We're Back!

Isn't she adorable! She has filled out so much since I seen her last. They were weighing her while I was there and she weighs almost 2lbs 14 ozs! She is awake a lot more now than ever. Her big eyes just pop when she opens them up. Sharyl and I swear that she watches Jason as he moves around her little condo.

The staff says she's doing great and looks good. She was spitting up some of her dinner tonight and they are trying to get her food adjusted so that will hopefully stop soon.


When I first got to the hospital I was the only one there for a few minutes while the nurse styled her hair and put her cute bow in. After a few short minutes Tawni and Jason showed up along with Dave and Sharyl. Dave and Sharyl have both been sick too so we were all so happy to see our Stella again.
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Waiting, waiting, waiting

Okay, I'm done with the Antibiotics now and I want to see Stella!! I'm going to give it one more day (Wednesday) and then I'm heading back up to the hospital to see her. I have missed her so much, we have a lot of catching up to do!

Jason told me last night that she has done great in the weight-gaining department. He says she weighs 2 lbs. 12 ozs. which is a huge gain from a few days ago. He also said that the infections are almost all gone. The nursing staff told Jason and Tawni that she is climbing her way up to being a healthy baby. As you can imagine, we are all thrilled.

I know this report is brief but there will definately be more to come and pictures to see after I see her on Thursday!!

Thanks for checking in! Love to All!

2 Weeks and 1 Day

Thank you everyone who emailed about the video. Here's the answers to some common guestions and comments:

1. The big white thing on her left foot is a monitor. It velcros around and is changed back and forth between feet each day.
2. Yes, Jake the nurse is a big guy!
3. I understand some of you could not not see part of the video as the frame cut off. It appears that those with bigger monitors had that issue. I had a problem myself when I went from my laptop to my 21" monitor at work. Hopefully not to many of you had the problem. If you did, I now can email it direct to you (thanks again Jessica!)through photobucket.
4. She weighed about 2.2 ounces on this day.
5. When Jake is holding her at the beginning of the video, he is weighing her. There are built in scales in the beds so they lift her, weigh the bed, then place her back down and weigh again to get her weight. With the tape measure they are measuring around her tummy as I have mentioned in several of the other posts. This helps them to determine if she may have other issues going on in her stomach.

Now for an update. They have confirmed that Stella has an infection which they believe stems from the PIC line they inserted a few days back. They have ruled out the bladder infection through some tests done yesterday. They are giving her antibiotics and say she should come through this just fine. Our general understanding of why she stopped breathing the other day (several times) was attributed to the infection. I personally don't understand the connection but due to my being quarantined from the hospital with my Bronchitis I can't drill the medical team for more info! So once again Stella is holding her own and fighting back when she needs to.

A few more things to mention: for those of you that voted in the Which One Am I? poll here on the blog and who chose the little girl on the left, you were incorrect! That is a childhood friend Peggy. If you chose the little girl on the right, sorry, wrong again, that is my sister Gail. So, for those of you who chose the knock knee'd, gangly girl in the middle, you were right!!

Also, on Thursday of last week a bouquet of beautiful roses and carnations were left on my doorstep without a note. The only thing I could think of is that one of you who live nearby might have left it because of Stella and because I've been feeling poorly. If you did, thank you they are beautiful. If it wasn't any of you, hmmmmmmm.

This weekend I plan to get my strenght back, kick this illness and be ready to see Stella again soon. I plan to get lots of rest, finish a small book I'm reading called The Four Agreements by Don Miquel Ruiz, and keep by Blog updated of any Stella developments.

We love you all, thank you for being here for our family.

Love,
Glenda

A Day in the Life of Stella

Finally here's the video, thanks again Jessica! This was taken on January 17, 7 days after Stella was born. You may have to click on the arrow a few times to get it going and once played, find the arrow on the bottom left to start over. This was taken during one of Stella's weight and measurement moments. The most precious part is right in the middle as she is laying there you see her smile during what appears to be a very pleasant dream. Watch her little eyebrows go up and down right at the end of her dream. I watch this over and over wondering what she is dreaming about that seems so satisfying to her!

Jason said she was doing well this afternoon.

I hope you enjoy a Day in the Life of Stella as much as I hoped you would!

Another Scare...

Last night while Jason and Tawni were visiting Stella, they were told that they think Stella may have an infection. They encouraged them to go ahead and do the skin to skin time that they have come to enjoy so much. While Stella was laying with Tawni, she began to turn purple and all of the monitors starting going off. Evidently, her breathing had stopped. They gave her emergency treatment including oxygen and brought her around. They told Jason and Tawni that they sometimes see this in newborns and with preemies. Jason told me how horrifying and helpless he felt watching all of her monitors numbers drop to almost zero. They were afraid to leave her but also knew that just sitting watching the monitors every second was only adding to their anxiety. The hospital staff assured them that she was breathing okay again and that they were watching her very closely so the kids went home to get some rest. When Jason spoke to the head nurse this morning they said Stella had several similar incidents during the night but that she had pulled herself out of them. They confirmed that she does have at least one, possibly two infections but that those are common in infants this small. So, another reality check for us I guess. So far, she has had such incredible will...I just know she will keep fighting!

Today, January 24th is Jason's birthday. We are celebrating it on Sunday at my place where we will enjoy their favorite Grandma Smith ham and cheesy potatoes. Tawni's family will all be here as well.

I hope to hear more this evening about how she is doing and will be certain to post the update for all to read. I still haven't seen Stella since last Saturday due to my cold. I went to the Doc today and found out I have Bronchitis of all things. I told them about Stella and how badly I need to get better to be able to see and touch her little head and fingers again. They stepped right up with an assortment of antibiotics and cough medicine that should do the trick!

Hugs to all...

I miss Stella!

It's been 3 days since I've been able to visit Stella due to my cold. I miss her terribly. Jason told me last night that she has gained enough weight that she is back to her birth weight which is really good. In the beginning they wanted her to eat 1.5 cc's now she is eating 8 cc's of formula. She has grown in length by 1/2 inch. This is all such good news.

I am still working on that video trying to get it uploaded here. It is so adorable and I want to share it with all of you. In the meantime, for updated photos since I can't take any while I'm sick, you can follow the link on right to go to Jason and Tawni's blog and see some more amazing photos of our little angel and her parents.

Love to all

The Love in a Grandpa's Hands...

A Peaceful Weekend for Stella

Stella got to have a skin on skin with her Daddy twice this weekend. Tawni has been the only one so far to enjoy their baby daughter laying on her chest. It is something that will bond them forever. Tawni is now busy updating their blog so if you just can't get enough of Stella, follow the link on the right side of this blog to Jason, Tawni's and Stella's personal blog.

I visited Stella on Saturday and she was all buttoned up in the isolette sleeping peacefully. She gained 2 ounces over the weekend which is wonderful. I snapped a few pic's while there but didn't reach into her little condo as she was so peaceful. It was a good thing as today I feel like I'm coming down with something and am really dragging.

For all of the Stella fans that come to this blog faithfully, we thank you. Now that we are past the critical points and we are mostly waiting for her to grow with each day before coming home, I will probably update this blog only a few times a week. Rest assured that ANY new developments will be posted here and I hope you will continue to watch our special little blessing grow in front of your eyes here in the days, weeks and years to come. We have been told to expect to take her home around her original due date of March 17th.

If you don't think things happen for a reason, let me share with you that up until 1 week before Stella was born, I didn't have this blog. I had decided out of the blue to put one together. One person who knew another person, who knew another, helped me get my blog up and going. Jessica, your awesome! 5 days later, I was sharing our family adventure with all of you and can't even imagine how we could have done it without this technology.

I also want to say that Cort and I had a great time with Ashley and Jody. We BBQ'd Friday night followed by a rousing game of Texas Hold Em, went to Mesquite, NV Cosmic Bowling on Saturday night and then played some BuzzTime Trivia while having lunch today at Ruby Tuesday's before they hit the road back up to Salt Lake. Of course all of the events were the kids vs. the Moms and I'm proud to say that the Mom's held their own for the most part. I kept thinking about our little Stella and how I was there with Jody at the hospital when Ashley, her first baby was born. There are many full circles that we experience in this life and each and everyone of them makes me grateful for all the experiences that have made up mine.

Stay tuned!

As the number of visitors to my blog increase due to the number of Stella fans out there, I must apologize for not having a personal update on Friday. I have two very good reasons. One is that one of my best friends ever came down to St. George with her daughter for a girls weekend. Jody (Hill) and Ashley came down Friday night and are staying for the weekend. The other reason which frustrates me just a bit is that the nurse that was caring for Stella yesterday pulled rank when I called to check on her yesterday morning. They have a badge system to insure confidentiality and safety for the babies which is a great idea. All week long I've called early in the morning to get an update and have been asked for the badge number. After I identify myself (I'm on the LIST that allows only a few people access to come and go if you want to see the babies) and gave them the badge number and the nurse would give me a verbal update. Well, sadly, yesterdays nurse told me that they can only update the people who actually have the badges which would be Jason and Tawni. So she wouldn't tell me anything. I was so dissapointed as so many other nurses there have be so great about it. I thought I would try it again this morning hoping that that particular nurse had gone on vacation to another planet, but NO! She's working there again today. I'm so sad! :-) I'm hoping to get over there sometime today. I'm sure she's fine or I would have heard something, but I would love to be able to report that Stella had Another Good Day after hearing or seeing it myself.

So as not leave you without something today in the Stella Report, I thought I would share with you some excerpts from an email that Tawni sent to her friends and family. I hope it will give you a sense of how lucky Stella is to have such great parents and a special Mom like Tawni:

"I am so grateful for friends and family like all of you. I know that in addition to the hundreds of prayers being offered up on our behalf, Heavenly Father knows Stella personally and He is watching over her. I have gained such a stong testimony of the Gospel and the power of prayer. I have received several Priesthood Blessings to help me recover physically and emotionally (much harder than the physical) and Stella just received her very own Priesthood Blessing this afternoon. My dear sweet husband gave her the most touching blessing. It was beautiful and so tender and in the past couple of weeks, Jason and I have grown so close to each other and I have learned the definition of partnership all over again. He is my rock and I am constantly leaning on him for guidance and strength. We are getting through this together and I wouldn't want this experience with anyone else. I appreciate Jason so much and our marriage has never been stronger.

One other thing . . . I am stunned at how much I already love our new baby girl! She has only been here for 1 week and she hasn't even come home from the hospital yet but I adore her so much! I have always heard that having a child changes you and I tried to prepare myself for this kind of great love but nothing I did even came close to getting me ready for the love between a mother and a child. It is truly amazing.

In closing, I would like to ask you to continue praying for our family, specifically Stella, and keep her in your thoughts and prayers. I know that many people have called her name into the Temples that aren't closed for cleaning and I can tell that those prayers are being heard because of the progress she is making on a daily basis. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It means more to us than you can ever know. "

Stay tuned!

Another Good Day...

Stella gained 1/3 of an ounce today and her tummy measurement is still at 22 centimeters. She is tolerating her food well, which makes us very, very happy.

When I got to the hospital tonight Jason and Tawni were already there and Stella was wide awake playing with her mom. I was able to get a few pictures of her with her eyes open. I took a short video of them weighing and measuring her, but I can't get it to upload here for some reason. I'll keep working at it!

Tawni and Jason have a bunch of friends coming down from Salt Lake to see them and Stella. I'm sure it will be nice for them to be able to focus on something else for a couple of days. I'm going to go work on that video some more, WISH ME LUCK!

Love Ya!

Stella's First Wednesday

We are happy to report that the doctors have reintroduced food to Stella again. Her symptoms of NEC (three very long, unintelligible words) have regressed which is excellent news. NEC is not something that we would care to deal with. It has to do with the stomach rejecting food. Although the risks exists for it to return, she is back on track! She also gained a few ounces today so she's back to 2 lbs 3 oz., almost her birth weight.


They put a PIC line in her tonight for them to give her additional nutrients. It was a pretty intense procedure to see done on such a little tiny baby, but the Nurse Practitioner that put it in Stella did a wonderful job.

Tawni and Jason are getting some much needed rest tonight and Grandma Olson, Stella says she loves you and hopes you get well so you can come to see her again soon!

Plugging Along, No Pun Intended!

I am so proud of these kids. You can see in Tawni's face her positive outlook and how well she is dealing with Stella not coming home with her. Jason was being Jason tonight at the hospital and was making Tawni laugh so hard she was crying. She was begging him to stop because she said she was going to "blow her stitches" if he didn't. Of course, that just encouraged him even more.

Stella has a small development which is bile in her stomach. That is the first sign that she may not be tolerating food well. The nurses words were "Its not normal, but it's expected, especially with premies". So they are watching her closely to see if medical intervention will be necessary. She weighs just over 2 lbs 1 oz as she has lost some weight as newborns do. Her little tummy is only 22 centimeters around! She has been giving the nursing staff fits because she keeps grabbing the wires from her monitors and pulling on them. It's amazing how consistantly she finds the wires and begins pulling.

I can hardly beleive the number of people visiting this blog, all to check in on Stella. One day she'll understand and appreciate everyone's support. I know the rest of us do!

The Calm After the Storm

Stella says hi and thanks all of you for checking in on her so often. SHE LOVES THE ATTENTION!

Things seem to be much calmer now that we have begun to believe what the doctors are telling us, that Stella is doing great. She sleeps most of the time waking up now and then and opening her big dark eyes. She does not like them jostling her around and she lets them know it with a very robust cry. Because she no longer has access lines to her blood through tubes, they are taking blood samples a couple times a day from her very tiny little heel. As with most babies, Stella has lost a few ounces. She is down to 2.2 today but the staff says that is just fine. Her little system is tolerating food so far which is awesome.

I didn't go to the hospital until after 7:00 pm tonight. I knew that Jason and Tawni would be there to do another skin to skin visit with their beautiful daughter so I didn't do too much touching myself and limited the photos. I didn't want her to become overly stimulated before her Mom got there.

One of Stellas nurses in the NICU is a friend of Jason and Tawni's. She came in tonight after having been involved with the delivery of a premie who didn't make it. There are two other babies in the unit, both of which were much larger than Stella who both have severe problems. We just keep pinching ourselves that she is doing so well. Even if your not someone who believes in miracles or divine intervention, this little peanut may change your mind and your beliefs. I am much more emotional today as I think everything is settling in. I took a video tonight of us hanging in Stella's room. Tawni went home today and all things considered is doing well.

Love to all of you,

Blue No More!

The first report of the morning is that Stella no longer needs the lights. Whoo-hoo!

A Little Blue But Doing Great!

Don't adjust your monitor! The blue lights are due to Stella's blood count showing a wee-bit of jaundice. They put her under the lights and feel that by tomorrow she'll be all set. Above is a picture of Cortney looking through the incubator access door at Stella. I thought it was a great shot of the two of them.


Tawni goes home tomorrow and is looking forward to seeing Brody their adorable Lab. She will stay at Dave and Sharyls house for a couple of weeks. Fortunately her parents only live a few blocks away from Jason and Tawni so it's not at all inconvenient for her to stay there.

Stella continues to be stable and is handling the nourishment they are giving her through a little nose tube. They have given her a binky but it looks SO HUGE I don't know how she will put it in her mouth.

Tomorrow it's back to work for me. I'll continue to keep you updated though.

The Day After...

Play the short video by clicking on the arrow...
Stella is a miracle. She continues to WOW all of us including the medical team. The pictures I took today show her filling out even more. They had told us yesterday that they would not introduce food to her for a few days but she was doing so well today that they decided it was time! She is being feed through a little tube in her umbilical cord. This is to allow her "gut" to coat and to kind of kick start her intestinal tract. She will be receiving 10 cc's of milk a day already this way until they are able to teach her how to eat/drink on her own.

The wires that you see in the photos are monitors only. Nothing that is life sustaining or supporting. In fact Stella's nurse told us this morning that they will be changing her bed today to a regular incubator as they need the type of bed she is in for "sick babies". That Stella is not a sick baby, she now just needs to grow so she can go home.

I had about an hour alone with Stella today and we had our first Grandma/Granddaughter chat. One of many, many to come. Her Mom and Dad came in and Tawni did her second skin-to-skin embrace with the baby. Stella's heart rate dropped from the 150's to the low 130's when they put her on her Mom's chest which was awesome. It meant that she was calm and comfortably listening to her Mom which she has become so accustomed to.

Jason just beems at both of them and he is so proud. I have no doubt they will be awesome parents. Here's a few more pictures for you, ENJOY

Stella Avery Smith was Born January 11, 2008!

Today at 1:15 Jason called me at work and said "Mom, they're taking Tawni in right now to deliver the baby, come quick"! I arrived 15 minutes later, and 28 minutes after that our unbelievably small but strong little girl arrived. She weighed 2 lbs 4 oz and was 14.5 inches long. I have never seen a baby so small yet so perfect.

Within 30 minutes of being born, she was taken off of life support systems as she was breathing on her own. Within 4 hours she had progressed through 3 different types of breathing apparatus' and right now is breathing regular air on her own. She has a small tube to aid with fluids but that is it!

The most astonishing thing today was that within 2 hours of her being born, we were allowed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and were able to touch her and hold her head, arms and legs. I could not believe I could actually touch her with her being so small! She has little areas of fat on her thighs and calves and once when I picked up her leg to hold it I could feel the little muscle in her leg flex. Her toes are so small but perfectly formed and adorable to see. She had blond fur for hair and has huge blonde eyebrows.

All of the nurses and doctors tell us that she is doing wonderful and are also very excited to see her progress so much so fast.

Thank you everyone for your support, love and prayers. It worked! Enjoy the slideshow and know that at the end of the night, Stella was sleeping peacefully without cords, respirators or any other devices attached to her other than monitors. They expect she will be in the NICU for up to 10 weeks but could go home sooner if her transition to food goes well. Thanks again and love to all!

Baby Update - Today's score - 8 out of 10

Better news from the NICU doctors today. Stella underwent her first physical so to speak which tested several areas and gave her a score. The tests consisted of things like how much fluid there is, can she breathe on her own for at least 30 seconds, how much muscle does she have, how does she do with the stress test, and how active she is. She scored a perfect 8 out of 8! We were so encouraged at the news. Based on her score, she is holding her own so they will not deliver her today or tomorrow, unless something drastic happens.

Today she is officially at 30 weeks gestation, which, in this situation is great news. The magic number is 32 weeks they tell us, but her odds of waiting that long are quite slim. Everyones spirits were quite high today and we hope it's not too much to ask to have a repeat tomorrow!

Baby Update

I've just returned from the hospital where the doctors have told us that Stella will most likely be delivered in the next 3-4 days. She is not improving but also hasn't worsened. The decision to take the baby Cesarean will be based on whether the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) can better help Stella or if leaving her with her mom is best. So, it's a day by day, hour by hour thing. If she is delivered, she will stay in the hospital until near her actual due date which is mid-March. The kids are holding up much better than me right now as you can see in the pictures.

You have no idea how grateful I am that I am living here near Jason and Tawni at this time. Going through something like this from 2500 miles away in Maine would have been paralyzing to me. I never take for granted that each day I get to see them, hug them, and bring food to Jason while he's sitting with her at the hospital. Tawni's parents are great people and good friends, this has brought all of us even closer as a family.

On a less serious note! Those of you who know my goofy son won't be surprised at these pictures of him self-administering a reflex test to his knee in Tawni's room last night. What a nut he is.

Good Times with Family and Food!

Tonight Jason, Tawni, Cort and I went to dinner at Oscars in Springdale, UT. Springdale is an artsy little town at the entrance to Zion National Park . It's about 40 minutes from Jason and Tawni's house in Washington. Our favorite thing at Oscars are the Garlic Burgers.Thankfully we ALL get them so no one is offended by garlic-breath during the ride home! For more info on Zions go to:
http://www.utah.com/nationalparks/zion.htm

At the movies!

On Christmas Eve, Tawni, Jason, Cortney, Sharyl, Dave, Kory, Jared and myself went to the movies to see National Treasure.