Tuesday Evening Update

So, we're attempting to get back to some semblance of normalcy, while at the same time walking down memory lane.  Rebecca came home yesterday and is recovering well.  She's tired, but excited to be home and to not be nearly as beat up as the C Section 3 years ago.  Pumping every 3 hours is not helping catching up on sleep,

We've also started the twice daily trips to the NICU, which is thankfully relatively close.  William is doing really well.  They've doubled his feeding amount and taken him off of the oxygen.  We've seen lots of the same faces from the NICU staff that were there the last time and its been a little surreal going through this again.  There isn't as much anxiety as the first time and I certainly don't want to make light of the fact that William is in an Intensive Care Unit, but he's in much better shape than Thomas was when he was there and to this point has been relatively trouble free for the NICU staff.  He is a fighter though, if you mess with him, he'll start kicking and flailing his arms.  He seems to already have some strong opinions on what is ok and what isn't.  For instance, IV?  Not cool, I'm just going to pull that out.  So now it is in his foot rather than his arm and subsequently a shield has been placed over thatto prevent further tampering.  Also not that cool, the feeding tube stuck in his mouth.  He's tolerating it, but he has managed to remove it a few times.  But again, relatively speaking, he's an easy patient, which is always good, as there are other patients that need a little more attention. 

That was the thing that really struck me and took me back when we first started visiting the NICU again.  You can see it right away in certain parents' faces, its the helplessness and complete lack of comfort that they are experiencing.  The NICU is a scary place if you haven't been there before.  The machines that they hook your child up to are huge, they beep incessantly and the whole set up is about taking care of the babies. The parents are just bystanders and the NICU staff doesn't have time or the right to tell them that things are going to be ok, because unfortunately, sometimes they aren't.  Every time I see that look though, I want to tell them about Thomas and let them know that it can be alright.  Not really allowed to do that though.  I'm certainly not an outgoing person in that manner and its also a very personal and private ordeal that you can't intrude on without being invited in.  Anyway, that's what I don't like about the NICU.

Tonight I visited William for a good amount of time whole Rebecca rested.  Took his temperature and changed his diaper.  He weighs 3 lbs, 12 ounces, which always happens, they lose a little bit.  Then I did kangaroo care with him, which if you will recall from 3 years ago is the process of teaching him how to box like an Australian.  I might have gotten that wrong, it has been a while.  You do hold the child against your skin to allow him to stay warm with your body heat and connect with you.  He woke up and stared at me for a while and then settled in and slept on my chest for about an hour.  When I put him back in the plastic box, he let me know he was not happy about it.  I'll be curious who gets their way between William and Thomas.  I think we're in for some battles.

I know there are people that are more interested in pics than my ramblings, so I'll post some more in the morning.