Nikki's Archives of Previous Updates!!

UPDATE: 8-26-97

Hello again!! I snuck out of my incubator to bring you this update! I am now officially two whole days old and I am still ornery as all get out! My blood pressure is doing really good, so the doctors are already starting to wean me off of my blood pressure medicine. I am a little jaundiced but my doctor says it's not too bad and that's normal too. You know, it's really uncomfortable in these incubators! I keep trying to pull my scrawney little knees up under me but it's just NOT happening! I think I liked floating in the water better where I had better freedom of movement but those days are gone! I'll just have to get used to this, I guess! And, does anybody have any idea what's with those bulky goggles they make me wear to be under that light? Well, I showed them! I took them off, yes siree! Of course, they put them right back on me! I just can't seem to win with those people, but i love them anyway 'cuz' they are the ones helping me grow big and strong so I can be home for Christmas!! Santa better know I'm home and bring me lots of neat stuff!! I'd hate for him to accidentally leave it at the hospital! Well, that's about all for now. I better get back before they realize I left!!

C Ya'll again soon! Love and Hugs, "Nikki"

UPDATE: 8-27-97

Hello again!! Tee Hee! I bet you're wondering why I always update late at night!! Well, I'll tell ya'! First off, you can't ever get any sleep in a hospital! We all know that, Right!!??!! And, it's the only time I can slip out unnoticed!! I wait till the second and third shift nurses are doing shift change then, Zippity Doo Dah!! Out I go .... as Grandma would say, "POOF! I'm Outta Here!"

Well, here's the scoop! I had a blood transfusion last night 'cuz' those vampires are taking my blood for tests faster than I can make it!!! So, they gots to give me more!! I am off my blood pressure meds completely AND am down to one tube going into my belly button! I am still on my vent, but heck, I NEED that!! UH-OH, I think they're coming so I better go!! If they catch me on their computer I'll be in BIG,BIG trouble!

Love Ya'll and thanks for signing my book! Come back again soon! And, "HIPPY" JON! "Groovy Love" would have been okay if I had been born in the sixties, however, it's the 90's, Babe! Wake up and smell the formula! Love and Hugs, "Nikki"

UPDATE: 8-28-97

Hi there!! Guess who?!? It's me again!! Nikki! How is everyone doing again today? Fine I hope!! Here it is, my update for today!! You don't know WHAT I have to go through to get on this hospital PC!! And figuring out their passwords, Geesh! These people have some pretty goofy ones, but whatever works for them I guess!! Then every time I hear a sound, I have to duck under the mouse pad and hope they don't notice the bump! But I get here and that is all that matters!

I got some good news to tell you all! I am completely off my blood pressure meds (Dopamine) and now it is even better than it was before! My BP is now 52 over 48!! Now they want to wean me off my ventilator! I was at 14 breaths per minute and now I am at 12 B/P/M! Totally, I am averaging 30 B/P/M which means I am doing the rest of the breathing on my very own!!! Pretty KEWL, HUH!! My temp. is at 36.7º c, which the doctors say is where it should be! They are even talking about removing my bellybutton tube and giving me a periphial IV in my arm or ankle! That means I'll get to graduate to one of those really cozy, neat incubators instead of this thing I'm in now!! I can't wait!! Well, I guess I better get back now, as much as I'd like to stay here and keep writing! Take care!! Keep up the prayers 'cuz' I feel 'em more every day!! And thank you, everyone! I love you all!

Love and Hugs, "Nikki"

UPDATE: 8-29-97

Here is the update from mommy and daddy's visit at 10:00 pm last night. I am still doing wonderfully, but the doctors did have to perform a v-cutdown on me last night before they got here!! Oooochie!! Will somebody please kiss my owiee?. A v-cutdown is when they make a small incision in my ankle and try to thread the IV into the area by my heart. That way the IV lasts for a couple of weeks instead of a couple of days. Unfortunately for me, they weren't able to thread it all the way up to my little heart, so it will only last for a couple of days like 4-5, which is okay for now, I 'spose!

Everything else is going great, tho'! I have lost about 5-6 ounces, but my doctor said that is normal. My doctor also said that they will probably start feeding me today!! OH, for JOY!! Yummy yummy for my tummy!! My heartrate is holding steady at an average of 160 beats per minute! And my breaths are still at 12 per minute and my oxygen percentage is at 25%. And guess what!! I am all wrapped up in a biliblanket, which is a different way to treat my jaundice! Everbody says I look like a little glow worm! TeeHee! This is a little better for me because I stay all wrapped up snuggly tight and feel more secure. They take such good care of me here!!

Love and Hugs All, "Nikki"

UPDATE: 8-30-97

Hi there again to all of my fans!!! And an extra special "HI" to TAZ!! Thanks for signing my book! That was way cool! Ya know, I have been hearing these little rumors that my daddy and my Grampa used to brag it up about how Gregory men can only make little boy babies!! Hmmmmmmm......... I wonder where that could have come from 'cuz' my Grampa has a daughter and my daddy has me! I guess that means that we showed those guys, huh Gramma Connie??!!!!?? So we got the last laugh! HA HA HA HA! Neeners, Neeners, Neeners!! Well, onto my update so I can get back to my warm little bed and my snuggly billiblanket! So far, to date, I am doing much better than I think people expected me to do! Still no major emergencies and I'm chugging along just dandy! But no one is getting TOO optimistc because as soon as we let our gaurds down and slack off on the prayers, something will happen! It's Murphy's Law! So, we stay open minded to the possibilities and know that I am nowheres near being out of the woods yet!! They moved me to a real incubator now so that is a good sign!! I now have a cozy comfy place to sleep in!! This is so much nicer for me! I keep trying to open my little peepers but they won't come open! I guess it isn't time yet, but DARN IT, I want to SEE what is going on instead of just feeling it and hearing it! I wanna know what everybody looks like! I have had my breaths through my vent lowered again! Now they are at 10 B/P/M and I am doing more on my own!! I am working really hard at this so my mommy can take me home ASAP!! I heard that in the U.S., preemies get to go home when they are 4 pounds but in Australia they can't go home till they're 6 pounds! I don't know much about that but if it's true, I am glad to be an american! They are finally giving me some "REAL" food in this place!! I am getting 1 cc of my mommy's delicious milk! YUM! and they are giving me some straight calories to try and fatten me up! Now that I think about it, I am starting to feel like those kids in that story .... "Hansum' & Griddle" where they put them in a cage and fatten them up!! YIKES!! I hope no one tries to put ME on their dinner plate! My Gramma Joanie stuck her hand in at me today and I wanted to grab it but have these strange things on the side of my head and I can't figure out what they are! I kept trying to pull them off but they seem to be hooked on!! Can anybody tell me what these things are? Well, I have to go now,but first have a message for Grampa Nyle from my friends here in the NICU!! They all say thanks for the blood donation with the preemie factor in it!! There is more than enough to go around! We are planning a party for this weekend for the holiday and were gonna share it with everyone!! Take care all and remember that I love you all, every last one of you! Keep up the prayers for me, please!!

Oh, and one last thing. I heard some nurses talking about how the world lost a wonderful mother and person last night .... some Princess named Diana I believe it was. I would just like to express my sympathies to everyone for this tragic happening. From what I hear, she will be sadly missed by her children and millions of people around the world. May God bless her spirit and welcome her into Heaven with open arms.

Love and Hugs All, "Nikki"

UPDATE: 9-4-97

Hello again everyone!! It's me, Nikki, with yet another update for you all! I do not understand all of what I overheard being said about me in the last few days, but apparently, there is something wrong with my oxygen transferance. I will have to do some more listening in on what my doctors and nurses are saying about me, I guess. Other than that, I finally got my dang peepers open!! Now I can see my mommy and daddy and everyone else that comes in to look at me. It is really wierd to be able to look at all the stuff here!! But, it hasn't been all that bad either! See, they are giving me straight fat in one IV and straight calories in another, along with my mommy's milk, but they are only giving me 1 cc of milk!! I am a growing girl, and that just isn't enough, in my opinion!! I have gained an ounce, which is good, but want to gain lots more, and FAST, so I can go home soon!! I saw these absolutly HUGE rice crispy treats right outside the room and they were only a dollar!! Whatever that is!! So, when nobody was looking, I went out and snuck one!! It was so huge it was almost bigger than me!! But somehow, I managed to drag it to my bed and hide it under my sheets so no one would find it! They just think it is my little matteress pad under me! Hopefully, I can get it all ate before they change my sheets or I will be busted!! I'm not sure what it is made of but it's pretty yummy! I nibble at it whenever I get those hunger pangs and they go right away! And it might even help me gain weight a little faster so I can go home sooner!! Someone also said they think I may have a heart murmer. I don't really understand that either. I know I have a heart, but I haven't heard it murmering anything yet! So, it's got me confused!! I will let you all know more about these things when I know some more myself!! They are making it harder for me to get to the computer so my updates will be on a weekly basis from here on out, unless I have something really great to tell you all, or I really need extra prayers!!! Till next time, take care and I love you all!!!

Love and Hugs, "Nikki"

UPDATE: 9-5-97

WELL, FOLKS!!! Here we go!! I need your prayers!! I was wondering why I was feeling a little woozy and now I know! My lungs are having some trouble transferring the amount of oxygen I need to my body! The doctors have had to boost my oxygen level up from 25% to a whopping 45% to keep me going and keep other complications at a minimum. They are also giving me steroids again in hopes of developing my lungs a little more so they can work more effectivly. I also had to have another blood transfusion because my iron count was low causing me to be anemic. Thank God for Grampa Nyle's blood donation with the preemie factor in it! It gives us some relief to know where my new blood is coming from. So, anyways, we need you to keep up the prayers for me!! However, I need to ask a favor of you all from myself, if I may. I need you all to pray not just for me, but for my mommy, daddy, Gramma and the rest of my family. Before I opened my peepers, I could feel that there was some stress going on, but now I can see it and it makes me sad!! My Gramma has to work for the next few weeks to help out with the monies and can't be there for my mommy like she wants to be, and my mommy has been having sleep problems and trouble dealing with her need to go back to work and not wanting to leave me alone for a second!! And daddy; he is being soooo good and so strong for them, but I know this has to be affecting him as well!! Everyone is just a bundle of nerves and pain, so, PLEASE!!!! Join with me in praying for their continued strength and be there for them as much as you can!! I am so grateful to have had friends like you waiting for me when I arrived and I do not know what I would do without every one of you!! Thank you again and in advance for your continued prayers for us all!!

I Love You, NIKKI

UPDATE: 9-8-97

HI AGAIN!! Guess what everyone!!??!! I am still truck, truck, truckin' along with Our Savior by my side!! There are so many angels buzzing around here taking care of me that I am sure things will just keep getting better! Some have even been sent to watch over my Mommy, Daddy and Grandparents and keep them from being so dang stressed out! I hope it is working!!

Now for news about me! I am now getting 5 cc 's an hour of what Gramma likes to call "Mommy Moo"! Silly Gramma, my mommy isn't a COW!!! I had some blood in my stools but everyone including my friend, Okeel (who is a neo-natalist friend of Mommy and Gramma on the net!) says it is a normal and minor problem! It is becuz' my little tummy isn't use to digesting my food yet and the milk I get is considered my "roof age". What the age of our roof has to do with it is what I don't understand!! Oh well, I am sure there is so much more in life I will never understand but as long as the doctors can make the connection then I guess it is okay! My lungs are responding to the steroids and my oxygen has been lowered to 38% which is somewhat of an improvement!! I have what they call "Chronic Lung Disease", which means that because I wasn't ready to be born yet, my lungs can't handle breathing on their own, let alone having this machine breathing for me. It is the machine doing it's job that causes this, but I can't live without it so it is a vicious circle! On a more positive note, I have gained back two ounces of the weight I lost before too!! I am back up to 1 lb. 9 oz.! And you know what the silly night nurse did? I had a stuffed froggie in my isolette and she decided to make it look like me by putting a preemie diaper on it! She even put a splint on it's leg and ran an IV to it!! That frog better not be getting any of my calorie shake tho' or my 'Moo Milk' cuz', even tho' sharing is nice, I WANT THAT ALL TO MYSELF! You think that's too selfish of me? I hope not cuz' it doesn't do him any good anyways! That silly ol' frog is already stuffed!

Well, I am going to sneak another of those crispy treats on my way back to the isolette and try to get some shut eye before they come back to deliver lunch!! I need to rest as much as possible cuz' when I'm fussy all I do is burn up those much needed calories!! BTW, before I go, I am wondering what is going on with the world today!! The nurses were talking again the other day about another wonderful person passing away. This time it was someone's Mommy. Her name was Teresa and she lived far, far away from here but everyone knew her cuz' she was so special!! I am starting to think that by the time I get outta here all the good people of the world will be in Heaven! Anyways, God Bless and Take Care!! I Love You All,

"NIKKI"

UPDATE: 9-12-97

Hello again from the Nicole Gregory isolette!! Last night was a wonderful night that I thank and praise God highly for!!! I was in 'Seventh Heaven' cuz' my mommy got to 'Kanga and Roo' me!! And she said she didn't like Winnie The Pooh characters!! She likes those ones!! Anyways, that is when she gets to hold me to her bare chest and snuggle me against her skin so I can feel her warmth and hear her heartbeat!! Kinda brings back the good old days when I was still snuggled in mommy's tummy! It was a glorious feeling and I snuggled down for a nice nappy!! I can't wait till we get to do that again and neither can mommy!! It was real special, just like me!! They have lowered my oxygen again but I can't see the gauge thingy to see what it is at now!! Doesn't matter to me what it is as long as I can breath and it is an improvement!! I want to go home SOON!! But not until I am REALLY, REALLY ready tho'!! Well, this is gonna be real quick like cuz' the hospital is busy and I don't want to get caught out of my isolette cuz' they might make me stay even longer than I'm s'pose to, and I don't want that!! I love you all so very much!! Thank you for all your prayers, cards, gifts, and thoughts!! You are so very special to me!! Love, Hugs and Kisses~

"NIKKI"

WELCOME TO THE LATEST UPDATE

UPDATE: 9-22-97

OH MY GOSH!! Well, here I finally am after a few long, grueling weeks of ups and downs! Sorry that I haven't been able to get to the 'puter, but I haven't been feeling so good! And, I usually use my little red hotline phone to call my "back-up person", Sunnie, when I need help, but when I did, I found out her daughter was in the hospital, too! So, she was quite busy with that for almost a week! But both Dee Dee and I are doing much better now!! Dee is even home from the hospital, as of Sunday at noon!!! YEAHHHHH!!!!

I, on the other hand am still in my hospital, but I am trying to get better soon so I can go home too!! They had me on some 'anti-robotics' cuz' my lungs were having sumpin' call 'secret-etions'. Whatever they are, these tested positive for infection so I had to take those 'anti-robotic' things and they went in and booted those germie bugs outta there!! And I never even felt the robots moving around! And they had my steroids up real high and my oxygen and vent and everything were WAYYYYY up there!! But now everything is finally showing improvements! The steroids have finally taken effect and my doctors have lowered my respirator rate to 18 b.p.m., and they have dropped my respirator pressure down to 18 also. Thats a drop of 10 and 6 respectively!! YIPEE!! I was even able to have my oxygen % lowered to 35-40% and I'm holding stable!! That nasty ol' lung infection is receding, and the 'secret-etions' are down too!! Isn't that good news??!!?? I think so!!

Guess what else??!!??? I bet ya' can't guess how much I weigh NOW!! I am a big growing girl now weighing in at 2 pounds and 1 whole ounce!! I guess since they were pumping air in me when they first weighed me at birth, they sort of "thumbed" the scale, so to speak, and decided that I really only weighed between 1 lb. 12 oz. and 1 lb. 14 oz., so I have officially topped my original birthweight!! TEE HEE!! TAA HAA HAA! And they are now giving me 6 whole cc's of mommy's milk, which is an improvement too, but I'm still sneaking those crispy treats! I wonder if the people selling them have noticed they have been coming up short?? I guess I was suppose to be exchanging something for them, but I didn't know, so the last time I snuck one, I left them one of my messy diapers in return!! So, really, I guess you could say I just "BORROWED" the crispy treat for awhile!! WELL, how else am I suppose to get fat around here??!!?? My tummy seems to be handling everything real well, and my digestive tract is working really good too! I proved that to the nurse the other day when I took a BIG POODEY all over her!! I tried to hold it, but when you gotta go, YOU GOTTA GO!!!

Well, speaking of having to go, I need to get some rest! I don't want to wear myself out again so those baddie germs come back and live in my lungs again! Say prayers for my mommy and daddy who are feeling sick too, okay, and thanks for all your prayers so far!! I love you all,

"NIKKI"

UPDATE: 10-8-97

Hi again!! Sunnie is in the process of reworking my pages, but we are able to get an update on here for now, cuz I guess people are starting to worry that there hasn't been an update in awhile!! What we are thinking about doing is putting the newest update here, on the main page, and the old ones on their own seperate site. That way, if you want to go see where it all began, you can. If not, then you don't gotta!! It's that simple!! It will be kinda like my own "Nikki Archives"!! "Hey, Sunnie, I think I just found the name of the new page!!". Anyways, there has been TONS going on with me!! You can't imagine!! Most recently, my mommy and I were interviewed by a local paper!! It was WAY KEWL 'cept when they kept flashing those pictures in my eyeballs!! They used up two whole rolls of film on Lil' Ol' ME! And they talked to mommy for a couple hours, too!! They were asking all about the website Sunnie did, and GeeBee's idea for my emergency fund to help out mommy and daddy with all the bills this is costing them! They thought it was real neat how the web has brought so many people together to pull for me!! I couldn't have done it without all your prayers!!! It's because of your prayers and support that I am doing so well!! Well, you and all the great people here at the hospital!!

As far as how I am doing, well, let me fill you in!! I just turned six weeks old the other day!! GOSH!! A whole month and a half!! But my adjusted age is still -2 months!! I get a kick out of that! I'm not negative, but my age is!! LOL!! Anyways, I have been on this nose tube thingy called CPAP (some type of pressurized air constantly pumped into my lungs to keep them open) for over a week now!!! AND.......drumroll please!!! BRRRrrrrrrrrr.... Because of the CPAP, I am able to breath on my own!!! LA LA LA!

!! TEE HEE!! It is less work for me to breath when my lungs are already open, so CPAP holds them open for me and I do the rest!! My oxygen level at last check was only at 26% and I am maintaining my own body temperature!! AM I GOOD OR WHAT!!?!! And, are ya ready for this??? BRACE YOURSELVES!! This may come as a shocker, but my weight is 2 lbs. and 5 oz. now!! YES!! I SAID FIVE!! I gained 3 ozs. in 3 days on the "Gainfast Weight Gain System" and YOU can too!! LOL!!

On a final note, my wonderful daddy finally got to hold me the other day!! It was really neat being in his big, strong arms all snuggly-wuggly!! But, I pulled those fuzzy things on his chest right out!! I think he muttered something like, "Owwww! My chest hairs!!" but to tell you the truth, I couldn't make it out clearly!! Sorry daddy (giving big, ol', sad puppy dog eyes to my daddy!)..... but ya don't need them ol' things anyway!! Silly dad!! I LOVE YOU!! And mommy, Kyle, and Gramma and Grampa AND EVERYONE!!! OH!! And if you wanna e-mail my mommy her e-mail address is: frogandkeg@sprintmail.com

"NIKKI"

UPDATE: 10-22-97

HELLO Again!! From Nicole Gregory's NEW ROOM!! Tee Hee!! I have graduated to my new room!! Yippee Yahoooo! Recently, I had some problems with my poor little nose being sore from the Constant Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) tube that was helping to keep my lungs open so that I could breath on my own, so they had ta' put me on a nasal cannula, which blows air at my nose for me to suck up through my nostrils!! They even cut the little nubbies off it so it didn't even touch my sore little nose!! Wasn't that nice of them??!!?? Now, I have to do everything on my own, which is a lot of work, but I am tolerating it so far!! So well, in fact, that they moved me to the next step, which is this cool new room I am in!!! It is called my "first graduation"!!! (Look at me!! Graduating already and I ain't even in school yet!! Tee Hee! I plan to have my Bachelors AND my Masters degrees by the time I am 6!! Ha Ha!!) If only it were THAT easy!!! And, I gots even more great news for ya'!! Those crispy treats I been sneaking are paying off!!! THREE POUNDS!!! Yes, you heard right!! I hit the 3 pound marker!! La La La!! That means I have gained over a pound since I was born!! WAHOOOOO! I had my eye test the other day, too, and they said that my eyes were more mature than I was!! LOL!! I guess that means I passed with flying colors!! And I'll even be able to see those colors someday!! Must be that carrot juice I've been sneakin' from the cafeteria here!! Nasty tasting stuff, but it really works!! Oh, and speaking of "sneaking", you should have seen the look on that person's face when they saw the messy diaper I left in exchange for that last crispy treat!! Talk about "LOL", I nearly choked on my CPAP tube, I was laughing so hard!! Thank the Lord they took that thing out!! It is much easier to laugh and play without it!!

Well, in other news.......wait a minute!! We ARE 'other news'!! Me and mommy made the front page (YUP! I said "front" page, AND the second page, too!! BIG STORY!!) of the Pierce County Herald!!! Now mommy has to go buy some dark glasses and a scarf to keep from being noticed in public!! It has been really cool thinking about all the people out there praying for me and cheering me on!! The power of prayer is just so overwhelmingly amazing! And I am living proof it works!! Isn't He an AWESOME GOD though!!

We are hoping to get some new pictures up here soon!! As soon as Gramma and Grampa learn how to use their new scanner!! And swipe my pictures from mommy, which might be like pulling teeth!! I hope you all like the subtle changes me and Sunnie made to the page!! It wasn't anything major, but it sure helped free up some space!! Everyone take care!! God bless, and I hope to be back again soon!!

"NIKKI"
Now Where Ya Wanna Go??