Tuesday 6/5
When last we left our intrepid preemie, Isabelle was on the way to her new home in the Growth and Development Unit. Aptly named, the GDU has lived up to its billing and Isabelle is growing and developing better than we expected. One week ago she weighed 1,475 grams and today she weighed in at an impressive 1,680. That is just over 7oz in a week and by this weekend we expect her to hit 4lbs. The third trimester is when babies add most of their weight so this growth should be expected, but it’s crazy to watch it happen before our eyes. We can literally see the change happen overnight and each morning the anticipation builds as we wait to see how much she gained from the day before. Her father has also been gaining a steady 1-2oz a day since her birth but we’ll save that for another day.
Isabelle has also continued to make gains in her oxygen requirement and graduated from high-flow to low-flow oxygen over the weekend. She is now breathing almost entirely on her own and only requires a tiny amount of additional oxygen. She will probably stay on the low-flow for a little while, as it is the final step before going completely assistance free.
Isabelle (and her parents) had a big weekend with several first time visitors. On Friday her Uncle Tim and Aunt Suzanne came to visit from Colorado and now that Izzy is in the GDU, lucky family members who time her feeding right can hold her for a little while, and Tim and Suzanne were the first ones to hold Izzy. This was a big step for Izzy and we feel so fortunate that she is strong enough for additional holding. She loved it.
Saturday was kicked off with a visit from Uncle Jono and Aunt Ellie. They flew in from Buffalo (and boy were their arms tired ¹) and brought the essential Bard family gifts. And while they didn’t get to hold her, they witnessed Izzy at a good time when she was very active and alert. Mike’s friend James also came in for a visit and Izzy’s said she can’t wait to visit him in Florida one day soon.
Saturday was also a big day because we had Susan’s (post)baby shower. 
The shower was planned before Izzy was born, and we had a hard time deciding if we should keep the original date. With everything going on, it was the last thing on our minds and in the early weeks of Isabelle’s journey we weren’t sure if celebrating was the right thing to do. But we were so happy that we kept the original plan because it was a fantastic day and we had a wonderful time surrounded by so many people who have loved and supported us through this experience. For everyone who made the trip, we can’t thank you enough. We always knew our friends and family were amazing but days like Saturday are another example of how lucky we are.
- Just working on my dad jokes.
Meet Isabelle 