The countdown

Greetings from the NICU.

Suzy is breathing on her own. They removed nasal tube last night and she is holding her own. So, 1 tube off her head and 2 patches off her face. 3 patches, 2 tubes and a bilirubin mask left to go. She kept pulling the tube out and the nurses keep telling me that she is feisty. Somehow they think this is my fault, the old apple and the tree talk. Last night Pete feed Suzy 6 cc's via a bottle and this morning she's up to 9 cc's of milk per meal. The more milk they get in and she processes the less she needs via IV. Today I'll feed her and then we will top her off with the 9 cc's. Now that the breathing is under control she has to prove that she can eat and gain weight every day. Also, she feels better with something in her belly rather than living off the IV fluids so maybe she will turn into a calm, mild mannered, sweet sort of girl.

While Suzy is a really good size for a 34 week baby, she's very skinny. Her arms and legs are terribly long and are just waiting to be plumped up - sort of like a donut without the filling. Her fingers are also very long and according to Pete, they are just like my hands. Something about the index and ring fingers being the same length and a 'ridiculously' long thumb. Personally, I think my thumb is a perfectly fine length and if you're looking for freaky thumbs, all eyes ought to be on Dad, Dan, Liam and Harry. (Mine doesn't bend every way to Sunday, it's just long!) All this spells piano lessons to me.

Pete and Harry are working today; they have a boat skid to deliver. He went to play at TJ and Elizabeth's house last night while Pete and I sat with Suzy. Harry was thrilled and was out the door without shoes or a jacket before I could say, 'Wait, I have to call Mrs. Brown first!' They had quite a nice night and we'll be looking to schedule a sleepover very soon. We had a cookie emergency at our house last night, but managed to solve that with a stop at 1415 Mackinac - there seems to be a cookie making explosion over there now that we've discovered the most amazingly perfect cookie recipe. (I do not kid, stop now and make these cookies. If you do, we wouldn't be upset if you sent some over, also, this apple cake is looking mighty good.)

And finally, a short list of things I should have know:

  1. the small load of pinks/reds in our house has magically turned into 2 loads
  2. even with an epidural, when you get right down to business in that delivery room you remember every detail of what it takes to get a kid out
  3. NICU nurses are an amazing bunch of people even if they are constantly hugging

PS - Gretchen, I've got the worst case of GCS with no end in site.

Comments