April bought a little hat for Camilla.

We've been spending several hours each day just holding Camilla. She sleeps a lot.

Mommy turns beer into baby food.

Smile!

Please hold still while I take a picture, Camilla.

Grandma and Grandpa. (maybe I should have asked them to say "cheese")

The ICU can be very sad and very scary. This week I saw two of Camilla's former roommates moved into private rooms for their final goodbyes.

Camilla

Monday was a big day for Camilla. She's off the CPAP (no more face mask), on full feeds (23 ml every 3 hours), and they removed the last of her IV lines.

Holding on.

We also made a little birthday hat for her. If you're wondering why I'm not wearing a shirt, it's because we're doing "kangaroo care". It seems to work well.

The big 3-0. Today was Camilla's birthday and she turned 30 days old. She also turned 30 weeks "adjusted gestational age"; now she's just 10 weeks short of "full term". April made this nice sign to celebrate.

Camilla was born over four weeks ago, and today we heard her cry for the first time. Her endotracheal tube prevented her from making any sounds while on the ventilator.

Closeup

Back off the ventilator. This time it was planned, and they loaded her up with caffeine to help prevent apnea. She's doing well.

Sometimes it looks (to me at least) like she is laughing.

This photo was taken yesterday after the operation. The bandage on her back shows where the incision was made. The drain tube was removed this morning and her recovery is progressing nicely.

Camilla's operation is done. The surgeon says that she "really liked it." Recovery will take a few days.

Time for more surgery. Camilla is going to have a PDA ligation performed tomorrow morning. They will cut a little hole in her side and put a small metal clip on a blood vessel near her heart. This should help her get off of the ventilator and also make it safer for her to start eating again.

Sleeping peacefully. Goodnight Camilla.

Even extra-small pacifiers aren't small enough for Camilla.

Outside.

Inside.

It was very foggy in San Francisco today.

Camilla was wide-eyed and active tonight. Her bath was delayed until tomorrow night though.

More fingers.

Fingers.

Back from surgery. The operation was quick and seems to have gone well.

Camilla's operation went well. I'll post pictures later.

Friday is the day. Camilla will have surgery to place a ventricular reservoir in her head. Then the excess cerebrospinal fluid can be removed, which will relieve the pressure on her brain.

Camilla does things on her own schedule. The doctors were planning to keep her on the ventilator for a while longer, but last night she decided that she'd had enough and self-extubated. She's now on the simpler CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) system. The funny hat helps keep the mask sealed around her nose.

Two.

Peekaboo!

21%. Camilla spent much of the day breathing regular air. She's still on the ventilator, but it's a good sign that she doesn't require a lot of extra oxygen.

We finally picked up the keys to Camilla's house.

Hello.

Camilla has a nice view from her room on the 15th floor of the children's hospital. She's getting settled in nicely, but for some reason I haven't been able to get any nice pictures of her recently. Maybe tomorrow.

April insisted that I post this picture. I've decided that Camilla will do just fine. (Camilla not pictured)

She seemed to enjoy the trip. The crew took great care of her (as did the entire staff during her stay at UNM).

Camilla's first ride on a Leer Jet. (Camilla not pictured)

Saturday was Camilla's 16th birthday. Now that she's 16 days old, we thought that it'd be fun to visit San Francisco. To make the trip, she rode in this special rig. It's a bit like a pizza delivery warmer outfitted with a little ventilator and monitors for all of her vital signs.

Camilla has developed rapid hydrocephalus. This is most likely a result of her IVH (intraventricular hemorrhage). Ordinarily the ventricles drain fluid into the spinal column and it is eventually reabsorbed by the body. IVH can cause this drain to get plugged, which causes the ventricles to swell, which puts pressure on her brain. Ordinarily this happens somewhat slowly over the course of weeks, but sometimes (and in Camilla's case), the swelling is faster. I first noticed this on Wednesday night, when her head size suddenly increased from 24cm (where it had been for some time) to 25.25 cm. This is a larger increase than should be seen in a week, let alone a day. Today they got the ultrasound results showing a significant increase in the size of the ventricles. She may need surgery to install a drain. This requires a pediatric neurosurgeon. They do not have one here at UNM, however both Stanford and UCSF do. Stanford does not have any room for her though, so she will be going to UCSF. The transport should take place on Saturday, though the plans are still in progress.

Baby ducks, UNM duck pond.

Baby's new blood. She only has about 70 ml, and they steal some every day for testing, so occasionally she needs a refill.

Baby's new nest. They like to be wrapped up, and now that she's off the bili-light (for today at least), she can be totally wrapped up.

Me, imitating Camilla, in a cute little restaurant near the hospital. (her eyelids were still fused until a few days ago)

Camera, reflected in April's eye, in a cute little restaurant near the hospital.

April, in a cute little restaurant near the hospital.

Poop is progress. It's no big deal for regular babies, but when you arrive over 14 weeks early, it's an important milestone. (Tuesday morning; sorry, I didn't get any pictures)

Toes

I'm linking to this picture because it's important to remember that there's a tiny person going through an awful ordeal.

Reaching through.

Hands.

Containment. Camilla was very restless and squirmy this weekend; containing her with gentle pressure helps her calm down.

Feeding time. Camilla is getting fed again, currently 3 ml every 3 hours. She's not having any trouble with it so they will probably increase the quantity soon.