Sunday, January 20, 2008

Super trooper


Graham has just been such a calm, collected little baby even with all the stuff he has been through in the past couple days. Today the wick got pulled from the drainage site on his ankle and once he found his thumb, he didn't make a peep. He also had a little silver nitrate put on his belly button because a part of the cord hadn't healed over yet, and had to have some bacitracin put on because the silver nitrate got a little outside the area they were aiming for (to be fair, it's a really small area). He also had a few spit ups, one which came up through his poor perfect little nose, and now he's got some congestion left over. Joe also pointed out that he had visits from three of his grandparents and made good eye contact with all of them. Watch the grandmas melt! Anyway, the point is that thus far, his personality seems to be very relaxed and chill. The nurses keep telling us that we also seem calm and relaxed. Only on the outside, friends. Trust that on the inside, and away from the hospital, we are giant neurotic messes. Things to look forward to, my darling son!

No big news on the weight front, since he had such a big growth spurt the other day. But he did a really good job with breastfeeding today, and turns 34 weeks tomorrow, which is when they expect babies will start figuring out the suck-swallow-breathe process. So Pam suggested that I start trying to only pump half-way before feeding him and see how he does. All very exciting - I honestly have seen nothing more beautiful than Graham when he is breastfeeding. He is so relaxed but alert, with his little blue eyes wide open and his hands right next to my heart.

Lastly, I am pretty sure that the staff of the SCN must think that drama follows our family like we are the Pied Pipers of Ludicrous Situations. My grandmother fell in her apartment this morning, and so my mother and she were down in the emergency department all day while we were upstairs at the same hospital. My parents are in the process of finding a nursing home for my grandma, since it has become clear that she can't live alone anymore, but they haven't found one yet. And it's also a holiday weekend, so no nursing homes were going to come screen my grandma to take her today. Luckily, the case manager on call at the hospital went to bat for us and she got admitted at least overnight until we can find someplace. My mom came upstairs to see Graham all masked and gowned given the exposure to Norwalk and also because my gram has bronchitis! Which we think my dad also might have! Too much drama in the LBC, man.

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