Micah Turns 3 (Months)!

It has been a busy few days for Micah Ahava Elise. She has gone up on her feedings, including now getting two meals directly from Mama every day. She may go up to 3 by the end of the week. This is a huge deal, obviously, and Micah has done exceptionally well. After such an extended time on a feeding tube, and due to prematurity, many babies in her situation have a difficult time coordinating the suck, swallow, and breathe reflex in order to feed effectively. Micah, however, seems to be a natural. After she eats with Mama, she is usually wide awake for about half an hour before falling into a deep, contented sleep. In fact, she is usually so satisfied, that the nurses have to wake her for her next scheduled feed.

Micah prefers to be on her belly, which is fine for now. We know this because of her physical cues, and the O2 levels in her blood (read by a meter strapped to her foot). When she is stressed, her O2 concentration goes down, because she is not breathing as fully. We grown-ups do very much the same thing, but without an oxometer to tell us what happens to our oxygen levels. Micah has preferred different positions at different time in our journey, and before we go home she will have to be comfortable on her back for longer periods of time.

Like the outfit? So did I. That's why I bought it for her as a surprise for Olivia. You can just barely see her little booties. They match her outfit, but Micah wasn't a big fan of them and wouldn't settle down until we took them off.

Micah turned 3 months old yesterday! That's a long time (for her and for us). Especially since we've spent all of that time here in the hospital. To celebrate, Micah decided to gain just enough weight to crossover the 5 pound mark! It's hard to believe how much she has grown. Her original footprints could both fit in one of her current footprints, and she weighs more than 4 times what she did when she was born, and 5 times her lowest weight. She has also grown more than 5 inches in length. There is a lot more to her than when she got here. On the flip side, she looks much less puffy than she did just last month when she was still on the CPAP. We have really enjoyed being able to see her face again.

We now get to hold Micah as often as we like... as long as she tolerates it. Fortunately, being held is one of Micah's favorite things to do, so it works out well for all of us. The first time I held her, it felt like holding a fragile newborn kitten up under my chin. Now, it feels like I'm holding a regular newborn baby. She still requires extra care and is still smaller than most babies, but not extraordinarily so. In fact, after having been in the NICU all summer, I have very little frame of reference for what a full term baby looks like, much less feels like. Every time I see one in the hallway at the hospital or in a picture I am surprised by how huge they look. Micah's size is our new normal. Also, the reduction in tubes and wires has made it easier to get to know each other. We've decided we get along pretty well.

And, since yesterday was her 3 months birthday (and since a large crib happened to become available), the NICU decided it was a good time to get rid of the isolete. Micah has been in an isolete since only minutes after she was born, so this is a big change for us. She's taken right to it, however. Such a big girl!

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We still have some road ahead of us. Micah is not ready to go home yet. There are fewer achievements she needs to make, and a couple we would prefer she make before we leave:

The first is her feedings. Our Ahava (beloved) is doing well, and probably getting more food during her times with Olivia than she does from her gavage (tube) feedings, but it's difficult to know exactly how much she gets directly from the breast. Micah will also need to be able to bottle feed. We do not plan on bottle feeding generally, but the ability to feed from a bottle is important for her to acquire.

Micah is off of her steroids completely, but will still need to undergo a stress test to be sure her body is able to respond appropriately and produce enough steroid when she needs it. We do not know when this will happen.

Micah will continue to have her eyes checked. The damage seems to have been overcome, but her eyes still have some regular development to accomplish before we know the full results of her prematurity in this area. We are praying for 20/20 vision.

Micah will also have a car seat test. Some preemie babies don't do well in car seats. They cannot maintain their O2, or even stop breathing. Sometimes, they require a special belt to keep their bodies in the proper position because they don't have the muscular development they need to do so themselves. Micah will sit in her car seat (she is now just big enough for it) for 90 minutes, being monitored the whole time.

Micah could go home on oxygen once she progresses to the next stage of support, but we would rather she didn't. Life will be much easier for us at home if she can get to "room air" before we leave. The equipment can be physically difficult to work with, especially when you are alone.

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We are so excited about what the Lord Jesus is doing in Micah's life. We feel honored to be her parents. It is truly hard to imagine life without her. She, our 6th child, is our first miracle, and the fulfillment of a promise God made to us years ago. Moreover, she has a unique calling on her life, and God is with her is a special way. He is making her strong toward a purpose through all of this. We are truly looking forward to watching her come to know Him and learn how He desires her to walk with Him for the rest of her life. Already, we are praying for her salvation. After all, unless she comes to know God through Jesus Christ, the sobering reality is that it would have been better for her never to have lived.