Kayla day 6 (29 and 1)

I have been praying for this day, I have been praying that I would be able to hold Kayla before she was one week old. One day before one week the doctor called to let us know that Kayla is doing well enough to be taken off the ventilator today!!!!! We are so excited, this means Mike and I will be able to hold Kayla for the first time since she was born, I can not wait. They took the last X-ray this morning of her stomach and said it looked like everything was moving through fine. When I had called the nurse to see what time Kayla would get the ventilator out she said, "I just did it and Kayla is doing great so far." Mike and I would need to wait a couple of hours to see how Kayla does off the ventilator before we would get to go in and hold her. Mike and I leave for the hospital around 4:30pm when we see Kayla there is no big machine in front of her bed. She now has a oxygen pressure machine in front of her bed this is a machine that gives her pressure like the ventilator but is allowing Kayla to breathe completely on her own. The nurse then changes Kayla's diaper and as only parents can celebrate we get excited to see the first poop from Kayla. Nurses have changed them before but the was the first we had seen in person confirming to us that her digestive tract was working as it should. Changing Kayla's diaper caused her to get a little upset, Kayla cries and this is the first time we get to hear her cry. Her voice was a little horse because the ventilator was in for a while. But the little I hear makes me cry. We notice that with no ventilator Kayla loves to sleep with her mouth open just like her dad. How cute it is to find the traits Kayla has from each of us. At 5pm we get ready to hold Kayla for the first time, the nurse brings her out, wraps her in warm blanket and hands my daughter over to me I just cry and cry. This was something I have been waiting for my whole life, my own child and I am holding her right now. This day will never be forgotten and is up there as one of the best days of my life. Mike too gets to hold her after my 15 minutes is up, she is so tiny as she fits on his one arm. There is more blanket than there is baby she is so light. We love it she couldn't be more perfect, our own little girl. :)
The Dr also told us today that they are not going to worry about the bones in Kayla's back until she gets older. So while she is in NICU they will not worry about her back, but when she gets out and home we will go to a specialist at Presbyterian St. Luke's to have a look at her and the X-rays to see what it looks like for long term.