A Day in the Life (Vegas Edition)

Tomorrow marks 2 weeks since we arrived in Las Vegas and Monday is 2 weeks since we met Aviannah. Sure feels longer then that! Actually, I don't ever know how we got along without her :) One of my biggest worries coming down here was that we'd all be super homesick and not enjoy ourselves. That is turning out to not be the case! Of course we're excited to get home, but we are finding that we are absolutely loving our time down here. It very much feels like a holiday, but the best kind, the kind where we can settle in and do our own thing with no strict agenda. It's wonderful. It's also a gorgeous city. It's neat because it's literally in the middle of a flat desert, yet it is entirely surrounded by mountains. Every direction you go, there are mountains in the distance. And palm trees. Lots of palm trees.

I just wanted to give you a glimpse into what a typical day looks like for us here. We've fallen into quite a nice routine. I'm glad, especially for Cassidy's sake. She needs routine, but don't we all? Here's a day in the life of the Letkemans!

7:00-7:30: Cassidy wakes up. Her and John head downstairs for breakfast. I go back to sleep :)

8:30ish: They come back upstairs. I get up and John leaves for the hospital to be there for Avi's 9:00 feeding. He spends the morning there and comes back after her 12:00 feeding.

8:30-12: Cassidy and I get dressed and ready for the day. We go downstairs and I eat breakfast and she eats a 2nd breakfast :) We play outside, or watch TV, or  if it's not to hot we go for a walk. 

12:00: Cassidy and I have lunch. John gets back around 12:30ish and eats his lunch.

1:00: Cassidy goes down for a nap. John and I either nap or just hang out together

2:30: I leave for the hospital to be there for Avi's 3:00 feeding. I stay until after her 6:00 feeding. She usually sleeps all afternoon so I bring a book and enjoy the snuggles :)

6:30ish: I get back and eat supper. After supper we try to go out and do something fun (and free). Yesterday we drove down the Strip, tonight we found a new park.

8:15: Head back to our room and get Cassidy ready for bed. 

8:30: Cassidy is in bed and John and I go out to the family room. We either read or watch a movie together, just enjoying each other's company and some downtime :) 

Not all of our days look like this, sometimes we have meetings with the lawyer or our adoption agency, but usually it is something along these lines. I must say though, I am counting down the days till Wednesday- the day that Aviannah gets to come home with us! It sure has been nice to ease into parenting her slowly though. We take care of her during the day, and yet at night we can leave her and know she'll be cared for by someone else. Seeing as we each spend 3 hours a day with her, we have both gotten to bond with her and learn about her in a special way. John is doing amazing, for having no experience with a newborn whatsoever. I think Aviannah must be trying to break him in, because she's pooped 4 times for him now and 0 for me! Not that I'm keeping score ;) I'm getting to know my way around the NICU pretty good. One of the nurses today told me I'm so efficient that they should just hire me! A nice compliment, but I think I'll stick to teaching piano :) 

I am really hoping we can be home in time for Father's Day. We have to stick around a few days after Aviannah's release for a follow up appointment and we're also waiting on our travel order from the US government. But hopefully, 2 weeks from now we'll be home! I can't wait!

Check, check, check!

So we're still doing good here in Viva Las Vegas, but boy is it getting hot! Cassidy and I walked to a nearby park yesterday morning. I was hoping to get out before it got too hot, but at 10:00 it was already almost 100F! I felt like I was getting a bit of heatstroke so we didn't stay out long. She seems to be coping with the heat just fine :)

This morning we met with our lawyer. He was very nice and is working with our agency to get the travel papers that we need. We don't need a passport, which is a huge answer to prayer, because that would've taken quite a while to get. We're still working on getting our citizenship papers here, but everything seems to be coming together nicely. It feels like we have one huge checklist that we have to complete before we can come home. Slowly we are getting stuff checked off! Adoption papers signed, check! Met with the lawyer, check! Of course, the biggest thing on the list is Aviannah.

She's now been off oxygen for 27 hours and is doing great! I went in this morning after we went to the lawyer's and the nurse told me she had a spell during her early morning feeding. Her levels dropped really low but she was able to recover by herself without any assistance, not even a pat on the back, which is good. The doctor came by while I was there and said he'd like her to go for 5 days without any spells, so that puts us at next Monday. If all has gone well, and she passes her car-seat test she will be good to go. We'll still need to stick around after she gets released so she can follow up with a pediatrician here before we take her home. I am super anxious to get home, but at the same time I am completely fine with staying her as long as we need to for her sake. I know the hospital won't let her go until they are absolutely sure she can handle the trip and I'm glad for that. We are taking Cassidy this afternoon to go see her baby sister. She's pretty excited :) Another thing that is so great about this hospital is that we don't have to pay for parking! Considering we spend 6+ hours a day there, I'm sure that is saving us a fortune!

We miss you all and can't wait to be home with you! Well, except Cassidy. I asked her the other day if she wanted to go back home to Warman and she said "No! I want to stay here!" :) I think once the time comes she'll be ready to leave but I'm thankful she's having a good time.

Settling In

We've been in Las Vegas for almost a week already, and I'm happy to say that we are settling in quite nicely. Both John and I didn't know what to expect of this city, but we are pleasantly surprised to find that we are really enjoying it here. The dry climate is actually kind of great! My hair thinks so anyway :) Everything is so clean and green (considering they get next to no rain, that's quite a feat) and it's surprisingly easy to get around. We found a baptist church near our place and we're excited to go check it out this Sunday!

We've fallen into a nice routine, although that will now change since my parents left this morning. That was hard watching them go. I've realized that no matter how old and grown-up you get, it always just feels better when Mom and Dad are around. John and I had the luxury of being able to go to the hospital together multiple times a day while they watched Cassidy. Now we have to take turns, which is not as fun. Aviannah is on a tight schedule. Every 3 hours she gets her temp taken, diaper changed and bottle fed. Other then that, they try to have her sleeping. The more she sleeps, the less calories and energy she burns and she needs to keep as many of those calories in her system as possible so she can grow, grow, grow! We try to be there for her late morning feeding, afternoon feeding and supper feeding. The first time I changed her diaper I was so nervous. Her legs are like toothpicks and I wasn't sure how to maneuver around all the wires. I've learned though that the babies aren't as fragile as they look. Watching the other nurses skillfully handle them has helped me feel more confident. Today I whipped through the changing with barely a peep from her :) It will sure be nice to not have wires to work around once we get out!

The hospital is truly amazing. The nurses and doctors have all been so helpful and kind and it's fun to see how excited they are for Avi and for us. It's easy to tell how much they love her. As much as I can't wait to get her out of there, I've grown quite fond of the place. I think it would be great to take her back when she's older and show her where she spent her first few months.

Speaking of getting her out...she may be released early next week! I talked to her doctor today and right now she's on .04 of oxygen, which is really just a whiff. They are lowering it down every day and hoping that they can sneak it away from her and if she does well, she can come "home" Monday or Tuesday! She is doing great with her eating and everything else. I am trying not to get too excited, but please pray that this can happen!!

We signed placement papers with our agency today. It was so great to finally meet all the people we've been emailing for so long. They have been so great. We're in touch with a lawyer down here and it sounds like as soon as we get the custody papers from him, and once Avi is released and stable, we can go home!! I don't know how long it will take to get the custody papers, but I'm hoping not long. Birth parents have already gone to court and relinquished their rights. We told the agency that if they want to meet us, we would love that so the social worker is going to contact them. It sounds like they want to keep in touch, although considering that they are homeless, I'm not sure how that will work.

That's all I have for an update right now. We are loving the Ronald McDonald house. We have access to all the food we want, there is a nice sitting room with tons of movies to watch and toys for Cassidy and everyone is so friendly! It is such a blessing to be here but we really miss everyone at home. Facebook and this blog have been such a nice way to keep everyone in the loop. Your prayers are definitely holding us up. Thank you for standing in the gap for us.

Avi's First Photoshoot

A very cool thing happened today!

This morning when we walked into the NICU there was a new baby beside Aviannah. I noticed right away that the baby's name on her bed was Ava. I thought "Oh neat, similar to Aviannah and they are roomates!" Her mom was there so we started chatting about our babies. I told her we were adopting Aviannah and she lit up and told me that she was fostering this baby and was hoping to adopt sometime in the future. She said she had heard about us because the nurses had gotten us mixed up. We quickly figured out why. Turns out her name is Mandy! (with a y). How cool is that? We have the same name and we both named our babies similar names! 

We continued to chat and she told me that she is a photographer and she asked if we'd like her to take some newborn pictures of Aviannah! Of course I said YES! So tomorrow morning we're meeting at the hospital to do some pics! I am so excited!! I went and bought Aviannah a frilly little outfit and some headbands this afternoon, and I can't wait to get her all dolled up!

I am so thankful that I met this woman and I don't think it's a coincidence that our babies ended up beside each other :) Can't wait to share pics from our photoshoot tomorrow! 

Madly in Love

I remember after we got the call about Cassidy and before we met her worrying that I wouldn't be able to love her as much as I would if she was biologically mine. I was worried that it would feel like I was raising someone else's baby and that she'd never feel like she was mine. All those fears were instantly erased the moment I met her, and I fell hard for that 9 month, blue eyed, brown haired beauty.

It's happened again. This time I've fallen hard for a tiny, 5lb, blond haired, blue eyed beauty,

We've been to the hospital 4 times now to visit Aviannah and it's harder to leave every time. This last time we stayed for almost 4 hours and it still wasn't enough. Leaving her in her tiny bed and watching her stare at us as we kiss her goodbye is just about the hardest thing I've ever done. I can't believe how much I love her already. She is the most gorgeous little thing and she just seems to get cuter every time we see her. She makes these little purring noises when she sleeps and she sometimes does this adorable little shudder. We laugh every time. The way she smiles, how she scrunches up her eyebrows... I've got it bad for this little darling!

We talked to another nurse practitioner today and she said that Avi is just doing fantastic. They lowered her oxygen levels today and she's done great with that. They are trying really hard to have her off oxygen by the time we need to head home. She was born with a partial missing membrane in her brain. At first they thought it was the full membrane missing, which would've meant severe special needs but after they did a brain scan they learned only a part of the membrane is missing. This means Avi will likely deal with developmental delays and we will need to get a neurologist for her once we get back home, but we are very thankful it's nothing worse. 

It's funny...this morning we went and did some touristy stuff and I couldn't help feel a bit guilty that we weren't at the hospital spending time with Avi. Then we left to go see Avi and I felt bad that we were leaving Cassidy behind. All of a sudden my heart belongs to two little people and right now I can't have them both together. I can't wait until I can. I just love my girls! 

Meeting Aviannah

I am so exhausted and ready for a nap, but I know you all are dying for an update, so I'll try to make this quick!

I was so nervous as we pulled up to the hospital. We found our social worker in the entrance and she took us back to the nursery. Aviannah has moved out of the Level 3 NICU and is now in Level 2. John and I scrubbed up and went in to go see her! At first they said Cassidy couldn't see her today, because siblings could only come during a specific time, but they made an exception, which I'm glad for, because she burst into tears when she first heard that she couldn't come in. She's been waiting for this for a long time!

Right away when we walked into the nursery the nurse scooped her up and put her in my arms. She was wrapped up nice but I could still tell how tiny she is! John and I took turns saying hello, then Cassidy came in to say hello. They normally only allow 2 people per family at a time, but no other parents were there so they let my parents come in while we were still in there. It was so special! I posted the pictures on Facebook.

Mom and Dad left with Cassidy around 9:30. The nurse said Aviannah's next feeding was at 11:00, so John and I took turns snuggling her until then. It was wonderful. She slept the whole time and we giggled over the cute sounds she made, talked to her, and just stared at her. The nurse practitioner came and updated us on her condition. Aviannah is still on oxygen, but other then that everything looks really good. Her eyes are getting tested tomorrow and she might need another cardiac test but if those go well, she will be ready to be discharged. She also needs to pass a carseat test. She can be discharged and still be on oxygen, it'd just be something we'd have to deal with out of the hospital. Since we have to stay 6 weeks, the nurse will set us up with a pediatrician here. She is hoping that Aviannah can be off the oxygen by the time we are ready to go home. PLEASE pray that she will! The nurse said she will likely have chronic lung disease as a result of being on oxygen for so long, but it doesn't sound too serious. 

At 11:00 we got to open up her blanket and get a good look at her. The nurse wanted her to stay wrapped up until feeding time because the more awake time they have, the more calories they burn, so they try to get them to sleep as much as possible. It was so fun to see her tiny fingers and toes, and her skinny little legs! I changed her bum and then the nurse showed me how to feed her. Preemies need to be fed a little differently then full-term babies. She ate so well! She chugged back the first half of her bottle, gave me a really good burp, then finished the second half all within half an hour! I put her up on my chest and she fell asleep there again :)

Around 11:45 she was given a hearing test. The doctor stuck all these things to her ears and head and we got to watch on the monitor as she responded to the different tests. She passed with flying colors! After her test was done, we said goodbye and headed back to our place. It was soooo hard to leave her in that tiny bed, but we're heading back tonight after we get a good nap in. The nurse is also going to plan for us to stay one night while my parents are here with Cassidy, so that will be good.

All in all, I'm a little overwhelmed. We had so many people giving us so much information, but I know we'll figure it out. All the nurses were so excited that we were here. Tomorrow from 3-5 is when siblings can visit, so Cassidy will get a chance to hold her. 

I gotta say though, my favorite part of the morning was when I whispered "I love you," to Aviannah and she smiled :) 

On the Road Again

I am typing this from Las Vegas! We made it!

We left my parent's house in Saskatoon at 7:00am on Saturday morning. The first part of the drive down to the border was uneventful and boring. Nothing but flat prairies, nothing new there. We made it through the border without any problems! The crossing guard hardly asked any questions. I was driving when we crossed and I was so nervous, but it was all good! We crossed from Alberta into Montana and for a while it was the same old flat lands as the prairies we were leaving behind. THEN we hit the mountains. I can't even describe how incredible they were. I've been to BC plenty of times and I've always thought the mountains there are gorgeous, but even they don't hold a candle to the beauty of those Montana mountains. It was breathtaking. Just when I thought they couldn't get any better, we turned another corner and were hit with a sight more beautiful then the last. I already cannot wait to go home just so I can see those mountains again. If you ever have the opportunity to drive through Montana, DO IT. 

We drove as far as Idaho Falls and stopped for the night. Cassidy had only slept for 20 minutes in the afternoon and by 9:30 was having a full out meltdown in her carseat. I felt so bad for her. She was very overtired but could not get comfortable. She calmed down soon, but stayed awake until we came to a stop at 11:00. Suddenly, as soon as we got in our room she got a second wind and was jumping on the beds and shrieking like a crazy person. It was close to midnight before we all went to sleep, and we had to leave by 6 the next morning to make it to Las Vegas by 4:00pm (that's when we had to check in at our place). This meant 5 hours of sleep for all of us. Cassidy usually needs at least double that. In the morning we were all getting ready quietly while she slept. We were hoping we could move her to her carseat without waking her too much. All of a sudden she sits upright in bed and yells "Hi Dad!" So much for that :)

Day 2 was a shorter driving day but it seemed so much longer. The landscape was more interesting. There were mountains in the distance and lots of hills and curves. We went through a small piece of Arizona, and when I was driving we found ourselves in the most gorgeous canyon. It didn't quite compare to the Montana mountains, but it was a different kind of breathtaking. I really wished I wasn't driving during that part. I don't do well with heights, and I'm used to driving the long, flat, prairies. This was anything but! We were going up and down steep hills, around sharp curves and at a very high elevation. I had a white knuckled grip on the steering wheel the whole time, but I did still manage to catch glimpses of the beauty around me. On the way home though, John is driving through that! We are planning to stop at the Grand Canyon on the way home, since we're quite close to it. I am very excited about that!

We made it to Vegas around 3:30. We had fun driving down the strip and seeing things I've only ever seen in movies. Our place where we are staying is great! It's small but cozy. It has a pool and a huge fitness center, and is very close to the hospital and other stores. Plus we can see the strip from our room, which is pretty cool! We got unpacked, then drove over to the hospital, just to make sure we knew how to find it. It was so hard knowing that Aviannah was in there, that we were so close to her and yet weren't able to see her quite yet. We got a  bunch of groceries and now Cassidy is in bed, my parents left to explore the strip and John and I are relaxing. It feels so nice. I think I'm going to like it here.