HOMECOMING

Well, that time has finally come! After 71 days in the NICU, Aisling has bid farewell to the wonderful nurses, doctors, and staff at the University of Illinois Medical Center. She has decided to upgrade her place of residence and move in with her mom and dad. Mom and dad are extremely pleased with her decision, even in the early hours of Thursday morning, when sleep eluded all three of us! It was so exciting packing up her bags and heading home yesterday. She wore her going home outfit courtesy of another Aisling and of course no outfit would be complete without another styling hat, this one made by Mrs. Thomas. So, Chuck and I were the typical anxious first time parents. We fussed and worried (okay, that was me) about her; making sure she was settled into her car seat correctly and ensuring she was warm and checking her breathing. Well, when we arrived home and Chuck was helping me out of the car, we realized we had left my crutches propped up against the car and driven off without them! I am sure the people at the hospital entrance were quite amused.
Aisling is adjusting to her new environment and hopefully we will settle into a routine soon. We will update in a few days to let you know how everything is going.

Chuck, Ger, & Aisling

Hi everyone,

Since our last post Aisling has been on the move again. She is still a NICU/ICN patient, but is now on another floor. We continue to work on our last hurdle; oral feeding. Sometimes, she will take all of her bottle, but at other times she is not so interested.
Aisling has passed her hearing test, but we have encountered a problem with her eye exam. She has mild ROP in her left eye. We are hoping this will correct itself, but we will know more when we talk to the doctor tomorrow. It is always hard to hear this, but we are trying to be optimistic that all will be well. This is life in the NICU, full of ups and downs.
Otherwise she is doing well, she now weighs 4lbs 8.30z and is looking cuter everyday.

Love,
Geraldine & Chuck

Another Great Week!

So, it was another busy week for baby Aisling. As you can see from the photos she has graduated to an open air crib. We were so excited when we walked into her room last Monday. She is gaining weight slowly but surely and we hope she will reach the 4lb mark within the next few days. We are continuing to work on oral feedings. Sometimes she will take 8 cc's and at other times 20 cc's, so our goal is for her to take at least 5-10ccs at every feeding and grow on this. As she gains weight she will have more energy for this. This is one of her last challenges in order to come home, so we are excited and somewhat anxious for her to acquire this skill. The results of her echo came in and it looks like there is nothing for us to worry about.