One week old

We don't have a new picture to post right now, but we do have lots of good news to share. First, Eva's nonna, my mom Lorrie, arrived safely yesterday and was able to go in and see Eva! We weren't sure that she would be able to see Eva, since it's usually just the parents who can go in to the unit, but the night nurses brought my mom in.

And with Eva, all the news is good news. The best big news is that the first round of treatment was successful and her heart valve is now closed. I know that many of you were praying for that specifically--thank you! We're so grateful that this is another complication avoided.

Next, she gained 10 grams in her first week of life (that's about 0.02 pounds, but at least she didn't lose!) and she's able to digest milk.

She's now enclosed in an incubator, but they do that routinely once the babies are a few days old. It allows them to give her a little extra oxygen (we are breathing air that's 21%, and she's breathing 24%), plus it keeps the air humidity around her higher, so that she loses less moisture, and it filters out more of the noise and lights from the room she's in. It was hard to see her inside there at first, but now we're really glad because it seems much more womb-like--she's very cozily snuggled in a swaddle of blankets and it's dark and warm and quiet inside.

We'll add more pictures soon--she actually gets more beautiful by the minute.

Mamma

Pink Kicks and O2

Sat. night was a strong one for us, as the reality of the situation hit home. Upon arrival she had a plastic cylinder over her head with a tube for extra O2 to be carried to her. This is to assist her breathing, though not extraordinary. We also witnessed her breathing and heart rate drop significantly in a matter of seconds, prompting the nurse to assist her to normalcy. The fact is she will be in the hospital if all goes well for at least 2-3 months. Heart and breathing monitors are there for a reason. This is all quite normal, and Eva is doing very well for her age and size. It's just a serious condition to be in. Thank you for praying, and assisting in the many ways you are.

On a happy note, we found her also with sharp looking pink footies, which could probably serve as leg warmers.


Babbo and Mamma

Babbo's first feeding..

Sat. night was my first chance to actually feed Eva. Though through a syringe, she consumes breast milk(liquid gold) regularly...
Hopefully we can begin 'marsupial therapy' in a few days.

Babbo

Roger??

Every day as her appearance changes we find nuances or striking similarities to family members. Tonight was Roger's night. Go Blue!

Babbo

Friday Night at Careggi

This post is retroactive to Friday night. Friday night was great, as Eva was dressed in a little white dress and very responsive to our singing and talking to her. Though she has a feeding tube in her mouth, her thumb manages to fit as well. This was a very peaceful night.

Babbo

Ciao for now....

That's all for now...I need to go see Christi and Eva! Christi may be coming home tomorrow...Eva in a couple months if all goes well. It may be hard to see from the pictures but Eva has quite a bit of hair, that appears black. It also appears krimped=curly!
She also is very full and healthy looking, not like some of the other premies we've seen. She is the size of a small baguette, or as we say here in Italy Panini!

More Eva

Some of the A-team at Careggi

The nurse in the foreground delivered Eva, along with about 12 or so doctors and nurses assisting....Very kind and good people, who help Christi tremendously...

Christi's first nappy..

Baptism

Last night we were able to snag a Cappucine priest, padre GianFrancesco who says mass in the evening, and chose baptism for her. While her condition is not urgent, we thought we should go ahead with it. We will have a ceremony later on with all the works, sans the actual baptism with water...I'll elaborate on this later.

Peeking out..

Last night..

This is Eva last night, doing well breathing on her own. At the moment she is taking doses of Ibuprofen to close a valve in her heart that needs to be closed. This is normal in most babies at this stage. Full term babies are born with the same thing, but it usually closes within a couple hours of being born. The first cycle lasts 3 days and usually works. If not another cycle is administered. If this does not work they may need to do it surgically....please pray for this.

Her first day

Bon Giorno Tutti!

Prego(welcome) to Eva Claire's very own blog....She came into the world around 11:30 p.m. on the 24th of October. I know more people than I we even know were praying on her behalf, and your prayers have been answered as she is doing well. Thank you. Every hour and day is a victory for her as she grows outside of the womb. We'll keep everyone posted daily as it is allowed.

Enjoy!