Nothing Better Than a Spa

Allie's dog, Nicky, loves when you say the word B-A-T-H. yes, we have to spell it. If he hears it he will run like a wild dog and jump in the tub and be so excited that you have to give him a full bath. Yes... he will even go and get his towel if you tell him to do so. I know, we could have worse problems. Anyway, it seems that Allie has followed in his paw-steps and she enjoys her bath, too. I think the only problem is that she has already outgrown her NICU tub. I guess that means we need to bring her home. I'll mention that to her nurse tomorrow. I'm SURE she will agree. Maybe just a field-trip to the house will be approved. Wish me luck!

Here are some pictures for you to get your Allie-fix. The first, though, is poor Nicky waiting in Allie's room for her to come home.

Video you say? You want a video, too? Okay then... here is Ms. Allie refusing to lower her tongue to eat for Daddy, but then poof... he does it. What a pro!

Happiness to all of you!

A 5 pound Baby at 8 Weeks Old!

Tipping the scales at

5 pounds, 2 ounces

our little light-weight is doing great!

Allie had a very good weekend. Eating straight from a bottle and staying off the oxygen most of the time. I was thrilled on Friday when Allie took a bottle from me and finished it in 35 minutes! The next day, she had to just show me what she was made of and gulped it down in just 20 minutes flat! She does like to wear a bunch of her food... but I guess we will give her some slack since she is just a baby after all. :-)

So... how much does she eat? She is on the 3 hour plan. Every three hours, she gets a little more than an ounce of milk. Yep.. basically over a 24 hour period, she gets 8 ounces. Next time you drink a whole glass of milk or water or something, think about little bitty Allie and how that keeps her going all day long. Because she is still learning to eat (suck, swallow, breath.. .or sometimes she chooses to breath, suck, swallow - this usually results in a slight gasp) ... and she gets worn out pretty easily, we are still giving her a bottle every other feeding. The other times she gets that same amount of food directly into her tummy via the white feeding tube you see in the photos. The tube is either in her mouth or her nose. Of course, her stomach is still so small... about the size of a peanut or maybe a small Lima bean. So, trying to give her much more wouldn't be good for her either.

She was able to stay off of the oxygen for most of the weekend with the exception of during her feedings and for a small time afterward as she digested her humongous meal. Keeping her consistent with weaning her off the oxygen and practicing with the bottle feedings are very important to us because the sooner she gets bigger and stronger, the quicker she can get better and eventually come home.

It does look like she will have to have the VSD fixed sooner rather than later. But, we won't know for sure until we see how she does the next few weeks. The VSD is causing her to get more worn out and probably keeping her from gaining weight much. So, it is a bit of a catch-22 for her. Right now, we work on the oxygen and the feedings and then see what her next adventure will be like.

She has changed so much over the past 8 weeks and it is amazing to look back at "old baby" pictures of her. In fact, on a daily basis she really seems to be changing. Babies are amazing! Especially this one of course.

Allie says "Have a Great Day!"

Look Mom... No tubes!

Look at that face! What a baby face!!

Allie is attempting to go Oxygen-free. I know we are all rooting for her and while it may not last this time for her, it eventually will. Today was a lot of fun for me, the Mommy. When I visited Allie she was alert and ready to play. We dressed her up in her fancy dress (thanks, Sandy F) and we were able to read a few books and just play. I loved it! I was able to keep her out of her isolette for quite a while (thanks Johnna, Linda, Stephanie, Natalie and all the rest of you!) and it was truly fun to see Allie just being a baby (without tears and stinky diapers). We just played and snuggled and she sat on my lap like such a big girl. Oh what fun!! I did wear her out a bit and she fell asleep during the books, but that is okay. When I put her in her "bed", she was out like a light. I wish I could sleep so good! When Daddy got there after work, she was sleeping very soundly, but as a true Daddy's Girl knows, when Daddy is in the room the fun is just beginning, so she popped open those eyes and played some more with him.

Allie is really just growing by leaps and bounds and making so much progress. She knows - as do we - that all of your love, concern and prayers for her are the reason for her blessings. This little baby is surrounded by such wonderful people. Tim and I thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. As I write these blogs, I've known that many people check them - but, I have not realized how many people are falling in love with Allie as we are. Yesterday and today I was able to venture outside of the hospital and met up with several friends. I was greeted so many times by genuine concern and interest in my baby girl. THANK YOU!! I'm overwhelmed by your well wishes.

So... hello to all of you that are keeping tabs on our angel Allie. This includes all of our friends at Compass Bank, NAPS, Shelby Hospital, Children's Hospital, UAB, Dell Computers, Harco International, City of Huntsville, Elgin YMCA as well as those all around Alabama (Alabaster, Pelham, Birmingham, Huntsville), Tennessee (Nashville), Florida (Orlando, Ocala, Tampa), Illinois (Elgin, Dundee, Steger), Oregon (Portland) and Wisconsin (Genoa City, Madison) and all those other places I'm sure I'm leaving out. Thank you for caring enough to look for pictures of Allie and for including her in your prayers.

Allie (and I) would love to hear from all of you. Please feel free to click on the "Comments" link below each post to leave a message for us. You do not have to have a password or an account, just leave us a message anonymously or enter your name (preferred, of course!) Also, it will be fun to hear where you are located. How far away are people learning about Allie? I'm sure I've missed a lot of towns and companies (and states?) and it will be fun to know just who is checking out Allie's Site. I look forward to hearing from you and promise to continue to post more videos and pictures. As Allie grows and is awake more often, the videos should be entertaining!

Have a wonderful Friday and an awesome weekend!

Love, The Lovell's
(Tim, Sandy, Allie & Nicky "Woof")

Allie loves her Family!

Allie had such a wonderful time last weekend when she got a visit from Granma and Aunt Tammy and Auntie Trisha. It was so much fun in fact and Allie was so overwhelmed that she rested a whole heck of a lot during their visit. That is the frustrating part with all babies, but especially babies that are in the NICU who need their beauty sleep and have to stay in their cozy isolettes. But, all was not lost. She was able to be held, dressed and changed by Auntie Trisha as well as held and coddled by Granma and Aunt Tammy. Yes, Auntie Trisha pulled rank and got to do some diapering and changing. It is all in the timing of who is in the room at the right time - and of course Allie has a say in the matter, too. No worries. I'm sure Granma will show her rank with the next visit. Poor Trisha will be in school and won't be able to join on the trip and Granma will have to do all the diapering and changing (until Mommy and Daddy pull rank). Good news is that all the visitors were able to hold the precious girl and that was a wonderful treat. The NICU even allowed us to open up the blinds so everyone could see her while her one allowed visitor was in the room. In fact, she seemed to draw quite a crowd with people as they passed by. I looked up one time and there must have been 10 people peering in at my angel. I love to show her off (as you all could guess), so that was wonderful.

Allie did sleep most of the visit, but on the last visit everyone got to say goodbye and see you soon and during Auntie Trisha's moment, Allie opened up those eyes! Yes... I'd say it had something to do with the prodding by Granma and Aunt Tammy before Trisha got in the room, but she opened her eyes which required a billion more pictures and cheers and excitement. She has the most beautiful deep eyes, so it is hard not to get lost in them.

The next morning as the visitors were driving back home to Chicago, Allie awoke bright and early and was eager to play. Unfortunately, they didn't get to see this so Mommy played with her little girl and took a million more pictures. Thank goodness for digital!

Allie's New Year

Oh! So much to say and so much to update all of you on!

We hope the holidays were wonderful for all of you. Allie had a wonderful time during Christmas and New Years. She is looking forward to leaving the NICU (no date has been set yet, however). But, she will miss her fabulous nurses. They have been so wonderful in helping Mommy, Daddy & Allie deal with this unusual first weeks of Allie's life. They take such good care of Allie and that gives us piece of mind, which is so important right now.

Allie now weighs 4 pounds and 10 ounces!!! She is 17 inches long and has changed so much since she was born. She is now 7 weeks old and continues to do fascinating things. Growing is the biggest thrill we seem to have since she was so tiny when she was born. But, then again, her looking at and recognizing us are the bigggest thrills, too. Oh! And then there are the cute grunts and groans she makes and the tired stretches and yawns are so sweet, too. And she has been looking at her toys and grasping them, too. So, maybe that is the biggest thrill. I guess anyone with a child knows that everything is a thrill and is fascinating to many, but specifically Mommy and Daddy.

Allie is still learning to eat from a bottle and still needs that little push of room air to help her breathing. She is working hard to learn the bottle skill and still takes many meals through the feeding tube to keep from her getting too exhausted. The breathing/oxygen need will fix itself as she matures. Her VSD (hole in her heart) is still there, but not causing too many problems for her. She is on some medicine that should help her in multiple ways with it, but only time will help us with this scenario and I'm sure she will do just fine. She is a toughy, you know!

Thanks for keeping up with Allie. I know I've been behind on pictures, videos and blogs, so I will add a bunch of pictures to the slideshow and write a bit more now that you are caught up.

Have a terrific 2008 and come see Allie when she gets settled.

With Love,

The Lovell Family

Happy New Year!

From Our Family to Your Family.... Happy 2008.

We hope the New Year brings you lots of love, happy times with family and friends, excellent health and prosperous times. We are looking forward to bringing Allie home from the hospital hopefully within the next few weeks and getting her settled at home. Thanks for all of your prayers and well wishes for all of us.

With much love,

The Lovell Family

Tim, Sandy, Allie & Nicky

P.S. I'll try to get some more pictures and an update on Allie posted soon. Things have just been busy, but Allie is still growing strong and can't wait to meet all of you!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you have a very merry Christmas!

Allie asked to write this post to all of you, here is her message:

Do you like my outfit? I love it and it fits me! That might not mean a lot to you, but when you weigh 4 pounds (as of today!!) and are only 17 1/4 inches long (as of today!!), it is hard to find clothes that fit. Even those preemie clothes are really too big for me. But, they do seem to be starting to fit better the last few days as I got close to this 4 pound weight.

This beautiful outfit has a story behind it. My Granma Connie and Grandpa Hugh and my Aunt Tammy and Auntie Trisha went shopping in Chicago and had the idea to go to the American Girl Store. American Girl is a Doll store and they make beautiful outfits for their dolls. So, Granma, who is excellent at measuring and sewing and all of that girly stuff (that I, Allie, will love and my Mommy knows nothing about) went in and diligently measured outfits and found the exact fit for me. She was hoping her measurements were accurate given it had been weeks since she had seen me and didn't measure me exactly when she was here. Her work and experience paid off. The dress is a perfect fit and is my First Christmas Outfit. When I get older, she is going to take me to the American Girl store and get me an American Girl Doll and this outfit will fit on her. It will be fun to hear about how I wore it in the NICU when I was only 5 weeks old!

Oh... as for the NICU... the nurses are wonderful. They all helped me get dressed since I have a lot of monitors and wires and things that make it difficult to put tights and cute dresses on. The nurses were terrific and I think they had fun, too. Daddy seemed a bit nervous worrying that I was cold or that my oxygen wasn't acting right or that I should be bundled up more. He worries about me a lot. Mommy tells him that it is okay because that is his job. But, her job is to play dress up with me, so that is what she and all the nurses did. They had a lot of fun. I slept through the whole thing, but that is okay because I'll hear all about it every year. It was a lot of fun and the dress is so beautiful and made wonderfully, too. It didn't scratch me at all because it was put together so nicely. I love my hat and shoes, too. I was so excited when we tried the hat on the night before and it fit so perfectly. What a wonderful Christmas present! Thank you, Granma and Grandpa (and Aunties!) See you soon!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and that Santa is good to you. Merry Christmas!