Well, Tess repeated her new favorite trick of ripping out her feeding tube this morning, and kept yanking the cannula out too. She grabs it like a chin-up bar. Then she did it again at bedtime! The nurses were joking that she’s trying to tell us she’s sick of the hospital and wants to go play. 🙂
She had her first episode last night, where her cardio-respiratory responses got too slow and she couldn’t pull it back together. They gave her a stern back rub and she got it organized, but that’s not fun to hear. Seriously – that’s the treatment. The less-fun doctor (who I’m rapidly warming up to) looked at me and said, “Well, we can send her home then! We don’t let them go until they do that at least once.” (See what I mean? He’s getting funnier by the day.) They’re assuming it was due to the lower oxygen flow, which she’s still on! Excellent. (we also heard a rumor that the person who called it didn’t give her time to recover – miffed nurse doesn’t believe it even happened.)
Her current roommate is a full-term boy whose mom looks under 30. This is her 6th child. The contrast’s…a little weird. We’re waiting for him to leave so we can switch sides (the corner is more private), and so the disconcerting giant baby cries go away! Lol.
One of our awesome and fabulous nurses pointed out today that, while she’s doing great, if Tess does get sick the world will not come to an end. Tess will still go on to live a normal, healthy life. I love hearing that!
I also loved seeing her in her Easter hat. We get so used to the isolette and the diapered baby with tubes that it’s easy to forget she’s a BABY. Cute, teeny clothes, yummy baby smell, cuddles, pacifiers, funny faces – the traditional baby experience. To me, in the hat picture, I’m seeing her for the first time the way she’ll be when we get to take her home, with clothes on.
On that front, Tess is over 1000 grams!!! 1024 to be exact. So awesome! That’s 2 lbs 4 oz. To top that, she was trying to track Dave today as he moved around the crib. She shifted her head and tried to shift her eyes. It was pretty fantastic.
In the meantime, heads down. We do our work, cradle our peanut and hang on.
I knew it! I just knew you premie parents don’t like us full termers!!! Hahahahahaha!
I was reading the website about the NICU that you are at, it sounds like quite a different set-up, much more private. We were in one large ‘pod’ with I think 25 stations (babies). The micros were in the way back so they could get a little quiet, babies born around 30 weeks like ours were in the middle, and full term or those getting discharged soon were close to the door. So we measured success by literally how close to exiting you were. I think I would have much preferred some privacy.
I am so glad to hear you and Dave are taking time for the two of you:) I love the hat, and the updates!
1024! thats a great round number! (ask david).
*groan*
So Tess is 1 kB of baby?
She still hasn’t learned that if she doesn’t byte the nurses, they’ll make sure gets cached before she stack dumps!
Yeah. Two can play at this game! 🙂
Ooof. Saw that one coming in from orbit. Painful, Dave. 😀
When Lilia was in the NICU, I felt so bad that the little babies had to listen to her cry. I was hoping the isolette was somewhat sound muffling as to not disrupt their growing. She was in a pod of 6 and the largest baby there so it was very different from our perspective as well.
Love the video! Those darn hiccups!
Wow! I had no idea you guys were on such an ambitious and loving journey! Kudos to both of you for embracing the changes that are rocking your world as you know it. Excellent journalism Maggey and a wonderful story someday for Tess, and other NICU parents. I look forward to reading more stories as the journey continues…..
All of our best,
Debbie & Alex
Oh the hiccups! She’s just like her Auntie Jess 😉 I always get them too…
Miss you guys like mad and wish desperately to be there with you. Keep up the good work with the blog — love feeling a part of Tess’s world! xoxo
Charli gave us your blog site. Little Tess is adorable! I worked for a OBGYN for 15 yrs. I saw a baby born @ 24 weeks did wonderful she is now 12 and you would never know she was a preemie. I love reading your blog every day. Gordy and I pray for you, Dave and Tess. God has a perfect plan for your family. I hope someday to meet Tess. Dar
Thank you so much for that video! Those little hiccups were just wonderful to hear and watch. ^___^