“There is nothing that we are enduring that Jesus does not understand, and He waits for us to go to our Heavenly Father in prayer. I testify that if we will be obedient and if we are diligent, our prayers will be answered, our problems will diminish, our fears will dissipate, light will come upon us, the darkness of despair will be dispersed, and we will be close to the Lord and feel of His love and of the comfort of the Holy Ghost.” ---Elder Robert D. Hales

Hello again and oh my goodness! It has been a very busy month since I last posted! Lots to catch up on!

To begin with, the main exciting news is that I had my baby! Woohoo! 

Rosalie Lynette Osborne was born on Monday, June 24, 2013 at 12:29 p.m. Eastern time. Two weeks early! Needless to say we were not prepared in the least! She weighed 6 lbs. 8 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. Because I had tested Strep B positive and they were only able to get in one dose of the antibiotics instead of the needed two before she was born, they kept us at the hospital for two days just to monitor her and make sure she was alright. For a little while her temperature was slightly low (in the 97 degree range) but it went back up to where it needed to be. Her pediatrician was also slightly concerned because she had lost 9% of her birth weight which was getting too close to their limit, 10%, so she told me to offer a supplement. But for the most part everything looked good and normal so we were discharged two days later on Wednesday, June 26.

The next couple of days were rather frustrating for me. I am nursing her and was told to feed her every 2-3 hours. But in the two days following our discharge from the hospital, it was a battle for me to wake her up and keep her awake in order to feed her.  It was almost impossible at times. Luke and I would try everything and nothing worked. 

On Friday the 28th, we ("we" meaning my mother-in-law and I along with the kids-Luke had a mandatory meeting to go to and therefore couldn't go) took Rosalie to the doctor for a follow-up appointment. They did all the routine checks which included a weigh-in and temperature check. She weighed 5 lbs. 13 oz. but when they got to her temperature she was too low. They took her temperature over and over again, hoping their thermometer just wasn't registering accurately, but the highest reading they could get on her was 95.3 degrees. So they sent us down to the emergency room. 

Thus started a new adventure, if you could call it that. Once in the ER, Deb, my mother-in-law, sat in the waiting room with the kids while I went with Rosalie into the patients' room in back. There they took her temperature once again, and although they didn't tell me what the reading was, I caught a glimpse and could have sworn that it said 94.1, but I'm not sure. They immediately brought in two large, almost hot blankets and bundled her up in them to try and get her warm while we waited for the doctor. Several minutes passed, as there was only one doctor on call and several new patients were being admitted in. Finally after maybe 30 minutes, the doctor came in and informed me as to what they were going to do. They needed to run a series of tests, so they were going to do some blood work on her, along with some x-rays and a lumbar puncture. (For those of you who are like me and do not know what a lumbar puncture is, they insert a needle into the lower back to draw out some fluid from around the brain. The fluid is then sent to a lab where they culture it and check for possible infections around the brain.) So the tests began. It was difficult to watch as they drew her blood. The first attempt in her arm didn't work since her vein went dry so they had to try again in her hand. They then hooked up an IV in her hand. Throughout all this my poor little Rosalie was screaming in pain. I wanted to hold her so badly but couldn't. X-rays were done next and then the doctor came back in to do the lumbar puncture, during which time I left the room as per the doctor's recommendations. While the procedure is not as bad as it sounds and is essentially the same as doing blood work, it is still hard for parents who are not accustomed to it to watch. 

I went out to the waiting room where Deb and the kids had been patiently waiting for the past hour and a half or so. I helped her load Brian and Alli into the car so she could take them back home since we did not know how much longer I was going to be there. Ten minutes later found me back in the room with Rosalie, swaddled up in fresh hot blankets and asleep. The doctor then informed me that the procedure had gone well and everything had been sent down to the lab. He then went on to explain that while the results from the blood work and x-rays had returned negative results, it was going to take up to 48 hours to hear back about the results from the lumbar puncture. During this time she would have to be on antibiotics as a precautionary measure, in case if she did have an infection. This meant that she would have to stay at the hospital in the meantime. But since they were not equipped for taking care of infants her size, they needed to send her to Children's Medical Center in Dayton. So they called for an ambulance to transport her. It was going to be a long wait though, as they had another infant they needed to take care of first. So for the next hour and a half I sat with her while she lay under a heat lamp to get her temperature back up. The blankets had not worked. There was one point where the nurse actually was wondering if her thermometer was not working correctly because Rose's temperature was still so low even after being wrapped up so warmly for so long.  

During this time I called Luke and updated him on the events of the morning. He was able to come over and join me just as the medical workers from Children's arrived to transport Rosalie. We followed them to the hospital and spent the rest of the day sitting with Rosalie in the NICU.

While in the NICU she was given this adorable hat that someone had crocheted and donated (along with several other hats and booties) to the hospital.

 For the next 5 days I spent the majority of my time at Rosalie's bedside in the NICU while she lay under a heat lamp hooked up to antibiotics. The results from the lumbar puncture came back negative, so she had no infections, but she still needed to be monitored to make sure she could maintain her temperature on her own. Also, since she had been born 1 week ago, she had lost one pound. Because of this significant weight loss, she also had to be monitored until she started gaining weight again. This was a difficult time. It is not easy seeing your daughter hooked up to all those needles and wires, and it is even more difficult when you have to go home and you don't get to bring your daughter home with you. But I am VERY grateful for the doctors and nurses who took such good care of her, and especially for her original doctor who discovered a problem in the first place. I don't know what would have happened had she gone much longer without us knowing there was anything wrong. Things could have been much worse. I am also grateful for priesthood blessings. I asked Luke and Bruce to give her a priesthood blessing while she was in the NICU. It is a great comfort to know that the Lord is watching over us and that Luke is worthy to hold the priesthood and is able to give blessings when needed. The Lord has definitely shown His hand in our lives more than once.

Rose was finally discharged on Wednesday (?) after having shown that she could again maintain her temperature and was gaining weight. It was so good to bring her home! Since then she has been eating well and stayed nice and warm and cozy. :)  We took her in for her two week check up about a week ago and everything looked great! No problems and she weighed 6 lbs. 11 oz. She is gaining weight like a pro!  

Here are a few pictures I took of her just yesterday:

She is my first child to take a binkie and actually like it!

This video was taken right before she ate so she's not the absolute happiest.