Home Sweet Home

Tuesday, March 26th was the day we patiently waited for! Jayden was finally discharged and is officially home with me and Jonathan!!! It took me a few days to finally pick up the computer and blog about her homecoming. Now that she's home I get so easily distracted :-) when she's sleeping I can sit there and watch her for hours. I love snuggling with her morning, noon and night!! It's the best thing in the world having her home and even better, I LOVE seeing Jonathan spend time with little Jayden. He is so sweet with her and it makes me fall in love with him all over again!

After 38 days in the NICU, Jayden went from 2 lbs 15 ounces to 4 lbs 6 ounces. Even though she's still tiny, she is perfect in every way and we are so excited as this next chapter in our life has been unbelievable!

Packing up our little baby <3

We are officially out of the NICU and headed home!!

She's so tiny in her big car seat!

First night home <3

48 Hour Challenge

If I thought the hospital was my home away from home before...I was definitely mistaken as now I am officially staying at the hospital 24/7 until our little miracle comes home with us.

A few days ago I made a comment to our nurse that Jayden always feeds well from her bottle when Jonathan feeds her or I feed her and I didn't understand why she wasn't eating well with any of the nurses or the developmental specialists. So I decided to come in bright and early yesterday to feed her all day. Around 1:00 I was informed they were going to close our room as the NICU was half empty, and they would be putting us in a new room. Our associate nurse requested we get a private room and suggested we stay overnight for the next few days and do the 48 hour challenge. Every baby has to eat all their meals through their bottle for a full 48 hours before they are discharged. At that time, the most Jayden was able to eat was 3 consecutive bottles. The staff really wanted to see how well she would do overnight with me or Jonathan feeding her, and of course we agreed and I ran home to pack my bags for the next few days.

Jayden completely surprised everyone by eating 8 consecutive bottles!! This is such great progress for her! We couldn't be happier! Her 9th bottle, which was at 8:30 this morning, she was able to eat half...which is still great! Since she couldn't finish the bottle, the 48 hours starts over...but we are so proud of her!

Today she was finally able to move from her isoltette to a crib! She looks tiny in the crib...and the crib is preemie size...so I can't wait to see how she looks in her crib at home!! Also, as of last night she is up to 4 lbs. 2.5 oz.! I still can't believe how much she is changing each and every day! She's such a miracle and literally growing before our eyes!

Tonight I will be sleeping next to her again. I told her last night we finally get to have sleepovers and mommy gets to stay next to her all night! I think she smiled when I told her that! :-) It really was the best sleepover in the world and I'm so excited I get to stay with her until she comes home!!

First Time for Everything

There is a saying there is a first time for everything, well yesterday we experienced our first set-back...something we definitely could have lived without. Jayden has been doing amazing, eating half her feeds by bottle, gaining weight (as of yesterday she was a full 3 lbs. 14 oz.!), maintaining her temperature...but yesterday she just didn't want to eat, she only wanted to sleep (weird I am kind of feeling the same these days). And of course it happened to be the day I didn't get to the hospital until almost 3 because our home security company came out at 9 am today to fix our system and didn't finish until 2:30! So frustrating! So the nurse gave me her updates when I walked in the NICU and she told me the doctor ordered her feeds to be reduced to one bottle per shift (only two bottles per day!)....I couldn't believe it...the nurse yesterday said she was going to recommend increasing her feeds to three per shift! How could we be going backwards? I was so confused. At this point I have no idea when she could be coming home and it's more frustrating than ever.

Today was a little better...I got to the hospital first thing in the morning and she was wide awake looking for me! And today she is officially over 4 pounds!! A full 4 pounds 1 ounce!! I'm so proud of her! And of course when I fed her today she ate like a champ! She sucked down her bottle in about 20 minutes and looked like she was still hungry! I can't wait to see how she does tonight and tomorrow! Today she also had her eye exam (poor baby!)...I didn't watch as I was informed by my step sis (who is a NICU nurse in AZ) that it's not something I want to see. The doctor puts a clamp on her eye, which I guess looks like an eyelash curler, and examines her eyes to make sure they are developing properly. Of course she let out a cry during the exam, but as soon as the doctor was done she stopped crying. Luckily her eyes are looking great and the doctor said her development looks awesome for her gestational age! That made me feel a million times better since we didn't have such a great day yesterday.

At this point we are just taking it one day at a time and going at her pace.

What another incredible weekend we had!! For starters, one of our new friends we met in the NICU was discharged today! I was so excited for her I almost started to cry (I think I cry at everything these days!!) I can't wait to hear those sweet words "you're going home today!"...I'll probably cry then too! I've been telling Jayden that will be us soon and we will get to bring her home.

Yesterday was another day I only spent about 4 hours with our little one as we were celebrating her early arrival with her daddy's side of the fam and lots of friends :)  My lovely friend Crystal offered to host a shower for me about 2 months ago and who would have guessed when we planned it, it would just so happen to be on Jayden's one month birthday?!?!  So we celebrated her all afternoon...I like to think of it as her shower/one month birthday party (which unfortunately she was unable to attend lol). The celebration was amazing and I couldn't be more blessed to have such amazing friends and family! Special thanks to Crystal for doing such an amazing job...especially while you were sick! And thanks to the amazing men in our family for showing up bright and early to help set up and come back (after playing golf all afternoon...Jonathan has the sun burn to prove it haha) to help clean up!

One of my favorite parts of the shower was we had an activity called "Wishes for Jayden" and the last part was writing down a favorite Bible verse to share with Jayden. I wanted to share one of my favorite verses written down by a dear friend of mine, which happens to be a verse I'm having framed in Jayden's room.

"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1
~ I love this verse and it just so happens Jonathan wrote this on a card he sent me with a bouquet of roses while we were dating! I still have the card in my keepsake box <3 what an amazing man I married!!

Today I could definitely tell being at the hospital all day everyday is taking a toll on my body. My back is quite sore from sitting in the uncomfortable chairs for hours on end and I was overly tired. So after sleeping in an extra hour I headed up to CHOC around 10. The amazing news was that our little Jayden had gained 50 grams (almost a full TWO OUNCES!) and she is officially eating half her feeds by bottle and the nurse is going to request they try to bump her to 3 out of 4 feedings by bottle per shift! She continues to amaze us each and every day!!!

Some of Jayden's stuffed animals in her new swing! Reminds me of Toy Story ... Her toys are waiting for her to come home! 

Dressed in green for St. Patty's Day :-)

So peaceful ~ must be because she knows how much she is loved <3

One Month

Day 26 ~ We are quickly approaching one month...one month since Jayden was born and one month I've spent everyday in the hospital. My sister said we should have been counting the number of diapers we have gone through so far and the number of breast milk tubes I have used LOL...I'm probably averaging 28-30 tubes per day x 26 days = 728 - 780 tubes!! Dang! I should have purchased stock in that company!!

Yesterday my sweet pea didn't gain any weight :-( so she's still 3 lbs. 10.5 ounces...so we are just hoping she rests today and gains another ounce. The doctor increased her feeds from 31 CCs to 33 CCs to help her gain weight and also because she still looks hungry even after she finishes a bottle.

It's amazing how much she has changed in one short month! Everyday I notice something different about her! Today I noticed her cheeks are definitely filling out and her eyes seem to be able to focus a little better! The doctor said the reason her eyes were twitching before is because she was trying to focus and since she can only see about 8 inches in front if her, everything is a little blurry. I also think her hair has lightened in the past week...so it's a lighter brown now.

And as always I asked the nursing staff what her estimated date is for going home...and since the nurses don't like to give false hope, they told me my original due date :-( that would mean we have another month in here.........blah.........I'm still crossing my fingers it's only another 2 weeks (max).

Jayden getting weighed ... 3 lbs. 10.5 oz.

Wide awake in the morning...waiting to snuggle with mommy :-)

Room 210!!

I know it's been a few days since my last post...so I have a ton of catching up to do!

3 days ago (March 8th) was the first day in 2 weeks baby Jayden didn't gain any weight :-( I think it was because we tried bottle feeding her during all her feeds (her nurse that day was a new NICU nurse and I don't think she knew exactly what she was doing...). Crazy how just being awake and trying to eat makes her overly tired! So the next day Jonathan and I decided to let her rest and she gained a full ounce!! Yay! So that was exciting and we were super excited about her weight gain! 

As of yesterday she was up to 3 lb 8 ounces! Yesterday was also the first day since I was released from Hoag that I was here with her for less than 7 hours! I woke up super early in the morning to get here first thing because my baby shower was at noon. So I spent about two hours here in the morning and I was back here around 6 pm to feed her (which she took all 31 CCs through her bottle in about 20 min!!)  In the morning the nurse told me she was also being moved to room 210!!!!!!! Which I know probably means nothing to anyone reading this, but 210 is the room where they put the babies that only need to learn to eat. Once Jayden is fully eating from a bottle for 2-3 days she will be released and we can take her home!!!!! As of now the doctors are expecting her to be fully eating in about 2 - 2 1/2 weeks! So we are hoping the end of March she will be home with mommy and daddy!!!! Wahoo! 


Yesterday was also my first baby shower -- it was a little weird having a shower when you're no longer pregnant! At first I thought about canceling my showers but my family said I should keep them so I could see my friends and family and spend some time with them. I'm glad I did and I had a blast seeing everyone!! Not to mention my shower was AMAZING! Thanks to my mom for letting us use your house! I know you spent a ton of time and energy into getting the house ready for 25 guests! Thanks to my amazing Gramz for helping prepare the awesome food (especially after having surgery earlier this week on both your eyes! What an amazing Gramz!!!) and thanks to my big sis Bre! I know you spent hours prepping for the shower, putting together the decorations, baking mini cakes (one for each guest!) and designing a scrapbook so everyone could see Jayden's progress :-) thank you thank you thank you for being an amazing big sis!! I'm so lucky to have you in my life! And thanks to those who came early to help set up and stayed super late to help clean up! I'm so blessed to have amazing friends and family!!

Today was also an amazing day for baby Jayden!! She took her 3:00 and her 6:00 feeding through her bottle!! This is huge as she was only taking one full bottle and maybe one half bottle in a 24 hour time period. Today was the first time she took two bottles back-to-back!! WHAT A CHAMP!! I'm so proud and can't wait until she is home with me and her daddy! That means we should probably try and finish the nursery!! Luckily I'm planning on having her sleep right next to me in her little cradle...even though Jonathan says she's sleeping on his side...or so he thinks :-) lol

My Love Will Find You

It's day 19 in the NICU and one way I have learned to pass the hours is by reading to Jayden. We have been reading some of our favorite books to her everyday!! I've pretty much memorized most of the books we are reading to her, but that doesn't stop me from picking up the same books and reading to her day after day! :) 

So I was going to wait and post my new favorite book my mom is getting me, but I just couldn't wait to share as it is the most beautiful book I've ever read. Hope you enjoy it as much as we have <3

"Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You" 

I wanted you more

than you ever will know

so I sent love to follow

wherever you go.

It's high as you wish it. It's quick as an elf.

You'll never outgrow it...it stretches itself!

So climb any mountain...

climb up to the sky!

My love will find you.

My love can fly!

Make a big splash!  Go out on a limb!

My love will find you.  My love can swim!

It never gets lost, never fades, never ends...

if you're working...

or playing...

or sitting with friends.

You can dance 'til you're dizzy...

paint 'til you're blue...

There's no place, not one, 

that my love can't find you.

And if someday you're lonely, 

or someday you're sad, 

or you strike out at baseball, 

or think you've been bad...

just lift up your face, feel the wind in your hair.

That's me, my sweet baby, my love is right there.

In the green of the grass...in the smell of the sea...

in the clouds floating by...at the top of a tree...

in the sound crickets make at the end of the day...

"You are loved.  You are loved.  You are loved," they all say.

My love is so high, and so wide and 

so deep, it's always right there, even 

when you're asleep.

So hold your head high

and don't be afraid

to march to the front

of your own parade.

If you're still my small babe

or you're all the way grown,

my promise to you

is you're never alone.  

You are my angel, my darling, 

my star...and my love will find you, 

wherever you are.

You are loved.  

By: Nancy Tillman

A Special Thank You

Today is one of those days I can't stop thinking about how lucky we are to have such an amazing support system around us. We are so thankful for all of our family, friends and even those people we don't know that are supporting us, helping us, praying for us and thinking of us.

Thank you to those who have made us meals, cooked for us and brought us food as cooking these days is just not a priority (especially since cooking has never been my strong suit). Thank you to those who have driven us, well driven me, when I was unable to drive myself to the hospital, doctors office, grocery store, etc. Thank you to those who have supported us, been there for us, prayed for us and prayed with us! It means more to me and Jonathan than you will ever know and we are forever grateful for you!

We also wanted to share a beautiful blessing that was prayed over our precious Jayden Faith by Deacon Joe Tumbarello. Thank you for such an amazing prayer and blessing (and also thanks for the yummy bundt cakes you brought us! We definitely enjoyed them!)

Jayden Faith Erickson

Blessed are You, Lord God, King of the Universe:

You have given us joy in the birth of this child. 

May Jayden be strong and healthy. 

Bring her to the grace of baptism,

and let her grow to full maturity in Christ. 

Let her become holy, a leader among your people,

and a source of strength and encouragement for all. 

Lord God, our Father,

Bless her parents and family,

and let her grow in wisdom, age and grace

before You and all your people. 

We ask this grace through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Three Pounder

Today was another good day :-) Our precious Jayden gained 3 ounces in the past 24 hours! So she is up to 3 lbs 4 ounces!! I can't believe how much she is changing every day! Even the nurses and physicians make comments about how much she is changing day to day and how she is the perfect preemie! I am one proud mama!!

Also, the nurses said she will also be out of her isolette very soon and in a crib! Again, AWESOME NEWS! That means she is able to maintain her body temperature and the temp in her isolette is room temperature!! :-) another step closer to coming home!! She is making progress on oral feeding, but they say this is the biggest hurdle for preemies because it takes the longest for them to learn. We have been doing non-nutritive feedings, where they feed her through her feeding tube but we practice bottle feeding, breast feeding or sucking on a pacifier. She's making progress everyday but can make it about 15 minutes before she passes out. And when our little one is tired, there is no waking her! And she HATES the feeding tube! She tries to take it out every single day! Almost like she's telling everyone she doesn't need it and she can eat on her own LOL.