Kate: The Apple of My Eye

Well, there's certainly plenty to fill people in on since Kate was born a little more than a week ago. First and foremost, Kate was born with a little jaundice. While we thought we were going to be able to come home Thursday afternoon, Kate's Bilirubin number was up a little over 15. Our doctor stated we could either go home with her with a heat lamp or we could stay one more night and they would put Kate under their lamps which are far more effective. After spending the night at "the beach" (as they called it), Kate's Bilirubin number went all the way down to 11.2. Given that news, we were finally able to head home as a family of three!

We did however have to be back at the hospital the following afternoon to not only check Kate's Bilirubin number, but her weight as well. As was mentioned before, Kate was born with a weight of 6 lbs. 15 ounces and when she left the hospital she weighed in at 6 lbs. 4 ounces. Babies tend to lose up to 10% of their body-weight in the first 24 hours, but they then look for them to gain back between 1/2-1 ounce per day after that. Kate wasn't gaining too much before we left, so that was definitely something we were interested in seeing when we went back on Saturday. Well, the news was somewhat mixed. Unfortunately, Kate's Bili-number crept back up to 13.1, but the good news is that she gained 3 full ounces in the 24 hours since we left the hospital. The beauty of that is if she's gaining weight that means she'll go to the bathroom more and more often, which is what will help her bili-number.

Monday rolled around and Kate had her first Pediatricians appointment. Her doctor is actually the same one that delivered the baby and is also Shelly's OBGYN, so needless to say we're quite comfortable with her. She's a wonderful doctor and we feel truly blessed to have her watching out for Kate and Shelly's well-being. Anyway, after the appointment concluded we received a call with nothing but fabulous news. First, Kate gained another 3 ounces in only 2 days! As of Monday she weighed in at 6 lbs. 10 ounces. Even better, her Bili-number dropped to the point where Shelly no longer had to feed her every 2 hours during the day and 3 hours during the night, which was music to my (and especially Shelly's) ears. Our doctor instructed us to feed her on an as-needed basis. So whenever Kate gets hungry or its been awhile, Shelly will feed her.

Other than that, we've just been enjoying the company of our beautiful Daughter. We've had so many wonderful visitors since she's been born and even more so since we've been home, all of whom have been so generous. We can't thank you enough for everything!

That being said, it's amazing how you can instantly fall in love with someone. Every time I look at Kate I realize just how lucky of a man I am. I have the most amazing wife who gave us the most beautiful daughter. Not to mention how wonderful both our families have been since Kate's been born. It's times like these where you realize just how lucky you truly are! Take care everyone, and we'll post again soon!