Guess who is home!!

Claire's 'going home outfit' which was a bit too big for her. The booties looked like clown shoes.

In her car seat

Dad with his girls

Claire was discharged from the hospital this morning. Mom, dad and big sis Jordan walked out of the hospital with Claire around 11:45am.

In a 'big girl' bed

OK. We know it will be many years before Claire is really in a 'big girl' bed but moving out of the isolette is a huge step forward in going home. She is bundled up tighter than a bug in a rug to help her hold her body temp. Those nurses really know how to swaddle.

According to one of our nurses, preemies have a more difficult time keeping their body temp at first. Makes sense since they are also burning off a lot of energy learning all the things they would have in the womb, while breathing, eating, pooping, etc.

Claire is also doing ad lib feedings now where they feed her when she gives them the cues that she is hungry (like waking from her deep, dad-like sleep). She is still getting a mix of breast milk and formula to pump up her calories and also taking a very nasty smelling vitamin (including iron). Mom & Claire are both on iron now - more special bonding!!

Cousin Nathan and Uncle Joel came by for a visit yesterday. Claire had been moved out into the room nearest the entrance to the NICU (dubbed Dinkyville by the nursing staff) so Nate was able to see Claire from the window. While he was excited to see her, he was more excited that he got to go down to the cafeteria with Uncle Peter and get a cookie. When you were six, wouldn't that be more exciting than seeing a baby who is sleeping through a window? Yeah. Me too.

Claire is doing great with the bottle, not so well with the breast but the nurses say that will come in time. At least we won't have to fight getting her to bottle, eh?

The Four Pound Club

Claire moved into the 4 lbs club on Tuesday evening. Her weight overnight on Tuesday was 4 lbs .08 ounces!! Mom and dad are very excited that the wee tot is packing on those pounds. Based on her weight and the fact that she has been holding her temp consistent the doctor made the call yesterday during rounds while mom was visiting that Ms. Claire can come out of the isolette. She was still being weened from the isolette when mom & dad stopped back for another visit so no pictures yet of the babe out of the isolette. They were planning on moving her into a crib after her 8pm feeding last night so hopefully when we go in for the morning visit she will be isolette free!

Sometime during the course of the day she finally lost what was left of her cord. Now her diaper (which she filled again while mom was trying to feed her after mom had changed her) can lay without always being folded over. It's funny to see the diaper go nearly halfway up her back but what's a preemie girl to do?

She also took a good portion of her bottle yesterday from dad. She had a good feeding again yesterday morning and another during the overnight on Tuesday. If we can get her to increase those feedings off the tube she will be home in no time. The doctor on rounds yesterday said she is doing really well!


Mom and dad have started to come up with some nicknames for the wee tot (besides peanut). Claire makes little squeeking noises sometimes while she is craddled in your arms so mom has coined her Squeekers. Dad thinks Claire's skinny legs are too cute. When she is sleeping sometimes she just kicks them about so dad has named her Crazy Legs. Poor girl, her parents are very nice to her are they?

Thank you again everyone for your thoughts and prayers. We can't tell you how much it means to us.

A visit from 'the boys'

Claire's cousins Alex and Ryan were able to see Claire through the window last night. The nurses and the neonatal nurse practitioner OK'd Claire's removal from her leads monitoring her heart rate, breathing pattern/amount and skin temp long enough for her to be swaddled and held up to a window in the NICU. Alex and Ryan were pretty excited to see her. Claire even opened her eyes - and when she crossed them Ryan was surprised. The boys are amazed at how small she is - especially her fingers. Alex commented on her tiny finger nails and held up his hand to have Aunt Holly try and show him how small her fingers are compared to his. He wanted very much to come into the NICU and touch her, but we explained that because she is so little she can't come out and he can't come into the NICU. I'm sure Karey will have to field more questions from her inquisitive eldest son. It was pretty cool to see how excited they got when Claire came to the window. There is only five years difference between Claire and Alex and she shares the same birthday as Ryan with only three years between them. I'm hoping they can have a very close relationship as they all grow and develop over the years.

In other news, Claire took 2 1/2 bottles yesterday and did good at her 11am feeding with mom. Gestationally she is 34 weeks so we're hoping she will really start getting into the whole feeding from the bottle/breast trick. Her weight continues to grow. Pete estimates she will be at 4 lbs today. Her weight Monday night was 3 lbs 14 oz - almost there.

Visiting with her big sis

Claire got a visit from her big sister Jordan yesterday. She continues to gain weight and as of yesterday was past her birth weight up to 3 lbs 12.8 oz. During mom's visit with Claire this morning Claire took her whole bottle.... from the nurse, not mom. Seems as though Claire likes to fall asleep when near mom. She did stay awake a bit longer and was looking at mom most of the time before she conked out while listening to a lovely woman who volunteers her time to come in and provide harp therapy to the babes in the NICU.

Bath time

Claire practices her 'no more pictures' for her father who was acting as the paparazzi last night.

Mom under the watchful eye of the nurse.

Claire getting her hair washed. Are those curls? Where did she get those???

Mom and dad went in for an evening visit to give mom some more practice with bathing. Dad is an old pro from his days of bathing Jordan so he feels far more comfortable than mom with the whole idea of putting the little one in the bath. Claire handles the bath quite well, no tears and just a few scrunchy looks at mom. Mom has to work on her ability to hold onto a wet baby who has soap on her skin! Once again the nurse was quite helpful passing on some tips while mom slowly worked her way through the bath.

Claire is still eating one bottle well during the day. The nurse practitioner upped her 'order' yesterday so Claire could take up to three bottles a day dependent upon how awake she is at feeding time. Mom & dad swears she sleeps 23.5 hours a day (all but the 30 minutes when she takes her morning bottle). We did get some awake time last night after the bath but she zonked out not too long after her bath. It's tough being 9 days old!

One less wire

Claire has taken yet another step forward this morning. When mom got in for the morning visit the nurse let her know that Claire no longer needed the oxygen lead. This lead read how much oxygen Claire was getting with each breath. She has been very consistent so they decided it no longer needed to be monitored.

She also took another full bottle at her 8am feeding. She was zonked out when mom arrived for her 11am feeding so we decided to see if she would latch on but mom didn't push it. Instead she 'kangarooed' with Claire. This is where a parent is sans shirt and the babe is snuggled up on the parent's chest with a warm blanket(s) covering their back. Very nice bonding time, she was all snuggled up against me and out like a light. She sleeps like her dad with her mouth open at times (but she doesn't snore like her dad - yet...).

We're heading back for the 5pm feeding and hope to spend some good quality time with her this evening.

Feed me!

Claire took another big step today. The nurse who has been with Claire for the last several days shared that Claire took a whole bottle at her 8am feeding today. This is GREAT news. Her nurse (one of mom's favorites) says Claire doesn't know she is young, doesn't realize how little she is... Mom has to agree.

Uncle Joel was able to come for a visit today, just as mom was giving Claire her bath. This was a first for mom. Claire seemed not to mind it too much, just a little at the end when mom was loosing her grip. Overall she was a real trooper.

We tried to bottle feed her again at her 11 am feeding but with the excitement of the bath and having taken a bottle earlier in the day she feel asleep about 1/3 of the way through the bottle. Still a victory in our book that our little one even took to the bottle again.

Aunt Karey, dad and mom all are wondering if Ms. Claire might have been a little older than we thought. Perhaps she has another week on her ~ which would be a great thing as it should help her get out of the NICU faster.

A visit with Grandma Joanne

Grandma Joanne had the chance to see Claire twice yesterday. Mom thinks they were both delighted.

Claire is now ramping up her calorie intake as she has maxed out the quantity during a feeding. Mom hopes to capture just how chubby her little girl gets over the next couple of weeks. Mom learned yesterday that the key to getting Claire home will be her feeding. The less she relies on the feeding tube the sooner she gets to come home. Once she is feeding on her own she is free to be discharged. Mom now has a new motivation to get to the hospital for feedings. The nurses begin to bottle feed once they feel the babe has understanding of 'suckling'. Claire has it somewhat but doesn't stay awake very long when she is with mom. In due time she will learn and we'll be able to bring her home. It's still early so to have her latch on and go to town would be another miracle. Mom has to keep in mind that Claire's gestational age is only 33.5 weeks. With the great leaps she has made since her arrival it is hard to not get her hopes up.

Please don't poke me anymore

Claire made an executive decision yesterday (her veins really, but we attribute it to her state of being), no more IV. She kicked out the IV that was in her elbow and with her tiny veins they couldn't find another one that would work well so they decided to try to forgo the IV. She has been feeding well and increasing her breastmilk intake every other feeding so it was only a matter of time before she would be off the IV anyway. She is doing well w/o the IV so the nurses increased her food intake just a wee bit more and add a preemie supplement to boost some lipids. Soon they will start to increase her calories so she can chunk up. Her skin is still wrinkly b/c she is so tiny but she is just starting to develop some chubby cheekers. Mom thinks they look like Whitcomb family cheeks :)

Aunt Karey was able to go for a visit last night and got to hold Claire. She rests so peacefully in your arms it is hard to let her go. Karey and Holly decided that Claire has the McMahon fingers and hands.

It will be interesting to see if she keeps this dark hair or if it begins to lighten. She will start 'bathing' soon, as she is IV free and we are going to bring some clothing in for her to wear. Apparently the stash of girl clothing the NICU sent out for laundry has disappeared (really, stealing from the NICU???) so we offered to bring in some of the smaller stuff we had gotten from one of Holly's co-workers to hep keep her dressed. This will help her to move out of the isolate. Sweet freedom!!

Grandma Joanne is coming up for a visit today (and shuttle mom back & forth) so new pictures will be posted soon. Prime picture taking opportunity.

Important baby steps

Mom & dad went home on Sunday afternoon after getting the final a-ok from the doctor's on mom's blood pressure. It is still running very high and she has a host of things to remember along with the iron, pain killers and other medications she needs to take from the surgery. Lots of rest was prescribed for mom, she can't be up and about for very long and has to lay on her left side for long durations so her kidney's can do the work of 'cleaning her out' and getting her blood pressure levels back to normal.

Monday mom & dad went to the hospital. This will be the ritual for the next several weeks as Claire grows stronger and stronger. She was 5 days old yesterday and increasing her food intake with nearly every feeding. She hasn't rejected mom's milk (god bless those pumps!) which is a great sign. She is off the billy (?) light she was on during the weekend for her jaundice and she has not once required oxygen. Those steroid shots seemed to have helped.

Mom was able to hold Claire for her 2pm feeding up until 4-ish when she had to pump. Mom even had the chance to change Claire's itty-bitty diaper (get used to it). She was able to hold her again at the 5pm feeding and the nurses helped to encourage Claire a bit and see if we could get any latching on. She certainly latched on, not sure what she got for sustanance but as dad mentioned, he was awed at the fact that she was doing it so early. Babes born this early don't 'naturally' associate suckling as a form of sustanance. Another sign that our little girl is ahead of the game.

It was a bit long of a day for mom and the nurses told her she needed to go home and lie down for the next several hours. We're not sure when she will be released from the NICU. Every day is another step in the right direction. Don't forget, Miss Claire Marie has quite a bit of Irish in her and that spirit is apparent. Victory is her goal.

All of you who hold us in your thoughts and prayers, we can't begin to tell you how much that means to us and how much we know it helps. We know God wants his little Claire to be a part of all of our lives and we place our faith in him that he will do what he sees as best.

Two days old

Holly holding Claire for the first time on Saturday afternoon.

Early Arrival

Claire arrived a few weeks earlier than expected on June 14, 2007 at 2:08 pm, weighing in at 3 lbs 10 oz at 16.5 inches.

Monday, June 11th we went to the doctor for our 32 week checkup. Mom's blood pressure tested higher than her normal range and out of safety zones. During the weekend, she hadn't been feeling well but associated that with lack of sleep and the busy weekend activities. Apparently these were warning signs. The doctor sent mom & dad directly to the hospital for preeclampsia/toxemia tests. Mom was scared but hoped that things would be just fine and they would be sent home.

Mom's blood pressure was so high they admitted her to the hospital around 5pm. You can imagine how surprised they were. No bags packed, no backup plans to take care of the house, this wasn't supposed to happen! Nevertheless, into the hospital bed mom went with dad supporting her 100% of the way. Both were scared but knew that it was in God's hands and that all they could do was pray for his support and love. Mom & dad called all the strong prayers in their families and the church to help with the cause.

The doctor's came in on Monday and gave them the scoop. Mom was diagnosed with HELLP Syndrome, a severe form of toxemia/preeclampsia. The only cure for HELLPS is delivery of the baby. Needless to say, that did not help either mom or dad's blood pressure readings drop. 32 weeks is awfully early for delivery and there are a host of issues that come along with early delivery. The doctor told mom and dad that it was very unlikely they would be leaving the hospital without delivering. As of Monday night, they expected that within 12-24 hours Claire would be born. At this time, they were warned that respiratory issues would be the biggest concern and that steriod shots would be administered. During the course of the evening, labs were taken every 6 hours (you should see mom's arms). The doctor made the call Monday night that an IV of magnesium sulfite would need to be administered to ensure mom did not seize. This really made mom woozy but helped to drop her heart rate and blood pressure. Claire's dropped too but not to dangerous levels.



During the course of the next 48 hours mom held out as best she could so another steriod shot could be administered. The doctor's were impressed at her ability to hang in there. Her motivation was clear - the longer Claire stayed inside the womb the better chance of her being born without serious complications.

On Wednesday, the doctor's pulled mom off the mag-sulfite as her levels were getting too high. Not long after, the labs came back that mom's platlette's had dropped again and that liver enzymes were also going in the wrong direction. The decision was made by the doctor's on Thursday morning to perform a c-section that afternoon.

Mom has to say that the doctor's and nurses were amazing. Never having gone through surgery before she was stunned at their level of interaction with her and their ability to do many things at once. She was also very impressed when dad, normally not the type to handle any type of procedure, stood up during surgery to get a look at Claire's entrance into the world. She heard a cry and then a few more and dad sat down to tell her how beautiful Claire looked. During the course of the surgery, the anesthesiologist snapped photos so Claire's arrival could be documented. Claire's entrance took all of 20-30 minutes. Amazing what the doctor's can do.


Mom seeing Claire for the first time. Dad is behind mom.


Claire after she arrived at the NICU, her new home away from home.