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!