by Lyn Lomasi; Co-owner of Brand Shamans & Write W.A.V.E. Media

So, she is officially on the move! Watch out world!

Kymani's travels will now be done on foot, rather than by crawling. Not bad for a former preemie, eh? And you thought she'd be behind...pshhh...preemies are some major fighters with giant determination.

Where will Kymani travel next? Stay tuned for her next adventure by using the subscribe box in the top right corner.

Kymani's 6 months old today! Her and Nova are ready to go bye-bye wearing matching outfits we were lucky to find at a thrift store. Well, Kymani is a bit more ready than Nova, who is still deciding. The milk and blankie she requested help. Don't you just love the cute little hearts and doggies at the bottom of their pant legs?

As of October 8, 2017 Kymani Lyrique is 4 months old (actual)! Can you believe it? So, how is our former 30 week  gestation preemie doing? Kymani's adjusted age (the age she would be had she not been born early) is two months. So, is she more in line with that or with her actual age?

Kymani is really becoming quite a character. She's generally a quiet baby, but she often has these bursts of happy speech and laughter that are very loud. If Kymani cries, she is either hungry, needs a diaper, teething, or is gassy. But she really isn't very fussy at all.

She's growing like a weed and is already wearing mostly 6 month clothing. It seems lately she's in a new size every couple weeks.

Nova has become quite interesting to Kymani lately. She tries to get her all the time. If you put Kymani on her tummy for tummy time, she will pull herself toward things. She hasn't quite gotten most of them yet, but she is determined and has occasionally gotten toys or a person. It depends on how close the object is, as she can usually move several inches at a time.

Kymani loves to laugh. In fact, Kymani was cracking the heck up at me on the way home from the walk to the store today. I don't know what I was doing that was so funny but she was just smiling away at me and then when I smiled back, she just kept laughing and laughing. Perhaps I'm not funny, just funny looking.

Kymani has been playing with toys more actively. She has been grabbing at them for a while. But now she is even more interested. She especially loves mirrors and toys that are multicolored. She can hold them tightly, move them around, and will let them go when she is no longer interested.

Speaking of holding, she's been partially holding her own bottle and when her teeth hurt, she will purposefully bite her fist or pull mommy or daddy's finger as a biting object. She has a few teething toys that she will use with assistance.

Kymani loves tummy time and can no longer use certain smaller infant beds or mobiles because she is rolling over both ways (tummy to back and also from her back to tummy) and she is also doing something else awesome!

Kymani has now started to sit. She pulls herself up and then goes back down, kind of like a sit-up. During this, she has periods of time where she pulls herself all the way into a seated position and stays for long periods of time (anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes at a time). The very first time she did this, Nova was her motivation. She really wanted to get her sister, Nova. So she sat up and was reaching toward her.

As mentioned above, she also scoots toward people and items during tummy time. She can lift her head in this position, hold herself up with her elbows, and move her head in all directions.

She babbles a ton and has been saying something that sounds like "hey" when she wants attention. We think she is actually saying hey because she does it deliberately and has been doing so for a long time. We are counting this as her first word, unless it's proven otherwise. Nova actually did the same thing at around two months, which is when Kymani started doing it. So it's definitely possible.

Kymani is extremely cuddly and absolutely loves attention from her family. She definitely has preferences for specific people at specific times. If she hears someone's voice that she wants and that person doesn't get her, she gets a little upset and will pout about it until she has that person. Then, she goes back to smiling. If we call her by her name or by one of her nicknames, Mon-Mon or Mani (pronounced Mah-Nee) she will look and sometimes smile.

She loves hearing most music and especially when we sing a silly song that Nathan made up for her. Opposite of Nova, she seems to have a dislike for particular genres and only want to hear certain ones. Nova has favorites, but likes them all. Whereas, Kymani will actually cry if you play certain music.

When comparing Kymani's milestones with data from the CDC, we learned that Kymani is on track and maybe even ahead. She has met and surpassed all the 2 month and 4 month milestones and has met a lot of 6 month milestones too. We didn't look further ahead than that and her doctor may have some extra ones not listed there. She hasn't yet been to her scheduled 4 month appointment.

Keep in mind that all babies do things at their own pace. So, this does not say Kymani is "better" than another baby. It really just will give us and her doctors an idea of how well she is thriving. We will find out more the next time she goes to the doctor, such as more milestone info, a new weight and height, and so on. So far, there are no warning signs. Kymani is definitely appearing to be on track for a preemie baby and seems to actually be following the pattern of  a term baby. Time will tell, but so far, she doesn't appear to be affected developmentally by being born so early.

Kymani has been growing like a weed lately. Learn why, as well as see cute new photos of her, including those of Nathan and Nova holding her. At a little over two months old, you can hardly tell she was born at just 30 weeks gestation!

Apparently, preemies often grow at a faster rate than term babies so that they can catch up -- and Kymani is proving that to be the case. She recently grew out of a bunch of clothing, starting with all of the preemie-sized stuff. Just in the past few days or so, she keeps growing out of many of her newborn-sized clothes as well. She is currently wearing 0-3 months, but some of those are getting snug now, too. We expect she will be into the 3 month clothing before we know it.

Her appetite and sleep pattern is definitely in line with a growth spurt, as those have increased as well. Even though she is still small for a "regular" two-month-old baby, her appetite is in line with the bigger two-month-old babies. Her growth is very rapid, in comparison.

In addition to wanting more food and growing like a weed, Kymani has also wanted lots more cuddles and attention. She really enjoys being held by everyone, especially her siblings.

This morning, we captured some cute photos of Kymani after getting dressed, as well as while she was being held by both Nova and Nathan. She had on her studying face in many of them because she was studying everyone very closely.

Enjoy the super adorable and cuddly photo slideshow below!

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

Kymani is now a little over two months old and lately she has really been enjoying the toys on the Infantino Activity Gym play mat that Nova used to enjoy. Her facial expressions are so cute as she bats at the toys and studies the patterns.

The one we have is an older model, since it was Nova's before Kymani used it and we got it secondhand then. But it's built really well. I highly recommend an activity gym/play mat from this particular brand if you get one for your baby. It's extremely durable and the kids love the various colors, designs, and textures.

Enjoy the photos of Kymani with her Infantino activity gym below.

Kymani's two months old (actual), as of 8/8/2017! Her adjusted age is 40 weeks gestation today. How did her two-month check-up and her follow-up regarding the eye immaturity go? Read along and enjoy the photos to find out! Kymani has been home from the NICU for a little over a month now.

Kymani had her follow-up for the eye immaturity concerns. If you follow things on Facebook, you can learn more about the eye immaturity and ROP in a post I made on July 20th. I will accept most friend requests.

At that July 20th appointment, we had discovered that her left eye was fully developed and the right eye still had work to do.

Guess what?! Her August 10th eye appointment showed that her right eye is now fully developed as well. She also is showing zero signs of ROP!

This means that her next follow-up for the eyes won't be scheduled for 6-12 more months and she also will not need the exam that involves prying the eye open next time. The following exams for the eye will be about checking for risks of needing glasses or for things like amblyopia (lazy eye).

Kymani's weight, as of August 10, 2017 is 7 pounds, 7.6 ounces. Her height is 17 3/4". Her reflexes and reactions are strong. She's eating and growing like crazy.

Kymani is like a champion preemie. Actually, in my opinion, all preemies are strong little fighters. Even though Kymani's adjusted age would have been almost 40 weeks at her two month follow-up, she met and exceeded the two month developmental milestones. We didn't remember what was on the two-month screening questionnaire and were unsure if she'd meet the goals, since she was early. But she did just fine, not only for a preemie, but for a term two-month-old. Yay!

Now, I should note here that while this is an amazing accomplishment for a baby born at just 30 weeks gestation, parents should remember that milestone-meeting is NOT a competition, nor is it proof that anyone's baby is "better" than another. The milestones are there to help doctors  and parents estimate  how the baby is developing and whether there is anything that should be cause for concern.  If Kymani had not met her milestones, because she was born prematurely, this would not necessarily be a cause for a concern. Also, all babies develop at different rates and even some term babies don't meet all of the milestones at the same time.

Kymani also had her 2-month immunizations, of course. That part wasn't fun. She's a bleeder and a crier. She was a bit cranky the first night, but she didn't get a fever and had none of the warning symptoms. Again, she's a strong little fighter.

The doctors are still advising to fortify her breastmilk with a 22 calorie fortifier and feed via the bottle. She can suckle at the nipple a few times per day now, but only for a few minutes at each. Her feedings need to be measured, so the suckling is just to keep up the milk production. It also gives her the experience in case she is able to switch to the breast at a later date.

She still uses Dr. Brown's bottles, but now uses the stage 1 nipples, instead of the preemie size. She has grown out of pretty much all of her preemie clothing, as well as many newborn pieces. She's wearing mostly 0-3 month clothing now, except in the case where some of the clothing is bigger than the size it is supposed to be. This happens often with baby clothing.

Kymani has started to grab at her breastmilk bottles and pull them closer to her at times. She also likes to grab toys and her pacifier. It's a good thing because Nova really wants her to play. Big sister Nova sets toys next to her, expecting her to hand them back or play. Not yet, Nova. Soon.

Kymani is awake more often than before, having periods of time where she smiles at people, grabs things, babbles, and more. Her swing, binky, and almost any blankie are her favorite soothing devices, besides mom and dad.

She can now roll over from back to tummy and from tummy to back. When she gets tummy time, she lifts her head up and moves it from side to side. She also moves around a bit like a snake or inchworm.

If she is in mommy or daddy's lap, she likes to lift her head and start to sit up. We have not tried letting her sit up  anywhere else, as she is still a bit small. It's just something she does herself on occasion. We do have an infant positioner seat when she is more ready. She is gaining more control of her head now. When she has full control of it, we will try the infant seat for practicing sitting.

She's doing a lot of things and I'm sure I forgot to mention some of them.

Basically, Kymani is a baby being a baby. And she is doing that very well.

Be sure to stay tuned for the next update or adventure and check out the rest of the recent photos in the gallery below.

Find out how Kymani is doing in the NICU on 7/10 and 7/11/2017 via the photos, slideshows, and info below. We have HUGE news!

 The past couple days have really been a blur. When you read all that has gone on, you'll see why. You will definitely want to read until the end.

Weight gain: On July 10th, we found out that Kymani gained 100 grams overnight! That's the most she has gained in one night. She gained 10 more grams the next day, making her total weight this morning (July 11th) 2180 grams. That's 4 pounds and 13 ounces.

Feeding - Kymani met and exceeded all of her feeding goals!

BRADY Events - Kymani still has had zero of these since June 6th!

Newborn Screenings - July 10th and 11th were very busy, as Kymani was doing all of her routine newborn and discharge screenings. She had her second head ultrasound done, as well as her hearing screening. She also did the car seat test to make sure she stayed oxygenated the whole time. Rich and I also watched some routine newborn safety videos.

This morning we were told that Kymani would be doing the car seat test. She did the others yesterday. Worst case, she would have a BRADY during the test and have to stay at least another five days. If she had any desats, then she would be coming home with oxygen. Otherwise, she would be coming home as is... today!

Kymani passed this test with flying colors and is now HOME - no hospital monitors, no oxygen, no extra equipment of any kind. After such a long ordeal, it feel surreal, but is definitely a big welcomed relief. Kymani seems pretty happy about it too.

Nova was napping when we came in (she went home  a day early with her big sisters because she was pretty done with the hospital and needed something familiar). When she woke up and saw Kymani she looked at me with a huge smile and shouted "Baby! Baby?" and then tried to rock her in the car seat.

Everyone else felt the same happiness, including the pets. Bo-Bo laid down by her car seat and Pinky rubbed against it. Velma sniffed  at the car seat and then laid down. She got the seal of approval from them all.

The discharge procedure started yesterday and wasn't as short as we made it sound here. It was pretty exhausting, but we'll spare you all the details and leave you with the happy news, as we sign off to finally relax at home with our family.

Find out how Kymani is doing in the NICU on 7/8 and 7/9/2017 via the photos, slideshows, and info below! More awesome news!

The past couple days have been very busy - but in a good way! On July 8th, my oldest daughter's 20th birthday, we received the news that Kymani would get the feeding tube taken out if she nippled (drank her breast milk from the bottle) at least 80%.

So, what does Kymani do with that news? She pulls the tube out on her own once she has nippled 73%. Because it was so close and she was doing so well, everyone agreed to go ahead see what she did and then put the tube back in if necessary. She decided to be an overachiever and nipple at 100%.

So, we are getting very close to going home. She now has a high and low range of what she should eat, with a total goal per 12 hour period. She has been meeting that. So, if she continues to meet that goal for at least two days, has no more BRADYs for five days in a row (it's been 3 days now), and shows a good increase in weight, then the earliest she could go home is Tuesday.

But we aren't going to get a specific date in mind because remember, preemies can go up and down all the time. If it goes backward, it doesn't mean she isn't doing good. It simply means she is being a normal preemie. She is already way ahead.

Again, to go home, she must be consistently meeting her feeding goals for at least two days in a row, show consistent weight gain for at least two days in a row, and have zero BRADYs 5 days in a row.

We thank those of you who have been following along, praying, meditating, sending happy vibes, casting white spells, lighting candles, or anything that is positive toward Kymani meeting her goals to go home. One of us is religious and one is not. But we both agree that all positive energy is good.

Find out how Kymani is doing in the NICU on 7/7/2017 via the photos, slideshows, and info below! More awesome news!

Feeding 

Kymani has been doing so well with feedings. She had a bit of a backslide yesterday, due to the stress from her vision exam. But that's very normal and she has seemed to pick right back up since yesterday evening. She has been drinking at least some of her bottles every feeding, finishing (or getting close to finishing) most of them.

Once she is nippling (drinking the breast milk on her own via the bottle) 80% of her feedings, the feeding tube will come out and what she doesn't finished will no longer be given via the tube. We will soon find out what her current percentage is and how close she is to that eighty percent.

The other big feeding news today is that she has been switched to Dr. Brown's bottles with preemie nipples because the slow flow disposable hospital nipples with the breast milk containers were a bit too fast for her. She choked a bit on them a few times and we felt that this was hindering her progress. The doctors agree. It was their idea to switch the bottles.

But the funny thing is we talked about asking them before they did it and coincidentally wanted to use those same bottles. They are the ones we bought Kymani before she was even born. Once she switched, she looked so much more comfortable during feeding. Everyone feels this should help.

Weight Gain - Kymani lost 20 grams yesterday, but that is a small amount and doesn't affect her overall progress. She is likely to show a gain after the way she ate today. But if she doesn't, that's normal too. The loss is likely due to the stress of having her vision exam yesterday, coupled with trying to feed with a nipple that was a little fast for her. She also had the immunization the day before yesterday. So that's a lot of stress in a row for a little baby.

BRADY Events - If you read yesterday's update, you'll know that Kymani had a small BRADY in response to her vision screening. The good news is that one doesn't count toward the amount of BRADY events that affects her going home. That's because it was small and quick and was in response to a stressful action. So, she still hasn't had a true BRADY since June 28th. That means she has gone 9 days since having one and it only takes 5 non-BRADY days in a row to be safe enough to go home.

You may have noticed that Kymani seems more aware and awake as the days go by. She is! That's a very good thing. It means she is doing what a baby should do. She can lift her head on her own. She turns her head all the way toward voices and sounds. She smiles in response to smiles and laughter. She knows her name and recognizes various voices and sounds.

She especially likes the voices of mommy, daddy, and siblings - of course! She also really likes Dave & Ava, just like Nova does. There's a lot more. Simply put, she is progressing extremely well for a preemie baby born at 30 weeks that is only 4 weeks old. She hasn't even reached the gestational age of a term newborn baby and already she is doing so much! What a superstar!

Some of the doctors and nurses have mentioned some interesting facts to us regarding her success rate. Apparently, African Americans who are born prematurely often fare better and thrive more quickly than others. This is also true for females. She has some African American blood in her and is a girl, so that gives her a better chance, statistically. We looked it up and sure enough, it's definitely been scientifically proven that African American baby girls do the best as preemies. Is this why she's doing so well? Who knows for sure? But it definitely can't hurt.

Basically, it's all up to Kymani now. Once she nipples eighty percent and gets the tube taken out, she will be going home soon after that. She needs to nipple closer to  a hundred percent and then she gets to come home.

So, please continue to send positive vibes, pray, light candles, cast a white spell, meditate, whatever it is you do that is positive toward Kymani feeding consistently so that we can bring our sweet baby girl home.

Don't forget to enter our contest regarding when Kymani goes home! Hurry, before she goes home and you can't guess anymore! Will you win?

Find out how Kymani is doing in the NICU on 7/6/2017 via the photos, slideshows, and info below! Lots of news!

Kymani is 4 weeks old today (34.4 weeks gestation)! Yay! Not only is this just a happy thing to celebrate, but this also means you will start to see various milestones, examinations, screenings, and the like. This is normal for a 4 week old baby, but preemies just have some extra or different ones.

Today, Kymani got her vision screening that we mentioned yesterday. She has immature retina (but without retinopathy or ROP), which is normal for a premature baby at her stage.

She will need a follow-up in 2 weeks to make sure she doesn't have ROP at that point. It's normal for premature babies to need these follow-ups because if ROP develops, it can cause blindness if not treated soon after. She doesn't appear to be at risk, but it's a good precaution to take.

The immature retina is normal and will mature with time. Everything else in the vision test was as it should be. She was cross-eyed in the beginning, like all newborns and that was shown to be mostly gone.

Weight Gain - Kymani has been gaining steadily this whole time and last night was no different. she gained 40 grams! She's now at 2080 grams, which is about 4.58 pounds.

Feedings - She slowed down slightly on some of her feedings, first due to the vaccine yesterday and then after the vision test today. This is normal for a premature baby, as it's a lot of extra stimulation and they can get tired. She started to pick back up tonight. So, she may speed back up to where she was or surpass it. But if she is still too tired to do that, don't worry. It's perfectly normal.

BRADY Events - If you've been following along, you'll know that Kymani had not had a bradychardia (BRADY) event since June 28th. She did have one today after the vision test and that's normal. She recovered quickly and even took in some feedings afterward. This might slow down her come-home date, but maybe not. Generally, there should be 5 days in a row without one before she can be discharged. But since it was after a procedure, it may not matter for this count. We will talk more with the doctor tomorrow. Also, she does have other goals to meet, especially the feeding, so if it does count, it still may not make a difference where time is concerned.

Don't forget to guess when she is coming home to see if you win the contest!

Rich and I ordered an outfit for Nova and a onesie for Kymani on thredUp and that package came today! You can see the black and white polka dot outfot for Nova, as well as Kymani's onesie in the slideshow below. The onesie looks off-white in the photo but it's actually white with a dotted pattern. We will just blame the poor photo on my low quality phone and terrible lighting.

Grandma Paul (my mom) also found some cute dresses and onesies for Kymani and brought those to the hospital today, too. Those are depicted in the secind photo of the slideshow. If you check out the photos in the very last slideshow in this post, you'll see Kymani wearing one of the dresses. This morning, she wore one of the gowns from Grandma Rowell (Rich's mom) too!

Find out how Kymani is doing in the NICU on 7/4 and 7/5/2017 via the photos, slideshows, and info below! Is she coming home yet?

In the past two days, Kymani has gained 90 grams. That's three ounces! She's also doing excellent with her feedings. On July 3rd, she was nippling (feeding via bottle or breast, rather than tube/gavage) at 34%. On the 4th, she was nippling at 52%! We won't know the percentage for today (July 5th) until tomorrow because all feedings for the day need to be completed for calculation. It goes by 24-hour periods.

As stated in the update prior to this one, Kymani needs to meet three main goals, as well as do some simple newborn screenings. Some are different than the usual newborn screenings, as these are tests that preemies would do, since they are technically still supposed to be inside the womb. The tests are done based on their adjusted (or gestational) age.

The three main goals to meet are:

• No BRADY Events For Five Days In A Row
• Consistent Weight Gain
• Consistently Finishing All Bottle Or Breast Feedings

Kymani is getting closer to nippling at 100% (finishing all bottle or breast feedings)! We'll know tomorrow how much closer she is. But we know that she seemed to take even more of her feedings today.

Remember to get your guess in for the contest on when she gets go home!

Kymani received her vaccination for Hepatitis B today. This is usually given at birth, but for preemies, it must be done at a different time, depending on each baby. Kymani will be one month old tomorrow and is at 2040 grams now. So, it's safe for her to get the vaccine.

She will also be getting her vision screening as soon as tomorrow. The order has been put in, since she is a month old. Her developmental screening will be coming soon too. You will start to hear us talk about a number of screenings as she gets closer to going home.

Find out how Kymani is doing in the NICU on 7/2 and 7/3/2017 via the photos, slideshows, and info below! Is she closer to going home?

Kymani continues to gain weight daily. That's very good, since consistent weight gain is one of the goals needed to make it home. There isn't a target weight, but rather she should have a consistent track record, which she does.

Our little fighter is getting better at feeding every day. She finishes some bottles already, which is amazing for a baby at her stage. Bottle feeding and breastfeeding is alternated. When she does breastfeeding, she gets her measured feeding via the tube as well, just to make sure she gets the amount prescribed. She has stayed latched on through a few entire feedings like this.

Kymani has these main goals to meet before she can go home:

• No BRADY Events For Five Days In A Row
• Consistent Weight Gain
• Consistently Finishing All Bottle Or Breast Feedings

Oh my goodness! She is almost there. Her last BRADY was on June 28th and she gains weight consistently. So, she mostly needs to be completing all of her feedings, which she is getting closer to. When she doesn't finish the bottles, not much has been left. She's getting close!

Remember to enter the bonus guessing contest on when Kymani gets to go home!

On July 3rd, Kymani received two packages! The first package was from Grandma Rowell. That one contained two preemie gowns and some preemie mittens, all sized appropriately to her current weight. She will be able to wear these until she's about 7 pounds.

The second package was from mommy and daddy. That one contained three side snap preemie onesies that are easier to get around her feeding tube and monitor wires while in the NICU. It also contained two preemie pajamas that have similar features. She wore one of the side snap onesies the evening of July 3rd because mommy put it on her so that it would be easier for the nurses when it was time to weigh her at midnight.

Kymani is also now back off of the oxygen support. She was having frequent oxygen desaturation during feedings before. This is normal for premature infants. However, that has slowed down to minimal or zero of these small events during her feedings. So, she doesn't need that extra help anymore.

As we have mentioned in prior posts, it's normal for preemies to go on and off oxygen as they grow. This will not affect whether she can go home or not, as oxygen support can be done at home, if necessary. We obviously hope that isn't the case, but simply want to let people know so they are not alarmed if it does happen.

Nova is getting better and better at being patient during the hospital stay. This has got to be hard on a toddler with so much energy. To help, we have been taking her to the park that is behind the hospital whenever she needs to run. Sometimes, that is multiple times in a day. Nova really likes nature and running. So this is essential.

Back to Kymani, she has been more and more alert every day, studying all of us. July 3rd has been her most alert day yet. During her 9 p.m. feeding, she was alert before, during, and after the feeding. Prior to that, she would fall asleep during or after feedings. So, she just might be closer to going home than we think!

Remember that with preemies, things change day by day. So, we likely won't know her going-home date until it's here. A preemie's plan of care is renewed daily. That means that when she is ready, it will be a surprise even to us!

Thanks to everyone who has been following along. We really appreciate your support. Please continue to send those positive vibes. It's working!

Find out how Kymani is doing in the NICU on 6/30 and 7/1/2017 via the photos, slideshows, and info below! Is she going home soon?

Kymani is now about 4 pounds and 4 ounces as of 9 pm on July 1st! She is gaining steadily, sometimes 70-80 grams per day! That's a lot for a little baby. Grow Kymani, grow! She has already met and exceeded weight goals for going home. But it's always good for babies to gain weight steadily. So, please continue to send positive thoughts that she keeps it up.

Kymani is getting better with feeding every day since she started. Non-tube feedings have consisted of mostly bottle feedings. She hasn't consumed all of them. Sometimes, some or all of each feeding has to be given by tube. But she is already ahead of most babies who are at 33 weeks gestation. Most babies don't start this until 34 weeks or so and Kymani was able to start at 33 weeks, due to signs of readiness.

On July 1st, she tried breastfeeding while getting a tube feeding to teach her that she would get full during breastfeeding. At the first attempt, she latched on easily and remained there for the entire feeding. If she can keep this up, that gets her closer to getting the tube out, as well as closer to going home.

Kymani is getting closer and stronger every day. We don't have an exact date, but her main goal right now is learning to feed consistently. She already has met most of the other goals required for going home. Other than feeding, she needs to do the usual newborn tests, such as being monitored in her car seat, along with things like hearing and vision. She will do those other tests when she is closer to going home. Right now, the focus is on feeding and as mentioned before, she is making great progress there. Please continue to send lots of healthy and positive vibes that she is able to meet this goal as quickly as healthily possible so that she can go home relatively soon.

Post your guesses in the comment section below. This contest will remain open until we know when Kymani goes home. The person who guesses the closest will receive a fun surprise gift from Kymani. Please be sure to subscribe to this post when you leave your comment in case you are the winner. Please do not put any personally identifying info in your comment text.  

Some quick facts before guessing:

• Kymani is 23 days old as of July 1st and will be 34 weeks gestations as of July 2nd.
  
• Kymani needs to either breastfeed or bottlefeed consistently to go home.
• She has already met most extra goals, outside of the usual newborn tests.

Enjoy these photos of time with Kymani from June 30th to July 1st, 2017.

Despite being at the hospital for a large amount of time, we do get out and enjoy time with the other kids too. Nathan and Nova both like to run and play, as well as enjoy nature. On June 30th, we took both of them to the park and then when Nathan went to Grandma's on July 1st, we took Nova again.

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.