Kymani is 21 days old! Learn about her huge preemie baby NICU milestones on 6/29/2017 via the photos and info below!

Starting from this morning when we walked into Kymani's room, we knew she was going to have a good day and she definitely did. As you can see in the photo above she was smiling at us as soon as we looked at her. It got better from there.

Right after we got Kymani changed and took her temperature, her medical support team  walked in for the daily rounds. You may recall from yesterday's update that she was at 1790 grams - 10 grams away from the 1800 goal. Well, since everything else is going well and she's just about there, guess what?

She is now in an open crib!  And that's not all of the news!

Not only did Kymani graduate to an open crib, but she also did something else amazing! The doctors decided it was safe to try bottle-feeding. She needs bottles at first, due to the calorie and vitamins that need to be added to her feedings. But she will  also be doing some regular breastfeeding later. Anyway, guess what she did?! She drank an entire bottle on the first attempt!

This is really huge for a 33 week gestation baby. This isn't always attempted this early. But since she was showing signs of wanting to feed and so many other things are going well, it was worth a try and she aced it. Her second feeding, she took part of via the bottle and the rest via the feeding tube. That's normal because she was also extremely tired and filling a diaper.

I know many will ask this now that she has met some really huge milestones. Right now, the answer is that it's still unpredictable. Feedings need to be consistent and she also needs to not be having BRADY events regularly. She hasn't had very many in a while. But she does still have occasional episodes. The doctors cannot give us an exact date until she is about to go home because of all the variables involved. She needs to meet very specific milestones and be doing them consistently, which requires monitoring, which requires a bit of time.

Basically, we are down to waiting for her to be doing everything laid out consistently and be old enough gestationally to be discharged. A few possible estimates have ranged from a week or two and further. It's a waiting game. So, please continue to send those happy vibes toward her progress because it seems to be working. She is a fighter and your positive thoughts help!

Kymani is now 20 days old! The photos, slideshows, and info below reveal how she is doing as a preemie NICU baby on 6/28/2017.

At just 20 days old (33 weeks and 3 days gestational age) and having been born at 30 weeks and 4 days, our little fighter is doing extremely well!

As we mentioned in the prior update, Kymani has been gaining weight steadily. Remember that in order to be in an open crib, she has to be 1800 grams. She is now 1790 grams! That means she is only 10 grams away from that milestone.

Kymani also tried to breastfeed for a longer period today. She latched on very well and stayed there for more than 15 minutes. She wasn't suckling the entire time, but she did suckle for a good portion of that time. She also roots every time it's time to eat.

Her medical team says she may be ready to start feeding via breast and bottle and forego the feeding tube very soon. We will talk to them further soon - possibly as early as tomorrow! So, there might be more good breastfeeding news in the next update.

Because she is doing so well, feeding and weight gain will be the majority of the news in the updates, along with anything else that goes on each day. Before you know it, we will have an update about taking her home. We don't have an estimated date on that yet, but she's definitely getting closer.

Kymani and Nova continue to interact well. Nova looks for Kymani and asks to see her by saying "Baby Ky" repeatedly. Ky is easier for Nova to say, though we are unsure if this will be her nickname or not. It may be what Nova calls her affectionately and may be Nova's nickname for her. But we are trying to come up with something more inventive and fitting of her personality when that starts coming out more.

 Some people have asked how to help. We have most of what we need for Kymani and don't really want to ask people to go out of their way for the few items we haven't yet hunted down. Right now, the most important thing is us boarding at the hospital so that Kymani receives as much kangaroo care and chances for family bonding and breastfeeding as possible.

These things will help her get home more quickly, as they help her thrive and develop. We are funding the boarding with money earned from sales in our family craft shop, as well as professional business services ordered through our web services page. We would love to help out with anything you need from either of those places. Writers receive discounts on many of our services. You can also share either or both of them if you want to help but don't need any services or crafted items.

We really only need a few items for Kymani and will acquire them ourselves. But if you see any of these items priced low and in used condition, let us know (we like to use hand-me-downs and then donate as many items as possible to help keep the earth green and kind-hearted): *4Moms mamaRoo Swing, preemie footie pajamas (sizes between 4-7 pounds), and preemie summer outfits (sizes between 4-7 pounds). The mamaRoo has shown to be very life-changing to preemies and they have them in many NICU facilities, including the one Kymani is in. This is why we are looking for it. Again, please don't go out of your way to find these items. But if you have any lying around that you're trying to sell (or see someone else doing so), let us know.

The above of course optional and is only mentioned due to the number of people asking how to help.

What helps the most, besides our family's love and care to Kymani, is sending lots of positive and healthy thoughts her way on continued progress toward going home. These positive thoughts, along with family attention are really the most important thing right now. She's doing a great job, but continued loving thoughts, prayers, lit candles, white spells,  healing meditations (or anything else positive in nature) are sure to help. We appreciate all good vibes and so does she.

Thank you!

Curious about Kymani's progress in the NICU on 6/27/2017? Her update is below, along with photo slideshows, including some bonus photos from 6/26/2017. She's 19 days old today!

One of the biggest parts of today's update is that Kymani was put back on oxygen support via the low-flow cannula last night. Once her feedings were increased to a certain point, she started to have some mild desaturation spells (desats) just during feedings. At first it was fairly infrequent but last night, they got frequent enough that her medical team decided she needed a little bit of help.

Don't worry, though. She's still a little fighter and this is actually normal for preemies during food increases. This is because when the stomach is full, it pushes on other organs, which can sometimes cause the lungs or other organs to work a little harder than usual.

It's important to note that if she meets all of her other milestones and is ready to go home, but is still on the low flow cannula, that will not prevent her from going home. Some preemies do go home with oxygen support and that's perfectly normal if that happens. Obviously, it would be ideal that she doesn't, but the medical staff has been working with us to make sure we know how to handle dressing and holding her with the tubes on. We are confident they will prepare us further if necessary when it's time to go home.

This may seem like bad news, but really it's neutral and doesn't mean she is doing worse. It was hard walking into the room seeing her that way this morning. But we reminded ourselves that we were told early on (and reassured today) that even preemies who had little support in the beginning may still need some later. It doesn't mean they are doing badly if they need low flow oxygen support via a nasal cannula. It can be a part of the process as they grow, develop, and eat more.

Speaking of news, Kymani gained a whole 80 grams last night! We told you she was still a fighter. She really wants to go home!

The medical team said she will be moving into an open crib sometime within about a couple days. She's creeping up on the 1800 gram weight total we talked about. She's already at 1760 now! Once she's at 1800, that's when she moves into the open crib.

She also will begin really starting to breastfeed in a week or less. As we mentioned before, she already knows to root. Whenever she does that, it's fine to let her try. Right now, I pump first because we don't want a lot to end up in her mouth while she's still trying to figure out how to swallow. But soon she will be able to try with more milk involved.

The main goal to meet for her going home is being able to eat properly, since she is already continuously gaining weight and will soon be in an open crib. So, please send positive thoughts that she will quickly learn how to feed properly so that we can bring her home soon.

Here are some bonus photos we took after yesterday's update was posted. Enjoy!

Kymani is now 18 days old! She is 33 weeks and 1 day by gestational age. How is she doing on 6/25 and 6/26 as a preemie in the NICU? Read further to find out, as well as see lots of photos.

Before we talk about her progress, aren't the photos below so adorable?! Kymani likes to watch mommy and daddy when we talk to her, as well as when we don't.

Every day Kymani gets a little bigger and stronger, which is very good. She gained 20 grams as of the 25th and another 50 as of the 26th. That puts her 1680 grams! She is getting closer to the 1800 she needs to reach to be in an open crib.

Guess what else she did today? She actually rooted really well and then latched on and suckled for a few minutes. In between, when she lost it, she actually got mad and found it again. That is HUGE for a baby this young! She really is trying her hardest to go home soon.

What a fighter!

Grandma Jeanne, Gary, Aja, and Nathan also came to visit on the 25th. She slept a lot of that time. But we're glad they got to visit. In addition to seeing Kymani, they also brought by some of her stuff that we left at the house (like clothing and her Graco Snug Ride car seat), as well as some new things that Grandma Rowell sent.

Since she can wear clothes now, we all wanted to make sure she had plenty. A lot of it is big on her, including some of the preemie stuff. But she is growing quickly, so that's okay.

Please continue to send positive vibes that Kymani continues to progress well and can go home soon. It must be working. Enjoy the two slideshows below. We hope they will give you lots of smiles in return for all of your good thoughts.

How is Kymani doing in the NICU on 6/24/2017? Find out what she did today with pictures, slideshows, and the info below.

If you've been keeping up, you know that Kymani needs to learn how to feed properly without the tube. It's slow going, but that is expected at this stage. Most babies aren't even trying, so the fact that she can latch on and suckle, even just for a few seconds is great. The slideshow below depicts the first tube feeding of the day. Being on the mother's chest during feedings is great in helping to stimulate the baby to breastfeed. So, we try to do this as often as possible.

Speaking of feeding and weight gain, in Rich's words (regarding the daily rounds the doctors do to update each other and the parents): "Quickest Kymani update ever. Last night she gained 60 grams, up to 1610. That's 3 pounds 9 ounces. Only medicine is multivitamins. She's doing great. K bye." It really was that short - and when your NICU baby's updates are that short, that is a very good thing.

Just like being asleep is important, so is being awake. It means she is alert, which is also a good thing. Newborns sleep a lot more than they are awake. But they should be awake and active sometimes too. Enjoy the slideshow below.

Enjoy these cute photos of Kymani sleeping in my arms and please keep sending positive vibes that she gets to go home as soon as is healthily possible.

How's our little Kymani doing in the NICU? Find out what she's up to with the photos, info, and slideshows below.

Kangaroo care has still been extremely important for Kymani, as it helps regulate her body temperature, among many other physical and emotional benefits.

During kangaroo care, it's important that her skin touches mine and that she is tucked inside any clothing, much like a kangaroo pouch.

This puts her near my chest so that she can hear my heartbeat, but also stimulates important medical responses from both Kymani and myself.

It has been scientifically proven that a baby needs to be near their mother as often as possible, especially in the moments and days directly following birth. Kangaroo care can also be done by daddy. It is just prioritized with the mother, due to the neurological and other responses. Though, there are some benefits to daddy doing kangaroo care and simply being with the baby, as well.

We like to take turns as much as possible, being mindful of the health benefits, as well as what Kymani seems to want and need,  and trying to follow a pattern that is in line with that.

Here are some photos of Kymani sleeping peacefully after having a diaper change, temperature, feeding, and kangaroo care. She really needs the kangaroo care right now for the temperature regulation, as well as the regulation of her heartbeat and breathing. It's been evident from her monitoring that those things are better when she is getting held, especially when kangaroo care is involved.

In the beginning, it was a struggle keeping Nova in the hospital room and keeping her busy and happy. She has been getting more used to "strangers" (aka nurses and other medical staff) coming in and out. Nova also likes to play and is finally learning that Kymani cannot join in the play yet.

She likes interacting with Kymani and sitting in our laps peacefully and gently touching and talking to her sister. She has also started talking to and playing with the staff, rather than hiding or crying when they come in, which is very good. Here's  a fun slideshow of all Nova.

Here's a fun slideshow of Rich holding Kymani and talking to her. You can see how she pays attention to him. She really enjoys it when we talk to her and hold her.

Kymani's goals still remain the same. Eat and grow, eat and grow, eat and grow! So, please continue to send us healthy, positive thoughts toward Kymani's growth and her progress on breastfeeding. She latches on every day, but is currently only able to suckle for a few seconds or so. This is actually more than most preemie babies do at her stage. So, she is already ahead, but we of course hope she keeps progressing so we can bring her home.

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Our little preemie Kymani has been progressing well in the NICU. What is she up to on June 22, 2017? Check out the photos, info, and video below to learn more.

Kymani is 14 days old today! If we were still pregnant, her gestation age would be 32 weeks and 4 days.

What progress she has made in just two weeks! She really wants to grow and get home with her family.

Kymani gained 20 grams again last night. Yay! That puts her at 3 pounds and 5 ounces.

later. She also used the binky a bit during her feeding, which also helps her associate the suckling motion to getting her food. Remember, she is currently getting all of her nutrition (breast milk, human milk fortifier, and multivitamins) via gavage (a feeding tube). Babies born before 34 weeks don't generally suckle much or at all and may choke on the breast milk or formula. It's okay to practice breast feeding in small increments, as long as the baby does not get a large amount of milk in their mouth. We have been trained by the medical team on what to do and what not to do.

Kymani was having a fun stretching moment after we held her this morning.
This was right before she had her bath (see the slideshow below the video for photos).

All Images and Video 6/22/2017 © Lyn Lomasi & Richard Rowell; All Rights Reserved

We aided in Kymani's first bath today! It was done inside of her isolette to keep her warm. Watch the slideshow below for a few of those moments.

All Images and Video 6/22/2017 © Lyn Lomasi & Richard Rowell; All Rights Reserved

This is Kymani relaxing in my arms after her bath (photos below). We put her in a fresh new gray size preemie onesie. I think she really liked the bath...well, mostly. She did cry a little during part of the bath, but that's perfectly normal. She did seem to enjoy a good portion of it more than most babies do. Her favorite part was the shampooing and rinsing and drying of the hair. I think she liked the massaging motion.

All Images and Video 6/22/2017 © Lyn Lomasi & Richard Rowell; All Rights Reserved

Below, in the first picture is Kymani right after being held by us and getting her diaper changed. She was very relaxed. The second photo (on the right) is when we left her room for the night (I think - you never know if we will go back in the middle of the night). We had gotten her all comfy again in a new position. She did have a small BRADY earlier today. But it wasn't anything to be concerned about. She is still progressing perfectly and the doctors keep pointing out that she really needs to just grow and eat on her own and both will come with a bit more time.

P.S. Some of you may have noticed that her blue onesie says "mommy's little boy". One, it's super hard to find preemie clothing, so we take whatever we find. Two, we aren't the type to care about gender-specific roles, so this doesn't bother us. We believe in giving kids a variety and letting them make their own decisions in an unbiased environment. It is our belief that when you limit their choices, it can interfere with or influence their thoughts on things. So, we try to be as unbiased as possible so that they each develop their own personalities.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Keep an eye on the blog for more of Kymani's journeys!

For a preemie baby, Kymani is making a ton of progress every day. She's still in the NICU, but she's getting closer to going home each day she is in there.

Each day when we walk into her room, she is in some sort of a cute pose. She moves around a lot, no matter how we or the nurses position her. This is a good thing, though. It means she is just being a newborn baby and doing what they do.

Kymani is becoming a little less fragile daily and we are becoming more experienced with preemie care. We recently were taught how to take her out of her bed without assistance from the medical team. We have been doing this for days now. So, now we are able to take her out and put her back in on our own without asking. This is great because now it's on our time. We've been holding her a ton. We already were but now that we are in charge of that, it's of course more often.

There weren't many changes for Kymani today because she is doing so well. She has her bed lowered to the lowest temperature possible until she weighs enough to be transferred to the open crib. She is technically ready but she's too small. She needs to weigh at least 1800 grams before moving, which is close to 4 pounds. So, send positive thoughts that she will do that fast. She was at almost 1600 grams today.

Perhaps one of the biggest pieces of news today is that we are now in a boarding room that is very close to Kymani's NICU room, so we can see her whenever we want. We plan to stay until she gets discharged. We currently have enough to stay about a week, but are working on earning enough to stay longer, if necessary. In the photo to the left, this is Kymani when I got her all snug and we said goodnight last night.

To close, we will leave you with this cute photo of Nova. To see what the heck she was doing, check out her blog (The Nova Skye Story) in a little bit for more photos and a couple videos.

We definitely haven't forgotten about our Nova Bear. In fact, she's getting just a little bit of extra attention so that she knows we still love her too and everything isn't about just Kymani.

Can you tell I've been down this road before with the other two sets? Our 6 kids are 19 and 18, 13 and 12, and 1 and 13 days.

Every day that Kymani has been in the NICU, there have been new changes, mostly good. She is on the right path that will get her home, but she's not quite ready yet. Here's what we learned today.

When we walked into her room this morning, Kymani was fast asleep, all cozy in a cute onesie with a butterfly on it. The late night nurse put it on her to keep her warm without a blankie because the blanket has been too hot. This is actually a good thing because it means she is regulating her own temperature and doesn't need the heating bed as much.

That's actually one of the cool things we learned today. We had discussed that a little bit yesterday. But today, they said she is technically ready for the regular crib because the heat on her bed has been turned way down. But because she is so small, she still needs to be in the isolette just a little bit longer. She has to gain more weight first, which she has been doing. She gained 40 grams overnight, 50 grams the night before, and then 50 the night before that as well. So, she is moving along nicely. She is at 1460 grams and should be at about 1800 before being transferred to the regular (non-heated and open) crib. 1800 grams is almost 4 pounds. At the rate she is going, she should be there before we know it.

Nova wasn't ready to be awake this morning, so she stayed in her stroller for a bit when we first came in. She wanted "Baby Ky" as she calls Kymani. So, she did eventually get out to have some fun.

She of course also said the obligatory "baby play, baby play, baby play" a bunch of times. We are still working on getting her to figure out that Kymani can't play yet. We do let her sit in my lap while I hold Kymani so she knows they are both special. We tell Nova she is the big baby and Kymani is the little baby.

Another cool milestone Kymani made today involves breastfeeding. Yesterday, we talked about how she has started rooting around, so we tried to let her do it for real today and she actually latched on and took a bit of milk. She then smiled and went to sleep, but that's huge progress for how young and tiny she is.

Kymani really wants to come home. She isn't quite ready yet, but she seems very determined to get there. As you can see in some of the pictures, she is sucking on her hand. This is what she was doing when she couldn't root around to feed. The rooting is one of several reasons the nurses allowed her to go ahead and try breastfeeding a little today. Right now, it's mostly practice, but it's that practice that will get her closer to the real thing.

Because she is gaining weight steadily, has no air support, has had a very low instance of BRADY events, her jaundice is going away, and she is almost ready to come out of the isolette, the main things that she needs to do before leaving is weigh at least enough to fit in an infant car seat (that's 4 pounds, for those who don't know) and also be breastfeeding without additional tube support. That means she is very close!

generously gifted enough for  a night and a half, and we also got some gigs that will pay for the rest. That week will hopefully give us enough time to earn more for any additional nights needed. Boarding at the hospital is going to be so much more convenient. This means we really can see Kymani any time, 24 hours. Our boarding room is very close to her NICU room.

We start boarding tomorrow and we are super excited. This will also be helpful when Nova needs a break. We won't have to leave the hospital and come back later. We can just go to our room until she is ready to visit again. Yay!  We held her for a good number of hours today. But no one wants to leave their baby someplace without them. So, the boarding is going to be great. We have missed her so much and cried a lot every time we have to leave. Her medical team is awesome, but she needs her parents, too.

When we first walked in the NICU room today, Kymani was fast asleep. As you can see, she was extremely comfortable. The nurses are all doing a great job taking care of her, as are the rest of the folks on her medical team. The tube you see in this picture is just her feeding tube.

Kymani is eleven days old and is still doing very well. Her bilirubin went up slightly yesterday, but then it went back down today. If you haven't been keeping up or don't know what this means, it's in relation to jaundice. The lower the number, the better. If the numbers go up to a certain point, she will need to get phototherapy (light therapy) again.

Her stools still look great and there has still been no further need for glycerine suppositories. She has had no BRADY events since June 15 - so 4 whole days without them! - that is awesome progress for a preemie baby this young.

Kymani also has started rooting, meaning she wants to breast feed. The nurse said we can try this tomorrow. She's very small, but because she has been sucking her binky (pacifier) very well and has been trying to root a bit, this is a good idea. She tried here and there before, but today, she tried very hard to do so and even got frustrated when she couldn't.

The most important things that need to happen before she goes home include being able to feed properly without the tube, gaining weight properly, and getting the bilirubin levels low enough. Prior to that, she also had to be off of breathing support (she has for some time now), stool without suppositories, and not have any BRADY events. As you can tell, she is getting very close.

So, the goal that we have to personally work on is getting her to feed properly. Obviously, the nurses will be helping with that, as you never know whether a preemie is ready or not until you try.

We are looking forward to trying out breastfeeding tomorrow without the aid of the pump and tube. We will see how she does. Don't worry, if she doesn't take to it the first try, it's okay. Most babies born as early as she was are unable to do this. So, if she does, it will be a nice surprise.

Another piece of big news is that she may be graduating to a regular crib instead of the isolette. To do this, babies need to be able to regulate their own temperature, among a few other things. The temperature on her isolette has been getting turned down lower and lower each day, meaning she doesn't need as much aid with staying warm. This is very good.

Each day with a preemie baby is full of milestones, new information, and sometimes even setbacks, but not always. Each day holds a new plan, so you never know what to expect. We don't yet know when she will be able to go home. But we do know she is making great progress each day.

Since our vehicle has broken down to a state that would cost more to repair than the vehicle itself is worth, we will be looking into the boarding available to NICU parents tomorrow. We can't ask or expect anyone to drive us back and forth as much as we need to be there. Love, kangaroo care (skin-to-skin therapy),  and her parents and siblings spending time with her is one of the most important factors in her healing process.

There is a nightly fee for the boarding, but we do have two free nights courtesy of the hospital, we got a little bit of extra work to help, and a friend was generous enough to help out with enough for a night and a half. We will just keep looking for extra web-related work and/or try to sell enough crafts to keep the boarding going until she is able to come home because she really needs us there.

All positive vibes toward her coming home as soon as healthily possible are really helpful because obviously, the best possible scenario is that she is at home, rather than in the NICU. Again, with preemies, it is hard to pinpoint an exact time when that will happen, but all good thoughts toward her being ready soon are very helpful.

Until tomorrow, we will leave you with this cute photo of Nova playing peek-a-boo with a nurse in Kymani's NICU room. This is her favorite game and since we are working on her communication skills with people outside the family, it has been a great ice-breaker.

Another cute thing Nova does is say "baby play" over and over while we are there. We are trying to get her to understand Kymani cannot play yet.

Can't believe our Nova Bear will be one tomorrow! Where did the time go? Sucks that we will be in the hospital for her first birthday. But we will try to make it good regardless. Hopefully, Kymani behaves herself and stays inside at least for that (and hopefully longer).

Aww, a special  thanks to my mommy and kiddos for sending me these pics of Nova Bear while I'm in the hospital.

Visiting with a Nova Bear. <3 It's been hard being in here without her.