Merry, Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! We hope you had a wonderful holiday. Allison enjoyed her first Christmas and had lots of fun with her family! We spent the holidays pretty close to home this year as we still have to limit Allie's contact around others.

Santa was very good to Allie bringing books and toys and of course lots of cute outfits. Her favorite gift was from Aunt Erica, Uncle Kyle and cousins Jackson and Tyler....Elmo Live! She just stares and smiles and watches him over and over again. Mom and Dad admit that they are pretty amused with Elmo Live too!

Allie is doing amazing and continues to grow so fast - she is now about 13 lbs, loving her baby cereal and has tried a few different fruits . We did get Allie a cranial helmet to help shape a flat spot on the back of her head (very typical with preemies) - she'd adjusting to it well will hopefully just have it for a couple months. Allie has also been going to physical therapy one time per week to help strengthen the left side of her neck (she tends to favor the right.) Her therapist anticipates that she won't be there long and we'll just keep working on some stretches from home.

We look forward to sharing 2009 with all of you and may it bring you and your family good health and happiness!

Best Wishes,

The Shepards

Gobble, gobble!

As we prepare for Thanksgiving Day we want to give a special thank you to all our friends and family for their love and support over the past months. We cannot thank everyone for all your kind gestures for Allie. We all have a lot to be thankful for and many given blessings.

It's hard to believe that she's going to be 7 months old on Thanksgiving! Allie is doing amazing. She is babbling so much and loves to "coo" and laugh at her toys. She is starting to notice Boomer more and even decided to crawl up on him and give him a big hug (with Mom and Dad's help of course.)

Allie has been busy with Mom the last few days preparing for Turkey Day. We've made hand-traced cut out turkeys for decoration and some kiddie cornucopias (not that she can eat them, but Mom had fun!) We'll spend Thanksgiving at home this year. All the grandparents will be over along with Uncle Mike and Uncle Mark (who will be meeting Allie for the first time.)

From our home to yours, we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Love,
Matt, Nicole & Little Turkey (Allie)

Happy Halloween!

Hi Friends and Family,

Halloween was extra fun at our house this year. I dressed up as a ladybug and loved it. Mom and Dad enjoyed picking out a costume for me. I stayed in this year and passed out candy - next year I'll get to go out and trick or treat.

I had a check-up with the pediatrician on Halloween and all is well. The doctor said I'm about 11 pounds and 23 inches long. He said that I'm very healthy and everything looks and sounds great, hopefully we'll continue on that note. Unfortunately I had to get some shots too, so I was a little fussy - those shots really hurt!

The doctor was impressed with my head control and movement and thought it was great that I'm rolling now! We got the green light to go ahead and try some rice cereal.....mmm, that stuff is yummy! Although, I enjoyed playing with it more than eating it - cereal was EVERYWHERE!

It's been so nice out lately and I've enjoyed going for long walks with my puppy dog Boomer. Mom went back to work 1 day a week and Grammy Karen comes over to stay with me. We have fun and like to read and sing together.

Now with Thanksgiving approaching, I'm going to try to sneak some goodies on Turkey Day....do you think Gerber makes pumpkin pie baby food?

Love and kisses,
Allie

Growing Up Fast!

Time is flying by and it's hard to believe the end of October is approaching! Allie has just been such a joy to us. She loves to babble and chat and yesterday she rolled over for the first time! She enjoys playing on her Baby Einstein mat and is starting to like "tummy time" more and more. We would guess her to be close to 11 lbs now, but we'll know for sure when she goes to the doctor at the end of the month.

We've had some visitors over to meet Allie and we certainly appreciate everyone's cooperation with following our "health guidelines" to ensure we keep Allie super healthy.

Allie enjoys her visits with Grammy Karen and will get to spend this weekend with Nana and Papa Shepard as they are coming down to stay with Allie and Matt while Nicole is on her first overnight weekend (girls weekend) away from Allie. Yes, she is going to miss her like CRAZY - but she knows she'll be in great hands.

Boomer continues to be intrigued by Allie. We've caught him giving her feet "kisses" and often he lays right under her swing. It will definitely be funny when she can start feeding him goodies!

We hope everyone is having a nice Fall and hope you have fun this Halloween. Allie will enjoy her first Halloween as a ladybug!

Love, The Shepards

Happy Fall!

What great Fall weather! Allison has been doing lots of outdoor activities taking advantage of being outside while we still can. We've been going to the park and out on long walks and she loves to sleep the whole time. Boomer likes to walk directly in front of the stroller and "lead" the rest of us - it's so cute!

Allie had a check-up with her pediatrician yesterday and he said that she looks great and is doing just fine. She weighed 9lbs 6oz and is 21 inches long.

Allison babbles quite a bit and likes "tummy time" on her Baby Einstein mat. She continues to be just a bundle of joy for us and we are so grateful for her good health.

We hope this message finds all our friends and family well.

I Love Being Home!

It is so nice to be home with my family! I've been getting big and am adjusting well. I now weigh 8 lbs and have a big appetite! Most of my days I spend time cuddling with Mom and Dad, doing "tummy time" and going for walks in my stroller. Big brother Boomer is very curious about me. He watches me and peeks in my crib when I cry. I can't wait to pull his tail and feed him Cheerios!

Mom and Dad are taking good care of me. I'm still using oxygen and a monitor, but have started weaning off both. I enjoy "Daddy/Daughter" time when Mom needs to run errands. Dad is teaching me all about football.

Hope everyone is well!
Love, Allie

Finally settling in

Yes, it has been a while since this update but we have a good excuse. Allison is doing great but she does take a lot of our attention, probably since we don't have the nurses to oversee any longer...

Home Sweet Home!

Wow, what a week! It has been so wonderful having Allie home now! She is doing great and loving every minute of being with her family. The transition to home went very smooth. It was hard to say goodbye to our friends at the NICU, but we promised to stay in touch and visit.

We've had a busy week of doctor's appointments, nursing home visits and settling Allie in. Big brother Boomer is curious about Allie and peeks in her crib to check up on her now and then.

Last night we went for our first family walk and Allie enjoyed getting fresh air. She is also quite the night owl (must get that from Papa Shepard!) but enjoys long afternoon naps. Grammy Karen came over yesterday to help out and loved holding Allie for the first time. Mom and Dad appreciated a little break too!

We are so grateful and happy to have her home!

Homecoming!

Today was the day we have dreamed of for so long. After over 100+ days in the NICU, Allison can now go home! We are scheduled to discharge on Sunday and we'll finally get to bring our little munchkin home!
Allie will be coming home on her oxygen canula for probably a few weeks till she gets a little bigger and she'll have a respiratory therapist follow her progress at home.
Allie is now 6lbs 13oz and loving every minute of her meals (thus her cute chubby cheeks!)
Words cannot describe the feeling of relief to know that the end of our journey is near and we can move forward now with our little angel at home.

Bon appétit!

Hello my friends and family,

It is tricky trying to climb out of that crib!!!! I've been a busy girl this week. I finally got to bottle and breastfeed and am doing quite well with it. Right now they let me do it twice daily and will increase it over the next week. I'm still waiting for some Nestle Quik though!

This week I also had my development assessment by the occupational and physical therapists. Everything is on track and my muscle tone is very good. They are pleased with my strength and movement. Hmmm.....must be that new ab roller I got! I also had a follow up appointment with the eye doctor and they noted that my surgery went well and I should be all set.

I am much more awake now and love to cuddle and take baths - they are my favorite. I'm also making a lot more noises. The nurses still like to dress me up and play fashion show...I had to tell them no make-up though.

It is so exciting to hear the doctors discuss me coming home. I just need to take all my feedings via mouth and pretty much that's it. My breathing is progressing too. I'm still on the canula, but at a very low volume of oxygen, probably not too much longer with that! Hopefully over the next two weeks I should be able to come home with Mom and Dad and big brother Boomer!

Thank you for praying for me and keeping me in your thoughts.

Love, Allie

Lots of R & R!

Whew!!! It took a long time for Allison to recover from the anesthesia given on Wednesday for her surgery. She went back on the respirator for breathing support during the surgery and stayed on after during recovery. Allie was pretty groggy for a few days and just took her time relaxing and catching up on some sleep. The doctors told us that each baby reacts differently to being put under, so we just waited and waited. Finally, Friday night she snapped out of it and transitioned back to her usually self....Miss Fiesty!

Things are back on track now, Allie is 6lbs 3oz and on a straight canula now. The next step will be feeding her this week. She likes her pacifier a lot, so hopefully that will go well. She has taken a new liking to her musical, light-up, moving, rainforest crib entertainment center and has decided that she no longer likes the "princess" mobile as she starts crying every time we turn it on! Allie is now responding much more to our voices and smiles like crazy! It is so heartwarming!

We are counting down the days until she can come home, hopefully within a couple of weeks. The nursery is now complete and we're just finishing up a few minor touches...all we now is Allie!

Successful surgery.......

It's been a long day but we're so grateful everything is well with Allison. Allison is regularly seen by a pediatric ophthalmologist to monitor her eye development. One of the complications that preemies sometimes face is retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) which involves issues with the retina and development of blood vessels in the eyes. On Tuesday the doctor noticed that her eyes had taken a negative turn and suggested laser surgery immediately. www.ropard.org gives a full definition.

Fortunately Royal Oak Beaumont is recognized as the top facility in the world to have this type of surgery done - apparently babies are sent here from all over the world for this surgery, so we're very fortunate to have this resource right here.

Allison had a very successful surgery. The procedure took about 2 hours start to finish and only involved lasers. She had to be put under anesthesia, but tolerated it well. The doctor figured this would be the only surgery necessary and it will hopefully take care of the issues. She should have normal vision or perhaps might have to wear glasses for nearsightedness. Thank goodness!

On another great note....Allie is off of her CPAP and is now on a nasal canula 24 hours a day....this is a HUGE step for her as she can now start to bottle/breast feed hopefully in a couple days! We look forward to her progressing even more over the next few weeks and just can't wait to have her home in our arms!

Thank you to all for your continued prayers, e-mails and calls for Allie.

3 months old!

It's hard to believe that Allie turned 3 months yesterday! She's is now 6lbs 4oz and growing! The doctor's have actually cut back her calories since she's now on track for her weight gain. She is progressing well with her breathing. Allie continues to have 6 hour canula sessions twice a day and then alternates CPAP and the canula for the other time. We found out that Allie is also very ticklish and puts on a big smile when you tickle her feet! She is a wonderful baby and we're so happy she's doing well. She's been named the "NICU Queen" as she has been in the NICU longer that any other baby at this time!

"Splish splash...I was taking a bath"

What fun! I had a day at the spa! Mom gave me a bubble bath in my new tub (thank you Nana and Shepard aunts!) It was great, I even have a head pillow! All I need now are some whirpool jets in this thing!

I am 5lbs 14oz and 18 inches long. I can fit into my preemie clothes very well now. I've been doing great on my breathing. I now use the nasal canula for 6 hours once a day and then alternate the CPAP and canula every 3 hours during the remainder of the day. I'm up to 50cc's of milk every 3 hours too. Still waiting for them to add some Nestle Quik to it!

The occupational therapist came to visit, she said I'm looking great and gave me some posture exercises to practice with Mom and Dad. The neonatologists tell me that I should be able to go home mid to late August.....Yipee!

I am so excited to go home, but will miss all my NICU friends, wonderful nurses, respiratory therapists, doctors, environmental crew and receptionists. They will never, ever know just how much their loving care, patience and knowledge has meant to all of us. They will always have a special place in all our hearts.

Love and kisses,
Allie

Little Miss Sunshine

Allison has had a good week. She's now 5 lbs 3 oz and growing strong. The doctors are really pleased with her progress. Allie is still rotating between CPAP and the canula till Monday and then they'll re-evaluate where she's at. She is starting to cry more and is getting accustomed to her feeding schedule every 3 hours. She does let us know when she's hungry!!!

Allie loves to cuddle and slept on Mom's chest for 2 hours today. We read some fairy tales too!

Hope everyone is doing well and have a nice weekend!

"I'm a big kid now!"

I'm back again! This time I had to rely on my doggie Boomer to help me out....he brought me Dad's laptop! I've been a busy, busy girl! I'm now 5lbs 1oz, can you believe that? The canula and CPAP are going well for me, I like it when I'm on the canula since there are less wires and tubes on my head!
I've been busy playing dress up - everyone likes to dress me and then a couple hours later they change my clothes.....I don't get it!
This weekend was busy, I had a new neighbor move in next door, she seems nice, but a little fussy at times! The gift shop downstairs had a sale going on, so I crawled all the way down there to go shopping....Mom says I have to learn how to shop at an early age so I can keep up with her and my grandmothers when I'm older!

I must get going, I've got my "yoga for preemies" class this morning.

Love, Allie