Wednesday 30 January 2013

orange food

It's a well known fact that all orange foods are good for you and make you feel better; Heinz Tomato Soup, Lucozade, Wotsits, Irn Bru etc are all feel good foods.

Orange food is working well for Maisie. After 4 good spoonfuls of the carrot that Daddy prepared yesterday Maisie was less grumpy. Maisie even slept for a hour during the afternoon - TWICE! It may also help to improve her appetite as Maisie also took a lot more milk today.

Maisie is getting bigger at last.

Tuesday 29 January 2013

hungry girl

Maisie did her usual today - awake most of the day and grumpy when she got over tired.

Maisie did manage to sleep for about 20 mins during which time one of the neighbours came by to say hello. Maisie looked like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth - Daddy can tell you differently!


impatiently eating her hands 

Maisie is eating well and has started on baby rice. Daddy was cooking off some carrots for Maisie to try but she couldn't wait and decided to eat her hands instead.

Then after a wee feed on her hands it was time for another nap of 15 minutes - the carrots will have to wait until tomorrow.

Monday 28 January 2013

another visit

Maisie thought that she had an easy week without any visitors or appointments so took the opportunity to wear some Christmas clothes before she grows out of them. Daddy had mentioned that it would be best to get some wear out of them as they wouldn't fit next Christmas;

"Are you sure that it's okay to wear this when it's not Christmas Daddy?"

Only thing was that Maisie did have a visitor. The health visitor didn't see Maisie last week as Maisie was too busy so they popped in for a quick visit. There was comment passed that the one thing about Maisie not growing too quickly was that her clothes lasted longer.

The health visitor was pleased with Maisie as she had put on weight - Maisie is now 11lb 10oz or 5.27kg. This is very Good news.

Maisie has continued to be unhelpful by not sleeping during the day. This makes for a very grumpy Maisie. Daddy was out for the afternoon and so Mummy once more had to deal with an unsettled Maisie. Mummy will be pleased to go to Edinburgh tomorrow for a break. Maisie continues to sleep well at night which is very much appreciated but it would be lovely if she could sleep for longer than 15 minutes at a time during the day too.

Maisie is playing well and Mummy played hide and seek;

Maisie trying to blend into Mummy and Daddy's bed


Maisie not very happy at being found! 



Sunday 27 January 2013

a lazy day

Mummy and Daddy had friends around for a Burns Supper last night so a day of recovery was the order of the day.

Daddy got up early to clear away all the empty bottles and glasses before Maisie could see the mess - he didn't want to set a bad example. Then Daddy got Maisie up and gave her breakfast leaving Mummy to have a lie in, she was "very tired."

Maisie decided that she to would have a lazy day, not a lot of sleeping (as usual) but a lot of lying around;

"This is fun Mummy, don't pull me off!"

Maisie doing her exercises - see how well she is lifting
her legs and  holding her hands 

Today Maisie has been managing to get onto
her side - it is so tempting to help her roll right over

At last it's a quiet week ahead for Maisie - no appointments or hospital visits.

Friday 25 January 2013

last appointment of the week

It was a quick visit to Kirkcaldy for the last appointment of the week. It was just a follow up to see how Maisie's hernia operation was holding out. It was a very quick visit and all is well.

Help! The Hungry Caterpillar is eating me! 

Thursday 24 January 2013

physio visit

Maisie decided that on top of staying awake all day she would be in a big grumpy mood too and spent the day crying. Maisie eventually settled or most likely fell asleep through exhaustion just before the physiotherapists arrived for their appointment.

The physios came around to do test on Maisie to find out what stage her development is at. They use a test called the Bayley Scale of Infant Development. This measures mental and motor development and tests the behaviour of wee ones.

So, Maisie was rudely woken up for her tests. Some things that Maisie got tested on she did well and others not. Maisie was not in a very cooperative mood and would rather have been sleeping so the test eventually got abandoned.

Maisie is aware of what is happening around her and good at holding things but needs to focus on the toys she's holding and learn to take things rather than be given them. Maisie was also being encourage to bang spoons on Daddy's table - mmm, Daddy is not sure about this activity.


Maisie eventually sleeping but for how long? 

Maisie needs to get some small toys and rattles that she is able to hold as most are to big for her. Her wooden cube bell is perfect as is the wee cuddly mouse that unfortunately seems to have been lost - it's so small it's been mislaid somewhere on our travels this week, maybe it's at the eye doctors having a eye test. Hopefully it will turn up somewhere.

Maisie's development will be a wee bit slower due to being born so early but she should catch up by the time she's ready for nursery.

The physio will be back in a couple of weeks to try the test again and there will be another nurse coming to do sensory checks. These are needed because of all the stimulation Maisie has had so far, particularly in regard to pain. It is possible that Maisie has desensitization which is a reduced responsiveness due to repetitive stimulus. We'll find out more at the next visit.

Tomorrow it's back to Kirkcaldy to see the Hernia doctor - just a wee check up.

Wednesday 23 January 2013

happy

It was back to the hospital for Maisie to see the dietitian and to attend the consultants clinic. Maisie got weighed and unfortunately hasn't put on very much, weighing in at 5.08kg or 11lb 3oz.

Although Maisie hasn't grown the dietitian is happy - she's in good proportion. Mummy is very happy with this and was also told that she can start feeding Maisie solids; baby rice and fruit purees. Just a little a day and to add in new foods every couple of days. It is important the Maisie starts to do this for her continued development. It would not be good for Maisie to miss out on this experience.

Maisie will not see the dietitian for a while as she only needs her weight checked every 4 weeks now.

The registrar was also happy at the clinic. Maisie has shown strong development and is ahead of where they would have thought her to be - Amazing! Maisie's development is expected to be delayed  for her age as she was born so early and it's Amazing to hear that she is doing well.

Maisie will be back in to check her developmental progress in 3 months. There are no changes for the moment - Maisie will stay on her medications and her oxygen level will continue to be monitored at sleep overs. We must remember that Maisie still has very bad lungs and is at great risk if she were to get an infection.

Maisie saw some of her old roommates at the clinic today and she was please to see how well everyone in progressing. It was a lovely wee reunion.

The next appointment for Maisie this week is with the physiotherapist.

Tuesday 22 January 2013

first appointment

It's a busy week for Maisie and today was the first of many appointments. It was back to the hospital in Kirkcaldy.

Before seeing the eye doctor Maisie popped into the the Special Care Baby Unit for some eye drops. It was lovely to see all the nurses that had looked after Maisie again. They all said that she was beautiful and looking more like Mummy. There was also a bit of reminiscing about the day Maisie arrived on the SCBU ward - she's so much bigger and stronger.

Maisie's strength showed itself at the appointment with the eye doctor. As you will have seen in previous pictures Daddy has to hold Maisie in order to have the pictures of her eyes taken. This was a lot easier when Maisie was wee but now she's very capable of resistance.

Maisie threw a wee tantrum and even with Daddy swaddling her she managed to kick out and push away from the Optos equipment. Maisie was also much more interested in looking at the screen with the pictures of her eyes rather than looking into the camera.

In the end Maisie fell asleep - all the fighting must have tired her out. Daddy was amazed that Maisie was actually sleeping during the day and the eye doctor took advantage of Maisie's serenity and ended up with some decent pictures.

Maisie's eyes are looking great and her next appointment with the eye doctor will be in 6-8 weeks - Good News!

Wednesday it's back to the hospital to meet with the dietitian and then the consultant. Another busy day ahead.

Sunday 20 January 2013

no sleep

Maisie slept well during the night and Daddy had to wake her for breakfast. However between waking and eventually going to bed at 9.30pm Maisie had a total of 29 and a half minutes sleep. It was a long day for everyone.

Meghan helped out Mummy and Daddy by babysitting and letting them go to church as Daddy had put Maisie down and she seemed to be asleep. Unfortunately Maisie took advantage of having a babysitter and woke up as soon as the front door was closed and played up the whole time Mummy and Daddy were away. Thank you for your help Meghan.

Maisie needs to sleep tonight as she had a very busy week ahead of her;

Maisie asleep................eventually. 
Tuesday; the eye doctor
Wednesday; dietitian and consultant
Thursday; Physios
Friday; Hernia surgeon





We'll keep you updated on how the appointments go. 

Saturday 19 January 2013

learning

Maisie is continuing to eat well and sleep during the night. Maisie also continuing to grow and develop which is becoming more and more fun. Everything seems to be funny to Maisie, there's always a cheeky smile when Daddy has to change her dirty nappies.

 Maisie's not sure about her latest hair style

Maisie is getting more and more interested in what is going on about her, Daddy has been teaching Maisie nursery rhymes but she prefers to do her learning on line;

" listen to this Zach, it says here that
Stars are like diamonds in the sky " 

Maisie is growing up fast.

Thursday 17 January 2013

road trip

Maisie had an exciting day. Daddy, Maisie and Megan went on a road trip to Edinburgh as Daddy had a meeting to go to. Maisie really enjoys going out in the car and is good as gold until the car stops at which she gets a little cranky.

Maisie still isn't particularly sleeping during the day - not even in the car as she is too busy watching the world pass her by.

But Maisie is feeding well and enjoying her playtime. Maisie really enjoys her time in her cot too and is very happy to entertain herself playing with all her toys.

It really is an easy life, getting fed, changed and playing all day long. If only her lungs would get stronger as Maisie still has a tendency to wheeze every now and then.

The only thing bothering Amazing Maisie at the moment is her breathing.

Wednesday 16 January 2013

grumpy

Maisie is continuing to sleep well during the night. Each night Maisie is sleeping from her last feed at midnight until about 7.30am. Mummy and Daddy aren't quite getting the same sleep as the baby monitor lets them know every move Maisie makes.

The same can't be said about Maisie during the day. Maisie thinks that there is so much to do she only sleeps for 20-30 minutes at a time. This unfortunately leads to a very tired and grumpy Maisie who doesn't want to sleep and then gets over tired. Not fun.

Zach  trying to pacify a grumpy Maisie 
Meghan and Zach are great at keeping Maisie entertained when she is refusing to sleep which is a great help.

The Community Nurse came to visit Maisie who decided to show off by sleeping for a while, playing with educational toys and smiling. The community nurse left and it was back to Little Miss Grumpy.


Monday 14 January 2013

She is a big girl

Maisie slept in her own room all night. Well done Maisie.

The health visitor came to see Maisie who surprisingly was sleeping. She seems to be getting the hang of it.

Maisie is a big girl - she now weighs 11lb 2oz, 5.05kg. That is a good weight gain of 20g a day. The dietitian will be happy when she sees Maisie next week.

Sunday 13 January 2013

big girl

Yes Maisie is eating well but that's not why she's a big girl..........this is;

is it big enough? 

Maisie had a successful afternoon nap. Well, successful in that she slept for her usual stint of about 20 minutes.  

Although Maisie's new bed is quite large for her she needed to move into it as she was becoming to active for her little cot. 

After her nap Maisie went out to visit some friends; 

Gemma getting her first cuddle. 


And Maisie is currently spending her first night alone in her own room Wonder how Mummy and Daddy will sleep tonight? 

Saturday 12 January 2013

and again

Maisie slept all night again. This allows Mummy and Daddy to get some much needed sleep.

But now Maisie isn't sleeping during the day at all and this means that Maisie requests attention all day. Apparently Daddy and Mummy can't have it both ways!

Maisie has eaten well, enjoyed her playtime and is especially enjoying sitting in her chair with Daddy's walkman. Today she was enjoying the sounds of Bombay Bicycle Club, The Fray and a little bit of Billie Holiday. An enjoyable afternoon of tunes.

Maisie also spent sometime on her play mat trying to turn herself over. When she is on her back she is pushing on her right leg to roll over - it would be great if she could do this before the physio's next visit,.

And Maisie's big cot is ready for Maisie to sleep in;


Big cot ready................wait a minute someones missing! 

Mummy says that Maisie will try her cot for her Sunday afternoon nap.


Friday 11 January 2013

maisie slept

Maisie slept for a full eight hours! Mummy and Daddy couldn't believe it!

To help Mummy and Daddy sleep they've been preparing Maisie's "big girls bed" - it still needs a few finishing touches and should be finished in the morning. This cot/bed used to belong to Daddy, Uncle Jim, Aunty Rhona, Aunty Cat and then Maisie's cousins Charlie and Grace;


"maybe this bed's a wee bit to big Daddy?" 

Hopefully Saturday night will be Maisie's first night in her own room.


Thursday 10 January 2013

sleep required


There is a wee girl they call Maisie,
Who is never particularly lazy, 
She will sleep half the night
and be all the day bright, 
it could drive her old Mum and Dad Crazy! 


sleeping at last or just another 20 minute power nap?

Wednesday 9 January 2013

into a routine

That's Christmas and New Year out of the way and so it's back to everyday life. Mummy is back to work, Zach back at college and Meghan back to school. This leaves Daddy back holding the baby.

Daddy is trying to get Maisie back into some sort of routine which isn't easy and the community nurse had said it's even more difficult with pre-term babies. Maisie's needs change daily so putting a routine in place is quite the challenge. This doesn't help with Maisie's occasional poor attitude towards doing things;


Maisie hasn't quite got the hang of using her fingers....
......but still knows how to tell Daddy where to go when she doesn't want disturbed! 

Maisie is playing well, feeding well and sleeping well during the night, 

Monday 7 January 2013

Good growth

Maisie had a fair nights sleep which is more than can be said for Daddy although he got more sleep than the last sleep over.

Maisie was settled and so the nurses tried to turn the flow of oxygen down from 0.3litres to 0.2l. Maisie wasn't too keen of this level of flow and this showed with her oxygen saturation decreasing  which in turn caused the alarm on the monitor to sound which in turn caused Daddy too have a sleepless night.

It was decided that Maisie's oxygen level would be put back up to 0.3litres. Even at this level Maisie was capable of setting the alarm off.

Lots of the nurses who'd looked after Maisie popped by too visit. They all told her how beautiful she was. Daddy was very proud of Maisie but was aware that he hadn't really helped in the looks department and that Maisie must have got her Mummy's looks. However must be remembered that Aunty Rhona and Aunty Cat are also beautiful so Daddy may have passed some looks from his side of the family too.

The consultant seems quite happy with Maisie's progress and is in no rush to wean her off the oxygen. It is better to have her breathing without struggling.  Maisie is also still a little wheezy at times but as long as she's not struggling to catch her breath it is not something to worry to much about. Maisie's wheezing will be looked at again at her clinic appointment later this month.

Maisie was weighed and it's good news. Maisie had good growth during the last week and now weighs 10lb 12oz, 4.91kg - the dietitian is happy and will see Maisie again in a couple of weeks.

Mummy did a really amazing job of making sure Maisie took her requirement of milk last week.

It was a good visit to the hospital.

Sunday 6 January 2013

Back to the hospital

Mummy's friend Carolyn came for a visit and a coffee and of course bearing gifts for Maisie who said thank you by way of a cuddle.

Then it was off back to the hospital with Daddy for a sleep over. Maisie loves her adventures with Daddy but is upset that Mummy couldn't go to.

When Maisie arrived back at the hospital she settled into her old cot ready for her sleep study. Wouldn't it be great if her oxygen could be turned down a little bit?

Maisie soundly sleeping at the hospital
Tomorrow Maisie will meet with her consultant and her dietitian - we'll let you know how she gets on.

Saturday 5 January 2013

A lovely day

Daddy, Zach and Meghan went down go to Edinburgh as Zach had a race, this left Mummy and Maisie at home to send the day together.

It was a "brilliant " day; Maisie and Mummy had a lovely day playing, sleeping and eating. It was a day full of smiles and giggles.

Maisie had a good rest and plenty of milk. Exactly what she needs for growth.

Tomorrow night  Daddy and Maisie are heading back to Kirkcaldy for a sleep study, which tends to involve Daddy getting no sleep whatsoever.  It would be nice to see if Maisie's saturation levels have improved but it is likely that they haven't due to her chest infection. We'll find out on Monday.

more presents

A quiet day for Maisie. Jimmy and Isabel popped around for a cup of tea and Win dropped in a couple of presents.

One of the presents is a wooden Tumbling Ted which Maisie really enjoyed - the other a wooden Cube Bell which is a great size for Maisie to hold. Thank you Win and George for your kind gifts.

Maisie is continuing to feed well but could do with a wee bit more sleep.

Friday 4 January 2013

Eye doctor

Maisie had her first eye check for the year.  The images the eye doctor took showed that Maisie's eyes are certainly looking better.

Mummy and Meghan went with Maisie - it was a girlie day out. The Eye Doctor also checked Meghan's eyes on the Optos machine, lucky girl! Her eyes are both good.

The Eye Doctor also refracted Maisie and found her to be slightly short sighted which he said is not surprising due to Maisie's prematurity and ROP along with Mummy being myopic (which means nearsighted and not blind like naughty Daddy suggested ). Maisie will not need glasses just now though.

Mummy also signed the consent form allowing the eye doctor to publish his paper about Maisie's treatment. Hopefully this will benefit other premature babies.

Wednesday 2 January 2013

love helps

Love helps Maisie grow and Maisie got lots of love today at Uncle Douglas's and Aunty Margaret's;

First cousin Lynne gave Maisie some love.....
then Grand Uncle Douglas got a turn of loving


Cousin Eleanor continued to help
 Maisie grow with more Love

while Mummy took time to enjoy the hospitality.....



on to Grand Uncle Bill to work his wonders with more love



and of course Aunty Eleanor didn't want to
 missed out on some love


even Daddy got chance to give Maisie some loving

Maisie had such a loving day having so much love must have given her some growth. Maisie has also hit her target amount of feed for the day. 


"I don't want to go home Daddy?" 

Thank you to Alfie, Olivia and Harry for Maisie's lovely Owl hat. 

new years resolution

Most people start the new year with a New Years Resolution which normally involves getting fit or losing weight.

Maisie's New Year Resolution will  be slightly different; she will continue to get fitter and gain weight.

Maisie got weighed by the health visitor. Maisie weighs 4.62kg - 10lb 2.5oz. Unfortunately Maisie had not put on very much weight over Christmas (unlike a lot of other people). It was a small gain of 50g over the last couple of weeks. Ideally this would be the amount that Maisie should put on every 2 or 3 days.

Maisie will meet with the dietitian next Monday to discuss how she can get better growth.

To encourage Maisie to love her food Daddy sits her at the kitchen door when he's cooking for everyone. Daddys cooking can draw quite a crowd;

Uncle Alan and Megan wait patiently with
Maisie for some of Daddy's chowder

Tuesday 1 January 2013

a peaceful hogmanay

Maisie at the bells seeing in the new year;

Dreaming of an Amazing 2013