It occurred to me that I never did a sappy picture montage set to music for our new born daughter. I did one for Frank on Facebook, three years ago today as a matter of fact. Hard to believe we were on our way to the hospital to have him this very night in 2009. So here is a little picture presentation of our girl, Anne Marie, minus the music, 8 Weeks old today.
Warning: the following post might be bothersome for two reasons. First it is basically a slide show update of my daughter and so potentially boring to some of you. Second, she is still in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit so all of the pictures are of her with various apparatus, apparati, lets just say she has a lot of crap hooked to her and it might be disturbing to some. Which ever category you fall into, be advised you have been warned.
As of 10:00pm Friday night, 18 May 2012, Anne Marie was resting in her Iso-box, but in a private room now. She is currently 3 pounds & 12.8 ounces and taping out at 16+ inches. She is 8 weeks old today, and 34 weeks to term.
Here I am, 22 March 2012. 1lb 12oz. 12 inches long.
Burning off some jaundice under the blue light.
Working on my body surfing form.
Diaper change – hey this banana knows what he’s doing!
From my deep sea diving collection – the latest in incubator wear.
Hands are cold daddy. Hands. Are. Cold.
Under the lights in NICU stall #42, for a rare night game.
Recovery from heart surgery, 2 weeks old here.
Talk about leaving a mark, heart surgery scar.
A little blood does a body good. How many tours can I win doing this Lance?
First real clothes. No autographs please.
What do you mean “we’re Italian?”
Mother’s Day
Wide awake.
Not sure what’s funny. I may have just farted.
Sleeping it off after a tough week. It’s May people – when can I go home?
Frank's Place 
Wow….so many milestones already! Love the captions! She is quite a gift!
Yeah, she is starting to get some momentum. Holding our breath and waiting for the next setback. As they say in the NICU, two steps forward and one step back.
Wow those pictures bring back memories of our days in the NICU. We have a former 26 weeker and a former almost 31 weeker (they are now 6 and 4.) Tough times you are going through. Your daughter looks beautiful. I love the pictures of her with her first clothes and the one with her eyes open. So very sweet.
Thanks for the visit.
Due to leap year giving us an extra day this year, she was officially born 25 weeks early, 1 day shy of 26. Her beauty is strictly her mother, thank God. It’s funny, I know this is a tough time but aside from losing her twin sister that day, it has quickly become the normal for us. I imagine if we ever get out of there we’ll look back and think about what a mountain it was to climb.
Didn’t know that Anne Marie had heart surgery. God Bless her. She is beautiful and very lucky to have such wonderful parents.
Thanks Nancy. She had to have a heart vessel clipped off. Docs found it early on and hoped it would close itself but after two weeks it was not cooperating.
It’s called Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). It’s a congenital disorder in the heart where the duct that redirects the flow of blood after birth didn’t close. It’s common in preemies. The vessel is supposed to close after birth, stopping the flow of oxygenated blood to the lungs.
They did the surgery right there in her Iso-box in the NICU.
Wow. What an amazing and touching compilation!
Thanks Tracy. Appreciate it.
I can’t believe it’s already been 8 weeks. I love the picture of her smiling in her sleep– she was probably smiling at something you wrote 🙂
It’s flying for me too. She has a long way to go but it’s hared to believe it’s been two months already. My guess is it’s my signing Party in the USA that brought on the smile.
That’s my Niece – with just enough of Jersey Girl in her to keep her fighting every day!! Love Her!
Not sure how much Jersey Girl she really has. Frank is so low maintenance I just figured we were going to pay for that by getting a hellion to raise on the second go round.
Thank you for posting these, Fran! I’m glad you’re letting us share the milestones!
My pleasure Maggie. Hoping there are several more milestones to come. Glad the shirts made it.
Your pictures are beautiful. She has the most amazing eyes! My cousin Andrea had triplets that were that little and you should see them now. Your daughter is a true fighter! Keep posting pictures!
Thanks Dorothy. I’m pretty sure there will be several more pictures. 🙂
So glad I have found your blog through Tracy’s facebook page. I check frequently for updates on Ann Marie. Can’t wait until she gets out and we can have a hospital reunion!
Sounds good. She is getting closer. Out of the box and in a normal bassinet.