So Many Mielers!: And Marin Grace, The Independent

Marin Grace
Born: 9/10/15 @ 11:29A
Weight 3lb. 4oz.
Length: 16"

The delay in Marin's update is for the best possible reason. Unexpectedly, I was holding her! But more on that later.

Marin is turning out to have her momma's independent streak. While the boys love to hold hands and grip our offered fingers almost immediately, Marin will often spread her fingers wide when we try to hold them. "Um, thanks but no thanks mom." I sometimes sneak a hand hold while she is asleep and compliant.

Also unlike her brothers, she has been trying to cause all sorts of drama. The nurses think she wants to be sure she doesn't lose attention to all the boys.

She started out with the same gear as the boys, IV, CPAP, feeding tube, lights. Then Saturday night we got the very scary call that she had developed a pneumothorax, a small hole in her lung. The doctor would insert a chest tube to pull out the air that was leaking into her chest cavity, but from there, Marin would have to do the work. The doctor told us that he expected the hole to be healed within three days, at which point the chest tube would come out. When three days passed and the chest tube remained I worried a bit. There were a few bedside tears.

Tuesday night, the chest tube was still in place but slipping. The doctors began to talk of having to pull the tube and insert a new one if she didn't resolve the hole in a day. That same night we were there when the nurse cleaned her up and changed her CPAP hat. To do this they turned off her light and removed her little goggles, and I got to see my baby girl's eyes for the first time. She looked back and forth, up and down, as I looked on, tears rolling down my cheeks. As I gazed down at her beautiful face, marveling at the perfect focus of those tiny eyes, she looked up at me, and went cross eyed. Spell broken. Little stinker. Not to worry, though. The nurse explained that this is just a function of prematurity. It will take her a little time to develop control of her eye muscles.

Then last night we walked in expecting no real change from my visit hours earlier, and was thrilled to find staff at Marin's bedside, removing the hated chest tube! Her X-rays the day prior had shown no sign of leak so they had capped off the tube and waited a day to confirm with a second X-ray. No leak! And the news kept getting better. Even though she was only minutes removed from the chest tube, the doctor thought that she would benefit from being held immediately. After six days I was about to hold my tiny girl for the first time!

Marin, 1 day old