25 weeks, 1 day

Happy weekend to all of you. We have reached the 25-week mark. One more week and we will be close to getting out of the micro preemie stage. There are less 24- and 48-hour goals to break up the week so it takes more effort to mentally take it one day at a time. The on call OB hinted that they typically won't let ruptured patients go longer than 34 weeks before inducing so it started to form a little bit more of a time frame for us. They've told us that based on our history of maintaing pregnancy for 4.5 weeks after rupturing with KD that making it to 27 or 28 weeks is a realistic goal. We've also been told not to count on the chance of being discharged home for any period of this bed rest. I haven't left this room since Tuesday, June 28; there are no wheelchair privileges like we enjoyed in Phoenix.

Rumor in the halls is that the unit is full again so there is a chance I might be put back into double room. The next inhabitant of this room might be disappointed since JD, in all his strength, accidentally broke the window shade last night before he left. A friend propped it up today using the ceiling and some strings (Thanks SW!) but I hope we don't lose our room deposit. I guess that cost to our insurance would be minor compared to what the cumulative bill will be once we all finally vacate this place.

Surprisingly, the days pass by quickly. The day starts at 6:15 am with Medical Resident rounds and ends at 12:30 am after the overnight nurse does a vital sign check. Last Tuesday, it seemed that there were specialists visiting constantly from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm so that day flew by. The parts of the day that I dread the most include the twice daily heparin shots and the highlights are hearing BD #2's heart tones every 8 hours. I don't nap during the day so that nighttime sleep isn't disrupted. In between visits from MDs, nurses, friends, pastors, and coworkers, I spend the time working and trying to help with those home-related things that can be handled remotely (i.e. shopping online for sandals for KD's growing feet).

I keep TV watching to a minimum. I figure nothing good can come from the 24-hour news cycle or daytime soaps. I had a little hope for Jeopady last week since it was Kid's Week but sadly, I still knew very few of the questions (answers?). There was a little validation in not knowing anything in the tween-related celebrity category (read: "What is Twilight, Alex?" when I am thinking "yah, what is Twilight?"). The first week here there was a category called "On Wisconsin" and I am proud to say that I knew four of the six answers...or is it questions?

Patients have a decent menu to select meals from. Imagine Perkins minus the bread bowls and mammoth muffins (thinking of our love of the double chocolate chip muffins, JFK). Those of us who are here for the long haul are given a secret code to be able to order food from the exquisite Meriter Cafe (Trademark pending, I am sure) which offers slightly different options. As you can imagine, nothing is very exciting after two weeks. It is, however, an improvement from our dining experience in Phoenix. While we were initially impressed with their waiter-style approach, we quickly realized that it was all a cover up for their tour de chicken. Every Monday night it started as a breast of some sort, on Tuesday morning it was served diced in an omelet, on Wednesday it was incorporated into the chicken salad sandwich, and by Thursday, whatever remained was shredded into chicken noodle soup. I shudder to think of how it might have been used as a filler in Friday's menu.

My mom leaves on Monday and then JD's mom and babysitters will help fill in the non-daycare days. KD's vocabulary has grown exponentially since I was first admitted and her main words were Mama, Dada, and uh-oh. Now her favorites include cheese, wa-wa (water), puppy, and bye-bye. She is especially good at that last one when it is time to leave this hospital room. She does great when she is up here but is very ready to leave after an hour or so. Given the choice, I'd rather her be happy to leave than sad. The nurses tell stories of older children crying for their moms who are hospitalized and that would make things much harder. Glad to see we have an independent little girl in the making. There is a video below of KD dancing last weekend in the spirit of the 4th. It has been edited slightly so that Grandma L isn't humiliated by the broadcasting of her dancing skills.

(How about those jazz hands SZ?)

JD probably won't be posting much since he is so busy managing everything else. By the end of his long days that include working, child rearing, and dog walking, he doesn't have much creative energy. He is doing a great job with all of this and I continue to be amazed by him.

Thanks again for all the support and encouragement. We really appreciate all of you. Thanks to our neighbors who have offered to mow or do anything we need around the house and to friends and family ready to help in a moment's notice. It is really hard to accept all the generous offers but we are sincerely grateful for everything.