Topics · 30 posts
Milestones & celebrations
From first holds and first bottles to rolling over, first steps, and birthdays, these posts celebrate Brady's milestones. Many are small wins that only a NICU parent would cheer for.
More good news
Brady starts feedings after losing weight, and Nikkie takes her temperature and changes her first diapers through the isolette's arm holes.
13 comments
One Week Old
At one week, Brady comes off the jaundice light and her oxygen, gives us a smile, and Erik goes back to work.
1 comment
oh what a day
Still healing from surgery, Nikkie brings a crowd of family in to meet Brady, gives her first bath, and hears her head scan shows no brain bleed.
2 comments
Wonderful Day
Nearly two weeks after Brady's birth, Nikkie holds her skin to skin for the first time, for an hour, while the monitor still flashes.
6 comments
already having trouble coming up with new blog titles
Brady's feedings go from 5 cc to 7 cc, she starts smiling at visitors, and we have our first baby shower.
1 comment
I Finally Held Her
Three weeks in, Erik holds Brady for the first time, and we take our first family photo.
7 comments
Nikkie's Birthday!
A quick note from Erik wishing Nikkie a happy birthday, with more to come that night.
1 comment
Puttin Meat on Those Bones
Brady breaks the 2-pound mark at 2 lb 2 oz, and Nikkie goes back to work after five weeks as we figure out how to keep visiting.
3 comments
Great News
Brady will move to the NICU's intermediate area and starts one bottle a day, though she won't suck yet; Nikkie is sick and can't visit.
2 pounds gained!
Eight weeks in, Brady weighs 3 lb 5 oz, is off all breathing support, and is still learning to breathe and swallow with the bottle.
5 comments
Moving on up!
Brady moves out of the NICU to the step-down nursery, drinks a whole one-ounce bottle, and a doctor checks her for a possible hernia.
9 comments
growing like a weed...finally
Brady gains 7 ounces in three days and gets her own crib, but still chokes on bottles and has stage one eye disease of prematurity.
1 comment
chunky little baby
Brady gains about 7 ounces to 4 lb 6.3 oz, has neck rolls, and starts watching people who talk to her and lifting her head.
4 comments
and... the surgeon's been called off!
Brady's upper GI and brain scan are normal, she starts draining 3 to 5 bottles a day, and the surgeons are called off.
1 comment
End in sight
A nurse tells Nikkie that Brady could go home Saturday if she gains weight, switches to a take-home formula, and passes her car seat challenge.
GOING HOME!!!!!
After 94 days, the doctor discharges Brady, and Erik shares the news that we're bringing her home this morning.
7 comments
amazing little baby girl
Brady starts laughing and can't get enough to eat, and we're chosen as the March of Dimes Ambassador Family for Savannah.
4 comments
she's growing :)
Brady reaches 8 lb 4 oz, sleeps 7 hours straight, and a high-risk follow-up finds her on track; Nikkie thanks Brady's NICU nurses.
2 comments
she's such a little darling
At almost 5 months, Brady has gained nearly 8 pounds and 8 inches, grabs a toy duck, and opens and closes her hand back at Nikkie.
3 comments
Double Digits!!!
Brady weighs 10 pounds at her Synagis shot, and we share her first Christmas: books, noisy toys, and a singing teddy bear.
2 comments
Happy New Year!!!
Looking back on 2008, Nikkie writes that Brady's lungs have caught up, and Brady rolls over for the first time on New Year's Day.
2 comments
3 months and 3 days and March for Babies
Brady has now been home longer than she was in the hospital; Nikkie grieves a missed church dedication, and we set a $1,000 March for Babies goal.
2 comments
Happy Easter
Brady's NICU follow-up goes well and she sits up on her own, but being sick keeps her home from Easter family visits.
We walked for babies
On Brady's first big outing she rides six miles in her stroller at March for Babies; we double our $1,000 goal and see her NICU nurses again.
4 comments
Dedication at Church
We attend church as a family for the first time and dedicate Brady, and share an 8-minute video of her journey for NICU families who need hope.
5 comments
Happy Mother's Day!
Erik celebrates Nikkie's first Mother's Day, and we visit her family's farm for the first time since her grandfather passed away.
2 comments
a year to remember
On Brady's first birthday, Nikkie recalls the pre-eclampsia emergency behind her birth; Brady is now 17 lb, crawling, and passes her eye exam.
3 comments
It has been a while
At one year adjusted age, Brady is talking, takes her first steps during a photo shoot, and her NICU follow-up finds her on track.
2 comments
Another decade under the belt.
Nikkie recaps Brady's 2009 milestones, from 10 pounds to walking, and a 4-day November hospital stay for RSV and pneumonia.
1 comment
Two Years Old
On Brady's second birthday, Erik shares what two years as a preemie dad have taught him about serving, patience, prayer, and one day at a time.
2 comments