Day 45 Ugh!

I was able to get to the hospital for Ms Adelina's 8:30 feeding... at first glance, I thought that someone had put ointment under her nose. When the nurse came over, it was confirmed that it was not ointment and was a runny nose... her eye was also weeping some lovely substance. Her blood pressure was a bit high because her body temps were a little high all day as well. The nurse said that she's been her usual self, so she didn't think she was getting sick??? Let's hope not.

Addy also lost an ounce today, so they switched her to a mix of fortified hind milk (the end part of the milk) and a high calorie formula. This bumps her caloric intake from about 23 to 27 so hopefully this works. She's been using a lot of energy on the cannula - we're down to room air now at 21% and doing well.

No pictures tonight since I was alone and forgot to take pictures before they took her out of her "dorm room." She did want a couple of Stones posters and a lava lamp, so I'll have to look through Vince's college things...

Day 44 Schlemeel, Schlemazel, Hasenfeffer Incorporated

We're Gonna Do It - On your marks, get set and go now....

and yes, I had to google the theme to Laverne & Shirley to spell the title.

Adelina gained another ounce today - she's 2lb 4oz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Way to GROW, we're gonna do it! We're very proud of her.

No other changes since yesterday. I did have a few people ask me how to pronounce "cannula" so it's can-u-la not cann-oola. If you said cannoli, that's fine.

The MOD Walk was a good time... Marcy made shirts for our team with all of my preemies on them Gianna 35wks and Vincent, Sofia & Adelina 25wks. Thanks Marcy and Renee (and baby?), Juliana and Grandmom Marge for walking for my family.

We also saw Fox Miracles walkers and NICU friend Joseph's family... thank you to their friends/family for checking in on our blog - we're amazed at how many people read up on us!

Also a special thanks to whomever put Adelina's name on the prayer list at St. Bedes... we heard it through the grape vine and were very touched. It's incredible how many people are thinking of her. We can't wait to tell her all about it someday.

Day 43 Biggie Fries

Adelina gained an ounce today - she's up to 2lbs 3oz!!! The Docs say that getting to the 3lb mark takes a while, but once they get there the weight gain happens much quicker. They increased her feeds to 27ml over her 1.5on/2.5off meal times. She still gets a Biggie Fry during her meal - the fat looks like white paint that the nurses put in her feeding tube.

We visited her in the morning and I held her for her feeding - it takes her about 20 minutes to get settled and then she was out cold. The getting settled part makes me forget to breathe too!

Our roommates, the Marino's, were making a pit stop in the nursery as well... Proud Papa here! It looks like Mike took Marisa to work with him, but he's just by the nurse's computer.

Day 42 Can't Say We Didn't Try!

Docs tried Adelina this morning on 21% (room air) on her cannula and it didn't work out so well, but they did wean her from 23% to 22% and she's good there. At her size and age, 1% makes a big difference with her episodes.

Her hemoglobin came back a little lower than last time (from 15 to 13), but still good and expected for anemia. They'll make sure that she doesn't need more blood and keep her on the iron.

Feedings and weight remained the same as well as the fat, lipids, caffeine, prilosec and iron... and whatever else she needs! Sounds like she's 80!

Who couldn't love this face?

Have a Great Weekend Everyone!

Day 41 Chunky Monkey

Adelina is awesome - she gained back the weight and then some. She's 2lb/2oz as of this morning. They'll draw some more blood to check on her anemia tomorrow and will still receive iron in her feedings. Since she's bumped up in weight, the docs increased her to 26ml (remember 30ml=1oz) over a 1.5hour on/2.5hour off cycle. They want to get her to 1 and 4hours.

I don't have Andre the Giant hands... this is a good reference picture.

So as she gets bigger and older, we hope that the term "Brady" can go back to referring to Greg, Marcia, Peter, Jan, Bobby and Cindy.

Dad stopped by after work to see Addy and she had a few little episodes when he touched her, so he opted not to hold her. I went in the p/m and held her for 2 hours and she was quite fussy most of the time and had 2 episodes... Her day nurse had trouble getting her settled in her "snuggly" all day - she's determined to get where she wants to go!

Cousin Frank stopped in to meet his new cousin and invite her to family fun day 2007. He was McGruff the Watchdog for us since I couldn't see the monitor too well from where I was sitting. The flash is making it hard to see Addy, but you can make out her making the "peace" sign with her hand.

Day 40 In Your Eyes

Adelina's eye test came back with good news... no reported problems so far, just the immaturity. They'll test her again in a few weeks for ROP. http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/001618.htm

One feeding had to be skipped for the eye drops, so she dropped a quarter of an ounce... but we hope to make it tomorrow. Everything is the same for medicines, feedings and breathing, so less news is just fine with us.

I stopped in for some more Mom time and kangarooing with Adelina during her feeding. The Dominic Grandparents came by to see her out of her "cage" and hung out for a bit. She forgot to breathe once when sucking on her pacifier, but she recovered on her own as soon as I took it out of her mouth.

Day 39 Dad and Adelina

Adelina has gained 1 ounce over night... she caught up for yesterday's stand still. Doctor Moom says her belly still looks quite full, so we're keeping the feedings and the times the same for now. The cannula is set at 23% and we're waiting on eye tests to come back now from the specialist.

Dad stopped by today after a meeting was cancelled last minute... he was just in the neighborhood (in DE) so he stopped in to see her. She opened her eyes when she heard his voice through the doors and was able to stay awake for twenty minutes. Vince thinks she has my eyes, but who knows... a Dominic nose, Calvanese toes??? Let's hope not.

For anyone interested in the March of Dimes Walk on Sunday... registration is at 7:30am and the walk starts at 8am... Bucks County Community College in Newtown, PA. Gianna and I will be walking with some friends and family. All are welcome to come!

Day 38 Good Bye CPAP

During rounds this morning, Adelina was found sucking on her CPAP prongs... later in the morning had disassembled it from her head. We got the call that she was being put 100% on nasal cannula. This is huge for Adelina (she just turned 30 weeks over the weekend)! The tubes are taped to her cheeks instead of on the hats she was wearing. I did kangaroo care with her for the first few hours over her original cannula limit to make sure she was ok and she did great the whole time! I ended up staying there until midnight with her.

She is still on the same feeding schedule and amounts... no weight gain today (still 2.0lbs).

We also got a visit from Jen Keil... AND we have new neighbors - THE MARINO TWINS!! Congrats Mike and Regina - we're even in the same area in the NICU... across and next to Adelina. In this picture of Jen, those white privacy gates are blocking the view of the twins...Jen said Adelina's pictures don't do her justice to see how small (and of course pretty) she is.

And here is Nurse Jenny... she is one of our favorites! Adelina says thank you Jenny.

Day 37 Milestone

"Yo Adrian, I did it!"

Our little girl has finally reached her weight milestone of 2 pounds. Good work Adelina! I guess all that pumping and separating milk for higher calories is starting to pay off. Nothing else has changed today for her care ... we're in a bit of a holding pattern and hoping she continues to gain weight and do well on her cannula. I was able to do 2 hours of kangaroo care this morning... thanks to Gina Delp for keeping me company on 20 minutes notice.

Day 36 Holding Steady

The nurse called Vince's cell phone as we were pulling up and we almost had a heart attack seeing the number on his caller id. She just wanted to make sure we were coming because Adelina was all dressed up in her new duds to see us!We both were able to do kangaroo care with her... she had one Brady for the entire day and of course it's when I'm holding her. A firm rub on the back and head from Mom and we were back in business...

She's blowing kisses to everyone here!

Addy's still on the caffeine (to give her a little energy boost) and prilosec (for the reflux). No weight gain today, but then again... no weight loss either. We're hoping by tomorrow she hits 2 pounds. The feedings were increased to 25ml (30ml = 1oz) over 2 hours with a 2 hour break afterwards.


Nurse Shannon getting Adelina in place for kangaroo care... All those wires are attached to our little girl. It's hard to see how tiny she really is in all these pictures, but this picture gives a better idea.



Look at these numbers on the nasal cannula and it's set at room air! Heart rate 145, SpO2 100% and resp 38. Keep it up Adelina - we're so proud of you!

Day 35 Almost There

Today was my goal date - 30 weeks... Adelina sure doesn't look 30 weeks, but we're almost at a milestone. She weighed 1lb 15.3oz this morning, so she's almost 2 pounds.

You Can Do It Adelina!

The Docs have changed her routine to 8 (that's huge) hours on nasal cannula to 4 hours of CPAP. Her first go today ended at 7:30pm and she did wonderful - no episodes at all. When they put the CPAP back on, she had removed it at least 5 times in 10 minutes. She's getting used to the freedom and comfort of the cannula, but she's not quite ready for using it all the time yet. Her stats weren't as good on the CPAP because she was fighting it the whole time. She had a couple little episodes while we were there, which is always hard to watch... she's so uncomfortable and her face shows it.

The CPAP is still set at 21% (room air) and the cannula was weaned to 25%. Blood count came back perfect today, so cousin Al's blood was all she needed. That was her 3rd transfusion since birth, which isn't too shabby.

Gianna was enjoying the weather and having a cool treat w/ her new shades... she wants to know when her little sister can ride bikes.

Day 34 Growing and Glowing

Adelina was having a rough time in the middle of the night yesterday and was given 13cc's of cousin Al (thanks to Als again)... her color came back and she was back to her old self by the afternoon. This morning she weighed 1 lb 14oz :)

The CPAP is down to 21% (same air we breathe) and her cannula is at 26%. She is doing most of the breathing on her own. Doctor Moomjiim has put her to 4 hours on CPAP and 4 hours on cannula starting today... she did wonderful! I was able to hold her for 3 of those hours today... she was fussing for a while and kept dropping in O2 and fighting her hat (it holds the cannula on). We got her a new one and she was happy as could be. She wanted to be held like a big kid with her head in my elbow crook and sucking on a pacifier, which is the size of a Qtip. It's amazing to see how small she is and what she is doing - we're very proud of her. She's been lifting up her head and trying to turn on her sides - total maniac.

Here she's passed out cold with her new hat... the bandage on her hand was from the blood transfusion. We bought her some clothes, so she's not hanging out in the buff all the time. Thanks to Livy Gilroy for thinking of her being naked as well. I finally left some disposable cameras for the nurses, so hopefully they get her in one of her new outfits.

Day 33 Waking and Sleeping

Adelina had a pretty eventful night last night... when I got there she had made her way out of her diaper and was mooning me (she was on her belly). About an hour into Kangaroo Care, nurse Kylie starting her feeding... within minutes she started gagging and then proceeded to pull out her feeding tube.


She was wide awake for about 10 minutes at a time... she's starting to be able to sleep and wake instead of just opening her eyes for moments at a time.

Adelina had no episodes yesterday and the nurses are trying to give her a little more cannula time at each run through... we're hoping to wean her off of CPAP because her belly is a constant worry. She's down to 23% on the CPAP - she weaned 1% herself last night!!! This morning, it was set to 22% according to the doctor with only a few episodes. She is getting a little iron because of anemia, but her numbers weren't too bad and it was expected.


Oh and Uncle Nashy stopped in to say hi last night as well... he's making sure everyone knows the baby next to us is NOT his.????

Day 32 Straight A's

Vince was able to catch Adelina with her eyes open during her switch back to CPAP... we don't get a chance to see her w/o anything on her head and face! Look at all that hair - she has more than her sister!

Adelina's test results were very good yesterday and the prilosec seemed to be helping her with her reflux and belly distention. She gained a little bit today (less than an ounce, but we're counting). She's due for a follow up head x-ray later today to look for any bleeding in her soft spot - let's not get too technical here...

The nurses put up a birthday sign for Addy - we're waiting for the one that says she weighs 2 pounds! Her little area is decorated with a lamb from DL and Julie, cards from everyone, a Saint Gianna baby pendant (thank you), and pictures of her big sister... I just bought her some clothes online from a NICU store - she'll be rocking in pink soon.

Happy 13 months to big sister, Gianna, who found the toilet paper this morning...

Day 31 Happy One Month Birthday

Happy One Month Birthday!

Adelina was having quite a few episodes yesterday around the end of her feedings from some acid reflux. Her body's natural response to it is to hold her breath, which causes her to desat...she was started on some medicine late last night to help her out with the reflux. Her belly had a lot of distention, from the CPAP air, so a battery of tests were scheduled this morning. As of my morning phone call, she tolerated all her feeds last night and no episodes:)

She is still on the same feeding schedule of 22cc over 2 hours with a 2 hour break and her CPAP was set at 25% this morning. The a/m weigh in was 1.13, so at least she didn't lose any!

I'll post her results later today when they come back from the lab.

Last night we had a visit from Marcy Lutz - I tried to get out of the picture, but it was a little difficult taking it and holding Addy at the same time. Thanks for battling the lovely weather to see our little fighter... Merry Christmas?

Day 30 "Bologna"

A call from Doctor Cleary this morning called Adelina's weight loss "bologna." She was 1lb 13oz this morning, so it looks like a false read yesterday morning. We're still going to give concentrated milk w/ fortifiers for good measure, but the feeding amounts are also increasing to 22cc over two hours with a two hour break.

Adelina is also being switched to a nasal cannula schedule of CPAP for 4 hours, cannula for 2 hours... we're giving it a try, so we're hoping for a good outcome!!!

Day 29 Adelina Jenny Craig

You might have thought A.J.C. stood for Adelina J Calvanese, but it's really Adelina Jenny Craig....

She managed to drop back to 1.10 today, so I now will be seperating her milk for more concentrated feedings. Hopefully with the added fat and the milkshakes, she'll kick it up a notch.

She took two 2 hour rides on the cannula (one w/ Mom and Dad) and did great. Her CPAP was weaned to 26% by the end of the night. Doctor Snyder thinks she is doing wonderful right now and believes the change in milk concentration will make a difference. Only one bradycardia for the day...

Day 28 No News Is Good News

Adelina had a pretty uneventful day (yeah!) - everything remains the same with her feedings and she hasn't had any episodes today. Her CPAP was weaned to 29% and had a successful late night spin on the cannula.

She hasn't gained any weight today, so we'll see what happens tomorrow... All in all, she had a great day :)

Day 27 Big MaMa

Adelina has managed to finally get in the groove of gaining weight... she's up 3 ounces from her birth weight to a whopping 1lb 12oz!! We're hoping she can continue to tolerate the 2 hour on and 2 hour off feedings long enough to put on some more lbs.

She was having a good day on her CPAP and took another swing on the cannula. I was able to hold her for entire time on the cannula. She was making all kinds of little noises and rooting around - her instincts are amazing. She was put back on CPAP after it was over and was able to be weaned down to 29%.

Regina Marino came for a quick visit. She's still cooking her twins and Adelina told the nurses to keep some beds next to her open. She wants to be the first to meet them!

Day 26 Minor Glitch

At 2:45 am Adelina was tried back on the nasal cannula and only lasted 15 minutes before she was having episodes of bradycardia and had to be put back on CPAP. She did well once she was back on and her heart rate came down finally this morning in the 170s.

A second try around dinner time today on the cannula was a success and Dad was able to hold her for a while. She was making a lot of faces and awake the entire time.

Her feedings remain the same 2 hours on and 2 off, but today fat was added to her milk. She has managed to gain some weight - today we are at 1lb 11.5oz - and hoping to continue gaining .5-1.0 ounce(s) per day from here on out.

Thanks again for everyone checking on Addy and to Sammie for the blinkies!

Day 25 Test Drive

Adelina was still having a lot of air in her belly from the CPAP and since she tolerates having it out for a bit, Dr Cleary decided to give her a test drive on a nasal cannula. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_cannula Her heart rate was high today, so we're waiting on a call from the doctor and her respitory treatments were put on hold (so they don't increase it more).

She was set at 30% and her respitory was in the 70s and O2 at 100% the entire time. GO ADDY! Hopefully her belly was getting a rest from all that forced air from the CPAP. She was on the cannula for a total of 2.5 hours. Of course my camera battery was dead when I went to take her picture... but she looked very peaceful w/o the contraption on her face!

Feedings were put back on after a second round of belly and chest xrays to rule out inflamation in her intestines.

Day 24 Full of Hot Air

Adelina had a very bloated belly this morning and when they pulled back on her feeding tube, there was 8 cc's of AIR caught in her belly. Her CPAP allows her to breathe, but she tends to swallow a lot of the air as well.

CPAP was weaned to 23% by dinner time w/ no reported episodes since yesterday. Her morning chest xray looked great (for what they expect to see at her age) and no infection reported. Feedings are remaining the same amount as before.

Day 23 Happy Easter

I went to visit Addy after church to bring her some Easter cheer and of course she had to have an apnea as soon as I got there. She was very uncomfortable the entire time I was there with her. After a call later in the day to her nurse, she made 4 dirty diapers... I guess she needed to make some room to breathe. After the BM(s) no more episodes and she was sleeping well again.

Her O2 had to be raised to 25% for the day.





Here is big sister Easter morning after church! She wished her little sister was home to open their baskets together... next year.

Day 22 Big Day for Breathing

Today Adelina was weaned to 21% on her CPAP... if you recall, this is what we breathe. So only "room air" is being given to her. She is breathing in the 90s w/ her SpO2, so we couldn't ask for more. Feedings were increased to 5cc/hour - that gives her 4 ounces/day. She had some troubles digesting it all, but not too bad. The milk is fortified w/ extra calories, so we're trying to fatten her up (she's still 1lb 10 oz).

She is scheduled for blood work on Monday - her color is a little pale today. They'll be checking for signs that her body is getting ready to make more red blood cells and check her count before deciding on another transfusion.

Vince and I both got to hold her this morning - she did pretty well with a little extra oxygen for a few hours!

She also received a visit today from Aunt Meg and cousins Chris & Danny. Big cousin Chris went in to introduce himself... Danny was chilling in the waiting area drawing pictures.

Day 21 Happy 3 Week Birthday !

Adelina's first 3 weeks of life are a miracle and she continues to astonish us and the doctors... we continue to knock on wood. As of her a/m and mid-afternoon check in's, she has been behaving herself; not one "episode" of forgetting to breathe as of noon today. Her body temps are still normal, so thoughts of infection are ruling out.

She has gained 3/4 of an ounce and fortifier was added to her breast milk for extra calories. She's still tolerating her feedings and keeping strong (sometimes I think it's for us).

Today's Stats:

• Bubble CPAP at 24% (we breathe 21%) as of late afternoon
• Fortifier added to breast milk - feeding amounts same as last night
• NO apnea/brady as of dinner time check in
• Body temps average 98.2
• Weight 1lb 10oz

If anyone has any extra prayers, friends of ours in the NICU, who had their triplets one week before us (24 weekers), lost one of their daughters, Georgia Mary, today. She would have been four weeks old Sunday. Things can change so quickly and we pray for their family to have comfort.

Day 20 Kangaroo Ma Ma

Addy is making great progress with her feedings & oxygen levels. Her body temp is back to normal from yesterday's low readings.

She was doing well in the morning when we visited her so we got to do Kangaroo Care (http://www.brighamandwomens.org/newbornmedicine/patient/kangaroo.aspx) for an hour. Addy tolerated very well and when she started to fuss, she started to suck her thumb - check it out....

For those who were wondering what a bubble CPAP is, it's the apparatus on her little face in this picture helping her breathe.

Today's Stats:

• From 5/29% early afternoon to 5/25% on the CPAP by 10pm
• Only 1 apnea today
• Feedings from 4.25cc/hr to 4.5cc/hr all tolerated, no residual
• BMs are normal again
• Body temps are better today
• PIC Line removed (caused a little drop in weight to 1.9)

day 19 Dad holds Addy for 1st Time

Adelina was having a good morning - probably because her Dad stopped in for a visit and got to hold her. The nurses took some pictures, so I'll be posting them later.
She also has weighed in at a whopping 1lb 10oz... here we grow Adelina! Her birth weight was 1lb 9oz. Our late night check in with her nurse reported that Adelina hadn't had any episodes of apnea/brady since Vince left the hospital in the afternoon :)

Today's Stats:

• PIC line to be removed tomorrow if all goes well through the night
• 5 and 27% on the bubble CPAP, SpO2 in the mid 90s most of the day
• IV removed from leg (from transfusion)
• Feedings increased to 2.5cc/hr
• Weight 1.10
• Body temps a little low

Day 18 Adelina Recovers

Adelina is recovering from a tough day yesterday... her belly swelling has gone down with the help of some medicine and a tube in her mouth to remove excess gas from her stomach. She received the remainder of her 2nd blood transfusion in the a/m (thanks cousin Als).

As of early afternoon, she was showing signs of her usual self (wiggling and moving around like a maniac). She seems more comfortable with the help of her treatments... though I like to give her the credit.

Today's Stats:

• bubble CPAP breathing at 29% as of late afternoon


• stomach/chest xray showed heart size normal, lungs show signs of RDS http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/peds_hrnewborn/hmd.cfm and the abdominal swelling was from distended bowels


• feedings will restart in evening TBD by doctors


• OG tube for stomach suction (removed by Adelina!) removed, OG feeding reinserted


• IV from transfusion to remain until further notice


• Apnea/Brady reduced after transfusion and reduction in stomach swelling

Day 17 Having a Bad Day

Addy is clustering her apnea/brady episodes well over her daily limit in the morning. Her oxygen was increase to 35% for her to recover. Possible switch to nasal breathing tubes cancelled, but she was weaned back to 32% by late p/m.

Her belly has swelled 2cm larger overnight, which was causing her to take shallow/small breaths. She was given a diaretic through IV and a suction OG tube in her mouth to reduce the gas in her distended bowels. Feedings were ceased and scheduled PIC line removal was cancelled.

Blood work came back in the afternoon and Addy will require a blood transfusion (her 2nd) today and tomorrow. She may have been annoyed that she missed her sister's belated birthday cake?!

Day 16 Trying to Recover

Adelina's CPAP pressure was lowered from 6 to 5 and weaned to 24% by p/m hours... she's breathing in the high 90s.

Feedings were increased to 3.75/hour (this is > 2/3 a full feed) so we hope she is able to tolerate the change. Only 3 episodes for the day and one she recovered on her own.

One day at a time...