Daddy's turn...

I've been able to hold my baby Katea several times....the first time she was 11 days old.....she did so well with that that they let me hold her once a week for an hour.  I looked forward to every chance I got to hold her.  When she hit 6 weeks, I had held her 6 times already.  When she was extubated and on the CPAP and nasal IMV, I got to hold her more often...maybe twice or if I was lucky 3 times a week.  Now that she's in an open crib, and she's more awake and aware of things....she's constantly looking for more social interaction....which means I get to hold her every single day, several times a day!  Yay!  :) 

I've been asking Ova since I first got to hold her....if he wanted to.  Even though she could only be held once a week in the beginning, I was willing to share that time with him.  He never wanted to...he was just scared and intimidated because she's so tiny and he didn't want his big hands to hurt her.  At first it was ok, we were happy with him being involved with changing her diaper and taking her temperature...so I just took all the opportunities to hold her....but lately she really needed her daddy, so we've been trying to push him a little more. 

He would keep telling me to just hold her and then while I was holding her, he would kiss her little head over and over again.  We kept telling him that once she hit's 3 pounds, she won't be so tiny anymore, so he'll have no excuse not to hold her.  He just kept laughing at our attempts to pursuade him.  One of our primary nurses, Meredith, helped baby Katea make this cute little note for him....to help him understand how much she wanted her daddy to hold her.

(excuse the smear...Lautala got a hold of it!)

When Ova saw this little note, he kinda giggled about it.....but it worked!  On Wednesday November 23rd, baby Katea got to snuggle with her daddy for the very first time!  It was such a special moment, and Ova even started to cry a little, just overwhelmed at how grateful we are for our tiny little miracle.  He kept looking down at her, smelling her hair, kissing her little head.....it was so special to sit there and watch the bond between father and daughter. 

(Meredith helping get all the wires situated)

Special father/daughter moment

And they both got so comfortable bonding with each other that they both knocked out....snoring and all!  haha  It was so cute, we didn't bother them the whole time.  He got to hold her for 3 whole hours, and she did amazingly well.  Her oxygen needs went down, she was breathing way over the machine and she was calm and comfortable.  She LOVES her daddy!  Now I'm afraid I'm gonna have to fight him on who's turn it is to hold her!  hahaha  Big steps!