to shop around and find bargains.
94 I feel guilty buying things for myself and would much rather spend money on Sydney & now Bayley.
95 This year we didn’t go on a family vacation for obvious reasons but next year I definitely want to go on one.
96 I do not like to be hugged except by Brian, Syd and now Bayley. If I hug you consider yourself lucky because it doesn’t happen often.
97 I do not like to fly. Planes make me crazy and I don’t need help with that one!
98 I am not a good cook…see # 49.
99 I love steak …. Especially when my mom cooks it after a boat ride.
100 I worry about everything way too much but I am relieved that I finally reached #100!!!

Tuesday Wednesday

Tuesday was an ok day. We didnt get our usual nap after the 6am bottle. Bayley got a tummy ache and so we were a lil miserable for about 2 hours. She did finally settle down...then she started her newest thing which is she isnt eating good. Her 2pm & 6pm bottles she only had 30 ml instead of 70-75ml. She finally took the 10pm bottle good and she took all the ones last night good...but then today (Wednesday) she took a good nap from 6am - 9:15 then at her 2pm bottle she did it again and only took 30 ml. I decided to go ahead and call the doctor and just ask what they thought. Paulette, Dr. Latona's nurse gave me to Dr. McDaniel (Dr. Latona wasnt there) Dr. McDaniel said that she does not want her to have 2 feedings in a row that she doesnt take her appropriate amount. She told me to make sure and check frequently for temp's and make sure she is wetting diapers...but so far she is doing all of the above. She took her 6pm and 10pm bottles good so maybe it is just fluke. The hard part is Dr. McDaniel said to look for her being less energetic...OK she doesnt do anything but eat sleep poop...and occasionally look around...how am i supposed to notice her being less energetic. just another thing to add on the worry list. I hope this doesnt become a habit! That is about the only thing exciting goin on . Sydney got registered for school today. She has a killer schedule 1st Semester History Honors, PE, Freshman Studies & Algebra II with Trig honors 2nd Semester Biology Honors, English Honors, Art I, Soccer. it should be interesting to see how she handles that work load! lol Anyway More tomorrow.

Ok I typically do pics first and then blog...but i have to explain these first 2 pics! lol First thing to notice is that she has on the cute shirt that Katie gave her which sums up our days (Nothings wrong Im just testing you)... only thing is she did actually have a lil tummy ache at the time of these two pics on Sunday. Another thing to notice is the sock right above her head...that we had just taken off her because she stuck her foot in poop AGAIN! Bayley is VERY quick and these days it is hard to keep her feet out of a diaper! lol Third is check out the various types of paci's laying in her bed. lol Can u tell we encourage paci time lol. Also the culprit of the dirty sock is still in the bassinett where i decided it was picture time before i removed the diaper. lol Finally notice that our lil Diva is fussing...this isnt a full out fit but she definitely isnt a happy camper. Last but not least ... look at the 2nd picture and check out her eyes..that is the thing she always does where one eye is barely left open and the other is shut. It is really starting to bug me and I cant wait to go see the eye doctor on July 23rd to make sure nothing is wrong although I did ask Daryl Sunday and he agreed that it probably is nothing to worry about. Please dont call DHR I promise we are taking care of her...but when I got this pic on the computer and looked at it big I had to laugh.

Ok these pics are from today. Bayley had a pretty good day. Our lil fatty has increased to 70-75 ml per feeding!!! That is a big jump. She has decided she is gonna beat Lila to church in October. (We love you Lila but please hang out with mommy until your due date and be a big healthy baby girl!!! ) Bayley didnt sleep a while lot during the night last night but after her 6 am bottle...she CRASHED! We both slept good from about 6:30 am until 10. Around 11 I even got another hour nap so it was a pretty good day sleep wise. Bayley is growing like crazy...but check out this first pic when her shoulders are coming out of the neck hole of her premie gown. lol If she keeps eating the way she does she she wont be wearing this gown for long lol. Also Check out her lil fat cheeks. Today it seems like her face just looks fuller. Hopefully some of that fat will get down to her lil bird legs and arms...she could definitely use some fatty tissue on those legs before she starts getting her baby shots....And by the way .... I really think we need to buy Bayley just one more paci...she is running low. More tomorrow.

Today was a pretty ok day. Bayley started my day off EARLY.. we finally got to bed about 2:20 am....at 3:30 bayley woke up with a tummy ache...so until 4:30 i rubbed her back and rocked her and finally got her back to sleep....until 5:3o when she woke up screaming bloody murder!!! she decided that she should eat at 5:30 instead of 6:00 ughhhh so i held her off until 5:45 and then fed her... lil fatty. We got a lil sleep after that but not too much... She seemed to feel pretty ok today. Me & Syd left Bayley with Brian and went to return some stuff and get some things that we needed. We had a good time shopping for a few hours and brian did good with Bayley. When we got home we put batteries in the swing and tried her in it for a few minutes (she has only been approved to sit up for 30 minutes so we havent pushed using the swing much... we will wait to use it more when she is a lil bigger & it is safter.) Bayley liked the swing ok but she is still just too lil to appreciate it. lol Tomorrow is Sunday and Im excited bc I will go to church tomorrow night and see everyone. More tomorrow.

Thursday

Friday

so i missed yesterday..but both days were the same. Bayley is still eating 60ml at most feedings. she eats every 4 hours and sleeps a lot but mostly in our arms. lol nothing too exciting went on the last 2days but i did get svral hours of sleep. brian got the baby at 8am and i got to sleep until 12:30...yes that is 4 1/2 hours uninterrupted sleep. Things are getting into a routine...slowly... lol More tomorrow.

First, Happy 4th. Today Brian took Syd to the River to hang out with Lacy and me and Bayley stayed home and hung out. lol Bayley had a tummy ache during the day today. Bless her heart. She is now taking between 45 ml and 60 ml per feeding. Sometimes she wants all of it and sometimes she doesnt. She slept ok last night. She slept a lil better than the night before. Im starting to get my days and nights messed up so I know she has lol. The only thing exciting that happened today is that Bayley finally can keep her paci in her mouth all on her own...well for the most part. Before now she might do it for a few minutes but she usually knocked it out or didnt suck enough to keep it in. Today she finally got the hang of it and she had her paci in for a good part of the day. She loves it. It seemed to settle her down better than anything while her tummy hurt. Sydney hates the type of paci Bayley has because she says it is ugly...we have tried cute ones but she doesnt seem to like them. I dont care what it looks like as long as it helps Bayley it is fine with me. Nothing else exciting... I did get some good bbq thanks to my mom!!! oo and my aunt kaye sent me watermellon. yummmm. More tomorrow.

Today Bayley is ONE MONTH OLD!!! She is quite the big girl these days. I got about 3 hours sleep last night instead of 2. She took 50 ml at all feedings except 1 she took 30 ml and at 10 pm she took 60 ml. She is gonna be a fatty if she keeps that up. She slept about 2 hours today in her bassinett...which hasnt happened until today. She cried a lil more today. Her tummy hurt her some and she sounds a lil stuffy to us. I suctioned her nose to try to make sure it is clear but I am gonna have to watch it close tonight. Hopefully it is nothing but me being paranoid! More tomorrow.

Last night and today went better than expected. Last night was "ok" lol. Bayley slept ok but I didnt get but about 2 hours if u combined all the minutes together lol. Bayley was really restless and didnt sleep solid...so I jumped at her every move. Poor Syd has been stuck on the couch so that I could use her room and lock the cat out because I do not trust that stupid cat!!! We went to the doctor at 8. He didnt have a whole lot to say. The routine stuff. He rechecked a hemoglobin. We are waiting until the next appt to start her shots because she is so tiny and doesnt have much meat on her bones. He did say we will need to do the RSV shots this fall and winter. The only thing that we didnt love was he had a VERY liberal view on premies going out. Me and Brian both had issues with that part of the visit but we have decided to ignore that and go with the NICU's opinion. We will basically keep her in except for the doctors office for ATLEAST 6-8 weeks maybe more depending on how her weight and general health goes. We arent gonna take any chances...we do not want to go back to the NICU. Home was ok today. Brian was home all day and we kinda tag teamed Bayley. I did get a nap ... IT WAS WONDERFUL! I slept from 2-6!!! As you can see...Bayley got her first bath tonight!!! She was so cute! She did really well. We had a few tears but she did WAYYYY better than Syd did with her first bath! lol More tomorrow!!!

Our time here is OVER!!! Me Lovin on Bayley when we first got to the NICU for the LAST TIME!!!

A good look at Bayley's room for the last week.

Taking Bayley's Temp...98.5 in case you are wondering!

Changing Bayley's diaper for the last time in the NICU

Bayley Lauren in her Big Girl Dress that her Granny Pat made. She looked so pretty.

Linda who is one of the Respiratory Therapists doing the last car seat check before we could leave.

Doesnt she look cute in her big girl car seat.

Sisters ready to go home!!!

Our Family!!!!

Bayley's very first look at the outside world!!!

She wanted to know where her sunglasses are.

Bayley's first day home... 4 weeks and 4 minutes old.

Bayley in her new bed for the 1st time.

What a fatty... 3 pounds 15.7 ounces

Bayley's first big girl bottle!!! She did great.

Ok it is pretty obvious....BAYLEY GOT TO COME HOME!!! She is 3 lb 15.7 oz. She is taking 50 ml of milk per feeding. Her head ultrasound was negative and she passed her carseat tolerance test. Dr. DiCarlo met with us and reviewed her entire history. He went over all meds and everything that has happened to her since the consult with Dr. Strange. Tanna was our nurse today. Christy & Amanda were both there today and came to say bye. Those two girls were lifesavers. Tanna educated us on premies....just incase yall wondered...do not ever let you baby chew on electrical cords...NO JOKE...that is on their check list...which means some idiot actually did it. We got to leave the NICU at about 5 til 3. Bayley did really good on the ride home. She likes her bassinett...the whole 5 minutes she has been in it. We have held her ever since we got home and Im thinking it is going to stay that way for a long time!! She took her 1st bottle out of a Dr. Brown's bottle at 6 and she did really good. We are so glad to be home. I talked to John Chitwood before we left. He is the daddy of Clair which is one of my favorite babies. Clair is 8 weeks old and still on CPAP with no real end in sight. She too was a 29 week baby. Clair didnt have a good day today so please keep her in your prayers. Also, Please remember Chandler Ferguson in your prayers. He was born at 25 weeks 1 week and a few days before Bayley. Chandler is at UAB NICU and is struggling. He has had many setbacks and that family is truly struggling. I cant tell you how much our time spent in the NICU has opened my eyes to how much these families go through. We are one of the lucky ones and I am so thankful for that. Please continue to keep our Bayley in your prayers as well. We go to Dr. Latona's Office at 8am Monday. More tomorrow....