Francesca Maria.
A Champion's Preemie Baby Diary.
Finally home with Mom & Dad.
Welcome to my site www.francesca07.com. My name is Francesca Maria, I was born on April 22, 2007, a 29-week premature baby (preemie), weighing only 1.46 kilos (3 lbs. 3 oz.). I post here some news about me as I grow up. The freshest news is at the top. If you want to read about my birth and up to my first month, click here and start reading from the bottom of that page. For my second month in the hospital, click here.
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August 6: I will fly to Europe today.
I have been packing all day, with the help of my parents of course. I have so many things to take, impossible to fit in one suitcase. I hope the airline will allow me to get frequent flyer miles, I read some place that you needed to be at least 2 years old to get a Frequent Flyer number, that's not fair, I want one now! What's the point of flying if one does not get Frequent Flyer miles? What's the difference between 3 months old and 2 years old? My parents had to buy me a ticket all the same, and it was quite expensive, 25% of the full fare, and you know how they artificially hike the full fares, just for these situations... Ok, I know the real reason for my flying, it's not to collect miles, it's like the joke where they ask "Why does the chicken cross the street?" and the answer is "To get to the other side."
I will soon let you know how they treat me during the flight, and how I find Europe. I will first be visiting the "City of Lights", Paris, and you will soon get to see my travel photos. The travel photos of a 3 1/2 month old baby, just recently graduated from preemiedom. Oh my God, I thought I invented that new word "preemiedom", and in fact looking it up in Google I got 171 matches...
August 4: I got a Synagis shot today.
Today I got a Synagis shot. It's usually administered during the RSV season (respiratory syncytial virus). It hurt me when the nurse put the needle into my leg, my eyes became all watery. And my parents seemed mad that the shot was so expensive, not a good day.
Apart from that we are a little stressed, as we are leaving for Europe on Monday, that's in 3 days, and I have not done my packing yet. The airline allows me to take only a small bag of 10 kilos maximum. How will I be able to fit all my things in it? It's the first time my parents travel with a baby, I hope they will manage.
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You can click on the photo to the left to enlarge it. |
August 3: I'm a star too!
Today my Mom wanted to teach me some new chess pieces, the pawn, the rook, and the knight. I did not really pay attention to what she was saying, but I enjoyed having pictures taken. The pawn was so big I cannot imagine how somebody could pick it up. But I especially liked the knight, nice and soft, and of a better size. Have a look at the photos below and you can click on them to enlarge.
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August 2: Accentuating the Positives.
Recently I picked up a magazine that my parents had been reading, and there was an article on how best to describe your children. There are old labels and new labels. Make sure to use the new ones that accentuate the positives. This is intended for parents, so that they pick their words wisely and make us babies feel good about ourselves.
| OLD LABEL | NEW LABEL | WHY IT WORKS |
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| Shy | Careful | A shy child hides from the world, but a careful one just takes smarter steps when he goes out into it. |
| Wild | Energetic | Wild implies out-of-control, while energetic describes a child who's enthusiastic about life. |
| Fussy | Selective | Fussy connotes crabbiness and pickiness, while selective means he won't settle for anything less than the best. |
| Stubborn | Tenacious | A stubborn child refuses to give in without knowing why, while a tenacious one is a fighter who won't quit. |
| Slowpoke | Thoughtful | Slowpoke sends the signal that a child is lazy, while thoughtful indicates he's taking the time to consider his options. |
| Defiant | Courageous | A defiant child refuses to do anything that's asked of him, while a courageous one sticks up for what he believes in. |
August 1: Happy Swiss National Day!
I would like to congratulate all my Swiss friends on their national day today. I had asked my Dad to buy me some clothing with Swiss emblem when he last went to Europe but he said that the smallest size they had was 5 years old. And so he did not buy anything, and I had to wear today my Mom's Swiss T-shirt that looks ridiculously big on me, even with my Dad cropping the photo so it won't be too obvious. So I hope that by next August 1 I will get a Swiss t-shirt for size 1 year old. For the moment I prefer to be without that gigantic t-shirt.
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July 31: IHOP after Brain Ultrasound
Today I was taken out of bed very early to go to do a "most-likely-useless" brain ultrasound. I think we are doing this to support the U.S. economy, the stock market has being going down lately but it seems at least the medical sector is doing alright, thanks to me. Luckily it was quick and it felt like a wet head massage, not so bad after all.
After that ordeal, we decided to enjoy a nice breakfast at the local IHOP. My parents usually go on Sunday mornings but it is too crowded then for me, on a weekday it's much better. Don't worry, I did not have any eggs or pancakes as my parents did, I like to stick to my milk bottle. much tastier and probably healthier too.
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July 30: from 1.5 to 4.0 kilos in 80 days.
That's 3.2 to 8.8 pounds. As you can see in the little photo below, I passed the 4.0 kilo mark today, that is just about 80 days since I was born as a 29-week preemie. I think it is quite an achievement, at least comparable to Jules Vernes and his book "Around the World in 80 days". And I hear around me people saying that I am "heavy", and they seem quite happy about that. My parents put one of my preemie clothes on a tiny doll they had to practice CPR, I can't believe that they fitted me then, now they really look tiny...
Also, I started to suck my thumb, not all the time, but once in awhile, so I can sleep better. It makes me feel good. Now please don't write my parents and tell them that it's not a good habit to have, it's my decision, I like it and I think it is not harmful.
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July 29: Birthday Singing Rusty Pelican.
Today was my Grandma's birthday and so my other Grandma invited us all to a fancy restaurant with a beautiful view of downtown Miami. It was kind of noisy but that did not bother me. I must say that I woke up when the waiters came and chanted the "Happy Birthday" song, it was very loud. As a matter of fact, it seems that at least 10 people had their birthdays at the restaurant that night, so much singing.
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July 25: Soon no more medications.
I saw the GI doctor today, and he gave me good news. My bilirubin levels are quite normal, and so I can stop taking the medecine Actigall. As for the other 2 medecines Zantac and Reglan, I will start weaning them off, and in two weeks I will be off all medications, great, just in time for my trip to Paris!
I must tell you about a very nice surprise I got today, Daniel from Australia was so kind to send me some gifts, among which the beautiful koala that you can see on the photo below left. The koala made such a long trip before coming here, even more than my future trip to Europe. We can soon both apply for our frequent flyer cards, I suppose.
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July 24: I had two vaccinations today.
Boy did it hurt when my pedriatrician Dr. Bertran put that vaccination needle in my leg. I cried out and my eyes became all watery. But that was only for a few seconds, I guess it was more from the shock than from pain. At over 3 months, I am a big girl now and I don't cry without reason.
So that you know, the first vaccination I got in my leg was the Pneumococcal Vaccination (also called the Pneumonia vaccination for people who can't pronounce difficult names). And the second one they gave me orally (that's through the mounth) is called the Rotavirus Vaccination. You can read a recent article in the press about it.
The photos below show me going through that ordeal. Thank God I'm home now and can rest a little. I don't like to have to wait in doctors' waiting rooms, especially when there are lots of other children running around. As usual you can enlarge the photos below by clicking on them.
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July 23: Smiles make the world go round.
I must say I like it when my Mom smiles at me, and I notice that she likes it when I smile at her. Aren't smiles wonderful?
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July 22: I'm 3 months old today!
Today is my birthday. 3 months, that's quite something, is it not? Last night I weighed in at 3.5 kilos, that's 7 lbs 12 oz, which is more than double the weight I had when I was born, I managed to impress myself, wow.
This week I went to see the neurologist, who said I was fine, and needed an appointment only in 6 months for a follow-up. It was odd, he was tapping a little stone on my elbows and knees, what a funny thing to do. He said I needed to keep the apnea monitor until I am 6 months old. I think it's kind of useless, it only rings when the lead is loose, and it's quite inconvenient to carry around so we leave it home when we go out. He also suggested I do a brain ultrasound, just in case. I think he's just trying to keep the economy going, that's what I think.
Apart from that, life goes on. Due to my Mom having an episode of mastitis again, she ran out of breast milk in the freezer and so she moved me to "formula", temporarily I hope. But the formula she gave me (Enfamil A.R. Lipil) was not tasty at all, and so she moved me to Enfamil Lipil (without the A.R. - rice starch), and I like that one better.
Below you can see on the photo what it is to be a princess, both my Mom and Grandma are changing my diaper and dressing me, while my Dad takes a photo. Yeah, it's nice to be pampered...
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You can click on the image to the left to enlarge it. |
July 20: A Study about my Name.
OK, I know what Juliet once said to Romeo in Shakespeare's play: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet". I will now talk about my own name.
I was upset today because the neurology doctor's secretary wrote my name "Franchesca" with a spelling mistake. I think soon I will also be getting letters with the name "Franchessca", or even "Franceska", or any combination of the "c-ch" "s-ss" and "c-k" alternatives. I just want to make everyne aware that the correct spelling is Francesca. Until then I will keep tab of all the wrong spelling I find and will let you know if I get any exotic variations.
Here's one reason for difference in spellings: In Russian my name is "Франческа". Now according to the Library of Congress Transliteration System, that would transliterate back to "Francheska". Boy, one "spelling mistake" logically explained...
Now to come to a nicer subject about names. The one of "diminutives". I mean by that a more personal name one gives to people we are close to. For example in English you have Tom-Tommy, Robert-Bobby, Jeanne-Jeanette. In Russian you usually add something to the end of the name to make it a diminutive. For example Alexandra-Sasha-Sashenka (Александра-Саша-Сашенька).
Well for me, Francesca, there are a whole bunch, depending on whether you use diminutive rules in Italian or Russian. I could not find any diminutive in English apart from "Little Francesca", although maybe "Frannie" would count. So here are some based on Italian: Franceschina, Checca, Cecchina, even Cecolella, sometimes Franni. In Galician checca would be Paca. And in Spanish: Francescita or Francesquita, or possibly Pacha or Paquita. In Russian you have Франчесочка, Франя (although that comes also from Ефросиния, which gives Ефросиньюшка, Фрося, Фросюша, Фроська) . If you can think of any other ones, even if based on other languages, please let me know, I'll gladly add them to the list.
Some similar sounding names are Francess, Francetta, Francette, Francey, Francine, Francisca, Franciska, Francoise, Frania, Franie, Frannie, Franny, Franziska, and Fronia, although it goes without saying that prefer my own name, Francesca.
While I am at it, let me tell you about the origins of Francesca: it's derived from the Latin Frances meaning French, or free one. Famous bearer: 15th century Roman noblewoman St Francesca Romana (St Frances of Rome), British actress Francesca Annis. There is also a singer called Francesca Maria, she's the only one above me when you search in Google for "Francesca Maria" (with the quotes so that you get those words together exactly in that order), and I hope to pass her in Google pretty soon. I'm not a smart preemie for nothing...
July 18: My first day at the beach.
I enjoyed going to the beach today with my parents. We waited to go out until sunset, around 7:30 PM, and it was still quite warm outside. Actually, the ocean was as warm as my evening bath, I could not believe it. I hope I'll get to go back to the beach, it sure beats staying in my big bed all alone and waiting for my next feeding.
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July 17: A cardiology follow-up.
I am so busy these days, all the doctors I used to see regularly at the NICU want to see me to check that everything is ok, already close to one month after my discharge from the hospital. So after last week's eye doctor, today it was the turn of the cardiologist to have a look at me. He did a ECG on me (I did not like those cold contacts on my chest, brrr) and an echo exam to try to see if I still have the heart murmur (see my Useful Info Page) they detected while I was at the NICU. Well the doctor still heard some little noise and saw something on his screen, but he said it's normal, and it will disappear most likely very soon. He asked me to come back and see him in 6 months. I will be bigger by then, now I look so small on that big green examination bed. See the photos below, they can be enlarged by clicking on them.
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July 16, 2007: I'm a Chess Baby!
As you can see from the photos below (click on any of them to enlarge), I am now officially member of a Chess Baby Club. My parents saw my 3rd month birthday approaching, and that it was high time to teach me to play some chess. So they got me a chess t-shirt, and are starting to introduce me to the chess pieces. My lesson today was the Queen. They told me that in chess the Queen can go almost anywhere, up and down, right and left. I mastered that well and moved the Queen they gave me all different places, and it seems I got it right. Now at the end of my lesson I tried to taste the top of the queen, but it does not taste at all like my milk bottle, yuck.
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July 12: Doctor Day.
Today I went to see my pediatrician, I had a lot of things to do there. First I had to give some blood so they can check on my bilirubin level to see if it's alright. Then I got as many as 4 immunization shots, against Hepatitis B, Diphteria, Haemophilus Influenzae type b, and Polio. Since it's a little complicated to keep all these immunizations straight, I scanned for you the Recommended Immunization schedule.
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July 11: My parents understand me.
I've been having some little stomach aches recently, and so I told my parents about it (by crying a little), and with the advice of the pediatrician they went to get me a medecine called Mylicon, and I must say it works very well, I have no more stomach problems. If you're a parent, look at my Useful Info page where I write about some of the reasons why infants cry.
July 10: I'm over 3 kilos now!
As they would say in technical terms, I have broken the 3-kilo psychological barrier and there is no turning back, barring unexpected events I will keep getting bigger and stronger at a rate of approximately 30 grams (1 ounce) per day. Looking back to my (distant) youth, I was born at 1.46 kg then went down to 1.26 kilos, so now over 3 kilos makes me feel quite good. And I grew from 40 to 50 cm in my first 2 1/2 months.
Today my parents bought me a ticket to Europe. A pity we have to pay for my ticket, I will weigh less than a carry-on luggage and I won't even have any of the food they serve on board nor use up a seat , it's more comfortable in my Mom's arms and in the bassinet they hang from above. Well at least I can sign up for the Frequent Flyer Program and start earning miles. It's never too early to earn miles.
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Note that the weight indicator of the digital scale says 3.04 kilos. That's 6.7 pounds. |
July 9: My Preemie site leads the Web.
It is now time to review my web statistics for the first 2 1/2 months since I was born and created this site. My first month after birth averaged 60 unique visitors per day, mostly friends and family, but then it shot up to a high of 2550 visitors per day on June 21 after I was discharged from NICU and news sites found out about me, and now traffic has stabilized at around 200 unique visitors per day. Most unique visitors now come from the search engine Google, having entered keywords such as preemie photos, pictures of 29 week preemie, alimentum, actigall, apnea, bradycardia, blood transfusion, baby feeding, childbirth, preemie, neonatal terminology, NICU, immunizations, gestational age, gavage, anemia, thrombocytopenia, etc. most of which can be found on my Useful Info Page. In short, my site informs parents about what it is like to have a preemie baby. I know how it is, I am a preemie well on my way to becoming a baby and I've got quite a lot of experience under my belt, I mean under my bib.
Visitors to my site come from the whole world, of course more from the USA since this site is in English, but also from Europe, South America, and Asia. Links of some sites that wrote about me: Chessbase, Russia, China, France, Spain, and Preemie Blog Raising Eden.
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July 8, 2007: My Site is iPhone compatible!
It's so funny to observe. I'm the baby here, and it's my Dad who is so excited about his new toy: he was one of the first people in the world to get himself an iPhone. Since he got it yesterday, all he does is marvel at how great the iPhone is. Well at least most of the time he spends on his iPhone is for me, first he confirmed that my web site works perfectly on the web browser of the iPhone, and then he loaded all the photos he has of me on the iPhone, so he can look at them any time he wishes. Cool! As for me, I'd like to get an iPhone too, but I'll wait till they come out with a version which works also in Europe, I plan on being a frequent travelling little girl, you see.
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July 7: I got my passport today!
Boy what a nice surprise I got today, the postwoman brought home my new passport. Now I don't have anything stopping me from going to France next month. C'est merveilleux! Well that does not give me much time to practice my French, even though I hear French spoken around me once in awhile that's not enough to make me proficient just yet, well give me a few years and I am sure I'll be totally fluent in the langue française.
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I have a passport now so I can travel internationally. The only country that I want to visit that requires a visa is Russia. That makes me mad, there should not be any visa requirements for little girls. Especially not nice little girls like I am. |
July 6: My cousins sent me nice gifts!
Thanks to my cousin Santiago who sent me the lovely little doll from Japan you can see on the photo below. Thanks also to my cousin Carolina who send me a beautiful dress and a new hat, I'm sure I will look real nice when I put them on and I hope to have a photo of me wearing them soon.
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My little Japanese doll next to me is called Mi ko, is that not a sweet name? It's a girl's name. My cousin Santiago, now in Japan tells me the name Miko is also used to refer to monks at Shinto shrines. Technically best is to call her Miko-San, I am told... |
July 5: Rest after partying.
Let me show you how I like to rest. First of all I have a very comfortable musical cradle-swing, so I can enjoy quite some time in there. But most of all, there is nothing better than sleeping in my Mom's arms. She likes it too, that lets her take a break from her studying.
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July 4: Today's my first Independence Day!
I'm so lucky, I always get to celebrate 2 days at a time. First my birthday is on April 22, and my Mom's is on April 23. Then my due date was July 3 and Independence Day is July 4, lots of partying ahead. Well you know I don't really party so much right now, but I sure will have excuses to party in the future, we'll see how my parents will feel about this in a few years... As for now below you can see two photos my Mom took of me today, as my Dad is on a business trip to Europe and will only be back tomorrow.
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July 3: My Due Date is Today!
My "Due Date" is finally here. I am now officially born, by all accounts. In fact, I am already 2 months and 10 days old, I'm a big girl of 2.85 kilos. But today I will trick my parents and make them think I'm a little girl and convince them to celebrate my "Due Date", maybe they'll give me an extra bottle of milk, I feel like I am starving all the time these days. It won't be hard to soften my parents, a nice smile will do. You too, my dear web visitors, can send me congratulation emails, it will make my very first "Due Date" the best I've ever had.
July 1: In 2 days it will be my "Due Date".
I remember when I was born, on April 22, I was thinking how early that was, and how lucky most kids are to stay in their mother's tummy's till their due date. Well now I am not so sure about that, I'm pretty happy as it is. I'm technically not yet born, and I know how to do so many things. I already know almost all my family, go regularly out to the pool and to the beach, and I love it when my parents or my Grandma hold me in their arms. I listen to Beethoven music in my crib and I hear at least 3 languages spoken around me. Also, I think I will be able to convince my parents to do 2 celebrations each year, one for my real birthday on April 22, and one on my due date on July 3. Well, for this year they will agree I am sure, but for the next years I am not so sure... well maybe?
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Click on photo to enlarge. You will see I have my favorite "NICU" Graduate outfit. |
June 25: Eat + Sleep = Grow.
Today I went to see my pediatrician, he is really nice and allows me to go straight to the examination room without staying in the waiting room with all those coughing kids, I appreciate that. Well in two words let me say he's happy about my progress, I'm now at 2.55 kilos and I am gaining weight at the rate of 30 grams per day, which means that on August 1 I should weight about 1 kilo more, or 3.5 kilos. Well time will tell, for now, as you can see on the photo below, I am eating and taking my medecine (at the same time so as not to lose any time). Thanks to all of you who write supporting emails to me and to my parents, we are very grateful.
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Click on photo to enlarge. |
June 24: A peaceful Sunday.
Not much going on today, although I was alert and hungry most of the day. I turned 9 weeks old today, but I am still 10 days from the official due date when I "should" have been born (my due date was July 3). But thank God I feel fine now and my bed at home is nice and warm. Also, I am fed anytime I want, not on a schedule like at the hospital. All I need to do is to cry a little and they rush to me with fresh milk, that's power! Oh how nice it is to be home and to have everyone taking care of me!
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June 23: My Mom got sick last night.
Well I am doing exactly what the doctor says - I eat as much as I can. My parents say I am a very well behaved little girl, I only cry when it is absolutely necessary, i.e. when I am hungry. However, they do seem to get less sleep than usual, maybe they are not used to having a bite at 3 AM... Well apart from that last night gave me a fright, my Mom got some kind of infection, called "mastitis", and her temperature shot up to 40 C (104 F). Thank God my Dad called the doctor and then went to the pharmacy to get an antibiotic and by morning my Mom's temperature was back to normal. Read more about mastitis on my Useful Info page.
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June 22, PM: I applied for my passport today.
Today was a busy day. We had as a plan to go to the Post Office to send off for my passport. But before that, my Dad insisted I have a passport photo taken, but I was not in the mood for photos, so I made lots of funny faces, none of which qualify for an official passport photo, as you can see on the collage below. Finally, after dozens of discarded photos, he got one photo he liked and we rushed to have it printed at the drugstore, then went to the Post Office and sent our application. So if everything goes well, I should get my new passport within one month, in time to go to Europe on my first inter-continental trip.
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You can click on the image to the left to see it bigger. |
June 22, AM: Thanks for all those emails!
Yesterday June 21, a few web articles from our friends at ChessBase came out in the web (in English, German, and Spanish), and after that I got so many nice and sweet emails, I could not believe it and I am most grateful to all of you. Somebody even offered to play chess with me, but I first need to learn how to play. My Mom promised to teach me to play chess, but not yet, she says I have many other things to learn first. But I am dying to learn to play chess, my Mom says it's the coolest of games.
By the way, did you know I turn 2 months old today?
June 21: Eat, eat, eat.
I'm getting used to the routine, with regular feedings and portions of medecine. Today I went with my parents to see my new pediatrician (an improvement from all the neonatologists I had before at the NICU), and he was quite nice, he said I looked like a healthy big girl, which I took as a very nice compliment. The only thing is that he told us I had to go back to see him and several other doctors quite often so they can check my progress. So my calendar is quite full, I have appointments every other day it seems. The doctor said that before I can go to Europe with my parents in less than 2 months I had to double in weight. I don't want to miss all those nice places in Europe my Mom wants to take me along in the fall, so I will drink all the milk she gives me, I promise!
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June 20: I'm growing up little by little.
First of all let me thank René for the gift he sent me, a nice unbreakable dinner set. It's very cute and I am sure I will use it a lot. At the moment since I don't know yet how to use forks and knives, I lent it to my little friend, whom you see on the photo taking a nap in the bowl. Apart from that, my Dad showed me the photo on the right, and we were amazed how fast my eyelashes have grown, only a couple weeks ago I did not have any, and now they are quite long.
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June 19: I like to go for walks outside!
In the hospital, nurses kept talking about the horrible rain outside. Well maybe they were misleading me, as here close to home the weather was simply glorious today, and I enjoyed thoroughly going for a walk around the neighborhood with my Mom. (You can enlarge the photos by clicking on them)
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June 19: First Family Portrait Outdoors.
Today was the first chance we had to have a family portrait taken in front of our home, with my Mom and my Dad, you can see two such photos below. I can see from the photos that my parents are really happy to have me home with them. By the way, remember that you can usually click on little photos to see them bigger.
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June 19: I like my home!
Boy is my home better than the hospital! All the furry toys prepared a surprise for me, a nice "Welcome Home" cake (see photo below). Well I still prefer to drink milk instead of eating cakes, it's more tasty and has less calories, but it was very sweet of them anyway. And apart from that it's much more quiet at home and I love it when my Mom holds me in her arms. And my bed is so big compared to the bed at the hospital, it's great! (You can enlarge the photos by clicking on them)
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June 19, 2007: I like riding in the car!
Today was the first time I got out of the hospital after 8 long weeks spent in the NICU. It was also the first time I rode in my parent's car, and I enjoyed riding in that sports seat they got specially for me. Those seat belts are just like the ones the pilots in Formula 1 races, cool. (You can enlarge the photos by clicking on them)
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This is the beginning of Page 3, after when I was discharged from the hospital NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for premature babies), on June 19, 2007. For Page 1, birth to 1 month, click here. And for Page 2, 1 month to discharge from the NICU, click here.
© 2007 Francesca Maria.
Made on a Mac. Of course.
