The Backstory

2:28p (7.8.07)

Freedom!

We left the hospital at 1:20p today, and just got home and settled. Here's a few pics of her adjusting to her new, far quieter home.

The DVD is only there to give you a little bit of context to see just how small she still is. Now, she's much much bigger than she was 5 weeks ago... but she's a giant to us.

Ok, enough computer time for me....time to play with Anya!

3:38p (7.7.07)

Another quick update:

• Anya had her NG tube removed, as she is taking all her required feedings through the mouth.
• She is now in her '12-hour' test...and is doing splendidly.
• Unless things change somehow, looks like tomorrow...

Here are few pix of her w/o the tube...and one of me. Apparently I've been quite absent and people have been clamoring for some of me. I'm dumbfounded why people are this masochistic, but hey...its America, land of the free!

11:38a (7.7.07)

Quick update, as I'm in the middle of a project here at home:

• Anya was switched to all bottles/breast as of midnight yesterday (nearly 36 hours ago).
• She successfully did all 8 feedings with no need for the NG tube, which is a major benchmark for exiting the hospital.
• They will switch her sometime today or tomorrow to a schedule-less feeding regimen, where they will wait for her to signal them that she is hungry, and also track her feedings like this for 12 hours.
• If the doctors like what they see for this 12 hours, then they send us on our way.
• It is entirely possible that sometime tomorrow afternoon (or Monday) that she'll come home with us. Woo Woo!

More news as it develops!

8:53a (7.4.07)

So Anya and I were sitting around talking last night.

She was all looking forward to the fireworks, BBQs, swimming pools and the rest of the hoopla that usually accompanies the 4th of July. When I told her that she was still just a wee lass who couldn't even hold her own head straight, and there was no way in heck she was going anywhere but that crib, she really lost it. Threatened to leave home even!

So we pulled out a flag, let her wave it a little, and it calmed the whole thing down... its amazing what a little compromise will do for a relationship.

Hope all of you eat lots of seared carcass, blow up copious amounts of explosives, and do all the various things that make you remember one of the world's most daring political gambits. It was the world's most grand break-up letter...and it worked. Amazing. (Dontcha hate when I turn into a history teacher?)

7:22p (7.3.07)

I'll admit to total negligence in updating the blog this past week. It has been a crazy week for us in the last week, as some real life stuff has crept up (not bad, just annoying) and kept us a little busier than we'd like.

Anya is doing splendidly. As of midnight on Monday, she was at 2040g, which works out to be 4lbs 8oz. That's a full pound over the birthweight! To give proof, here's the two most recent pictures that I wanted to share.

She's definitely growing, getting more stamina, and just plain getting bigger. She's taking 40mL per feed now, and is getting bottle or breastfeeds as many times a day as she can handle them. Woo Woo!

We're predicting having her home within the next two weeks for sure, and (ultra-optimistically) by the weekend. Who knows!

Not much else to tell really. :)

10:23a (6.28.07)

Things have been really accelerating here.... knocking on wood of course. Anya's really starting to 'get' breastfeeding and bottlefeeding. She is slurping up all her bottles, with no need for the nose tube. Also, (when she is awake) she is doing really well breastfeeding, getting about 70% of the amount she is supposed to get for a feeding from the source. All of the above is key to getting her to the point where she can come home.

We're at least a week away from all of that, but its on the horizon.

There is a ton more information Shel wanted me to inform all of you on...but I'm sure not remembering what she wanted me to tell ya...maybe in a 2nd update today.

Oh yeah, the top 2 pictures are her first 'outfit' that got purchased for her, by my sister. Of course shel is working on some new headgear too...

More later...

5:20p (6.26.07)

It's been a few days since my last post...and for that I apologize! We' ve had a few hectic days trying to get our lives in order, at least the lives outside of the hospital. We spent some time at IKEA last week getting some things for Anya's room...and we have been valiantly attempting to get things together there.

We also lost our cable modem at home and we've been 'netless for days... we are way, way spoiled when losing broadband is a cataclysm!

Some new pictures for today, before I launch into any stories...

The last two pictures are just to show off some of the new clothes that she is both able to wear and we received at the shower on Saturday.

The next picture is Anya and Dorele Ann, her new friend that I talked about in my previous post.

Next is a picture for our friends Dirk and Michaelle...we've been fond of this line of really obnoxious dolls for a while, called Ugly Dolls.

They brought Anya a new Ugly Doll friend called Target. Today was the first time we got a chance to get them to meet.

...and I did not place her hand there! She did it herself...even if she is sound asleep.

Finally (for the pictures) a view of Anya that I have become infinitely comfortable with...

So....breastfeeding.

Anya hasn't been so interested at all...She mainly just sees it as time for her and Mom to bond...and for her to sleep, as its oh so warm and comfy in Mom's arms.

So yesterday she had her first bottle ever (of course it was the one time I didn't have the camera with me). I personally think that it really 'taught' her that food can come in through the mouth, and not just the nose tube.

So when we went to breastfeed today, she was a little monster. The collective average of the last 10 breastfeedings we did would be (and this is a gift) 3 mL of food eaten per feeding. Today's noon feeding she got 42 mL! That's super-duper progress! Now we know that won't be every time, and it was really helped by how awake she was... but it was a great victory. Woo!

ok, Shel and I are off for our anniversary dinner (today is 3 years!)...so i'm cutting it short.

6:48p (6.23.07)

Shel is Kangaroo'ing Anya, so I slipped out to do a quick bit of email checking and blogging (especially since our 'net is out of whack at home and won't be fixed until Monday...woe is me!)

Shower went extremely well today...props to my parents for doing such a great job of hosting it, and of course everyone who was able to come and give such amazing gifts.

I wanted to highlight a few specific gifts that we received that had special meaning...and that the greater audience would think was quite interesting.

My grandmother, my Dad's mom, was a knitter and passed away in the summer of 2001. Prior to hear death, she had knitted several outfits for each grandchild, for their future children who had yet to be born...for each of her grandchildren. As you can imagine, this was quite the undertaking. (6 grandkids) My Dad has always offered to show me the garments she created, but I've always deferred, as I wanted it to be a surprise. Below is part of the ensemble she knitted for us (one of 6 or so pieces), stylishly modeled by my smashingly gorgeous neice Allyssa.

Next is a doll that was specially made for Anya (and Shel) by her mom. The doll is made up of material from Shelley's grandparents, and great grandparents' houses... as well as material from Ms. Adler's house. Its name is (pardon me if my memory fails me) Dorele Ann...which is an amalgam of the names of all the relatives who had materials that went into the doll.

Finally a few pictures of the shower itself. Today was the debut of Allyssa's paid photography career...as she was the staff photographer for the event...not too shabby for an 8 year old!

One final picture is the one above...a drawing of Anya by Allyssa. We hope she's coming home soon too. Although we want her to be as healthy as possible first. Like Ernest and Julio Gallo....we'll have no babies at home before their time...

11:14a (6.23.07)

Really quick entry today, as we're just stopping into the hospital for a few minutes, and then running to the shower at my parent's place down in Luna Pier,MI

I promised you a look at the 2nd hat Shel knitted for Anya, and here ya go.

More later....

8:09a (6.21.07)

I think I've got a better handle on the poo smell today, or at least Anya had much, much, MUCH less stinky poo today. Who knows.... :)

Based on the sheer number of emails I got today, I can tell that the POO issue really struck a chord today as well. Glad to have entertained so many of you. hehe

Anya took another huge step forward this afternoon with her breastfeeding. She's been poking around the idea of breastfeeding, but not actually doing it. Her mastering the idea is the last key to her getting to go home. She has already gotten to breathe on her own, and within the last week graduated to an open air crib. Working on feedings is the only thing that's really keeping her tethered to the hospital.

They had told us that when she could get 15-20 mL of breastmilk from the source, they would begin to switch over to bottle feeds for her 8 meals a day. Today, for the first time, she crossed the 10mL range. Up until now it had only been in the 1-5 mL range, which is just getting the idea, and not really doing it. So we're on the way....

Finally, some new pictures. I've been harassing Shel so far because she hadn't knit anything as of yet. For those of you who don't know, Shel is an amazing knitter. Follow this link to see her photo gallery of knitted objects.

So Shel knitted Anya two different hats last night, one from yarn she already had (the orange one you'll see in the next few days) and one from yarn I picked out last night.

The last one is the elusive 'smirk' that Kris got to see today. It is hard to catch, but she's been really smiley in the last few days. I happened to have gotten lucky and grabbed this one.

For those of you who have been faithful readers, its funny to look at the progression of pictures and watching her grow...even just in the last 14 days.

More tomorrow!

12:15p (6.20.07)

Lets have a talk about poo again.

I have smelled my own poo (by proximity, not by purpose) many times. IIt smells, sure. Lots of things smell.

II've smelled things that people have said were utterly repulsing...like bodies (human and animal) in advanced states of decomposition. Rotten food galore. My apartment with Art and Jim Erdman the summer of 1992. All of these things are/were terrible....but I withstood them with panache and style. I even reveled in them, to other's disgust.

However, I now bow to the power of Anya's poo. It is the ultimate in stink. I was standing 2 feet from her, and needed to move away. I could bottle this and use it as the ultimate weight loss tool....because there's no one who could smell this and then want to eat.

Her poo smells so bad....so pungent, that I'm still smelling it right now and I haven't smelled it in 30 minutes.

Are you feeling faint? Use it as a smelling salt!

Oh Dear! I want to be the ultimate 'sharing partner' and all....but wow.

POO

Maybe I should shoot a pic for y'all and then you could feel a part of it all. Or maybe i'm not that mean.

9:06a (6.20.07)

Two weeks old today...YaY!

Anya graduated to an open air crib as of yesterday afternoon.

It is a huge step, as she is now open to the elements. They have her wrapped like a little cloth/baby burrito, so its helping her maintain temperature, but it is a bit of a struggle. They said its quite normal for the baby to come out, struggle with their temperature, and then go back in for a day or 2.

If the baby struggles to keep warm too much, then it burns too many calories and doesn't continue growing...

Speaking of growing, as of last night's feeding, she is now at 1740 grams, which is amazing. For those of you not fluent in metric-ish, that's 3lbs 13oz. She's on fire!

A couple pictures today, for no good reason other than I took them. :)

Feeding wise, Anya is up to 31mL per feeding, which is just over one ounce of milk. She's a trooper!

More later...

9:02a (6.19.07)

Lots and lots of news...Things have been really, really good at the hospital.

• Weight: Anya is gaining weight QUICK. They have advanced the feedings now to 28mL a feeding...which is more than 8x what she was eating a week ago. She was at 1508 grams two nights ago...and she passed her birthweight with yesterday's feeding. They are targeting 1800 grams to be the weight at which she should be able to both maintain her own temperature and be ready to 'think' about going home.
• Feeding: We've been progressing along the path of breastfeeding. It isn't anywhere near as easy as many of you might think, as the main reason a baby breastfeeds is that they are hungry. Well, Anya never really gets hungry, as they are trying to fatten her up! So its this slow process where they are introducing the idea to her slowly. Which of course is no where near as quick as we'd like.
• Clothes: She got to wear her first T-shirt yesterday! They still can't put clothes on her for real, as the central line prevents any real clothes...but then we showed up to the hospital and the central line had been removed! we went to babies r' us and bought her a few microscopic shirts to wear. Funny thing is, we are joyfully singing the praises of her wearing microscopic shirts right now...and then in about 13(ish) years, we'll be having knock down battles to prevent it. :)

• Shelley: Shel's BP is doing beyond excellent. They took her off the BP meds that they had put her on during the post-pregnancy BP time. She's free and clear.

Lots of new pictures are up on the Flickr site...here are a few

For all my admirers....my gift to you is my 70's-esque chest hair EXPLOSION! Anya is singing her praises to it as well....or maybe she's about to vomit. Check the tape!

10:36a (6.18.07)

Penny is here right now, just having delivered some food for us, with her kids Emily and Jacob. They are now famous!

Sorry its been a few days of no posting....been busy with things. I shot two sets of senior pictures yesterday, and have been processing the pictures to try to get that done before Anya arrives home.

2:21p (6.15.07)

Let's all sing the theme song to The Jefferson's...

We're movin' on up...

to the top

of a deluxe apartment in the sky-I-I.

So yeah, Anya got moved across the hallway today. For most of you, that means nothing....but it was a move out of the critical care area where there is a real risk to the health of the babies sometime necessitating 1on1 nurse to baby care.

Anya's been doing so well (except for a few moments yesterday) that she warranted being moved across the hall into her own separate room!

Some medical details for those of you who want them:

• She is now moderating her own temperature inside the isolette. They are not artificially heating the isolette, and she's been alright with that. The next step will be an open air crib...and that will happen when she's moving past 1500(ish) to 1800(ish) grams.
• They will weigh her tonight, but she was at 1365 at her last weigh-in...and she's been eating like a (very small) horse since then.
• They advanced her feedings (8x a day) to 12 mL per feeding, and will advance now at 4mL per feeding starting tonight at 9p. They will advance up to 30 mL per feeding and then reassess.
• They are looking to remove her from all IV fluids and supplements by Sunday.
• She had her cranial ultrasound today, and all came back normal. Also she's scheduled for an X-ray to check the central line placement, on Sunday.

So we've set up shop in there, and Shel has started working on a journal of our experience. She's been asking lots of question, and going back to read blog entries too, for when she was all wacked out on drugs for the first few days.

Anya has been getting even more spunk than before, which is a good sign.

One last thing before I leave off....after yesterday's little "helper" we got to change our first full blown (and I do mean blown!) poopy diaper. As I said we were hoping for, it was an all out poopin' jamboree! We had blasted poo up, around, and inside the parts. whee! I heard the nurse even got some shot up the mid-back and down the leg. Impressive!

Does that mean I'm now a 'real' Dad? When I appreciate the intensity, frequency, and consistency of my daughter's fecal matter? If so, then I'm as real as it gets.

3:08p (6.14.07)

Do you ever think about how insanely confusing and down right idiotic our system of measuring things is?

I've had a lot of opportunity to do just that in the last week. All the measurements they use in the NICU are metric. "Why...", you might ask, "do they use metrics if we are in America?"

I'll give you the answer....because it makes sense. For weight they have grams, kilograms, milligrams. For volume they have liters, milliliters.

What does the traditional system in America have? we have ounces. Ounces for weights, ounces for volumes. Does that make sense? No.

So Anya weighed in at 1525 grams when she was born. She hit the low of 1300(ish) and is now at 1360(ish). What that means to most Americans is that we are going to stand around and say 'Huh?' She's just about 3 lbs. is what I got as an answer when i asked.

What's her temperature supposed to be at when she is in the isolette? between 36 and 37.5. Yeah, there we go back again into another translation.

All the formulas they toss at us regarding feeding volumes, etc etc are all in metrics...and I feel dumb. Thanks America!

Anya is having her first semi-rough day here. She hasn't pooped in a few days, and her digestive system is getting a bit backed up...as it would for any of us. So she's not eating as much as she should, and they've temporarily halted her accelerated feeding schedule, and keeping her at the level she's at today.

They also...ahem...inserted a 'helper' into her pooper to see if she could start to shoot that all out. Yeehaw...we're going to have a Poopin' Jamboree!

Lets have a round of applause for Suppositories!

(i think i've been in the NICU too long...)

8:05p (6.13.07)

Imagine you are about to sit down for a meal. On your plate is a Hamburger, a handful of fries, a small pile of green beans and a glass of Pepsi.

Now imagine that suddenly on your plate was triple that amount of food. You finish it with no problems... either you were ravenously hungry, or you are about to explosively vomit like Linda Blair in The Exorcist.

So yeah, thats what has happened to Anya over the last 48 hours, and she's handled it swimmingly. They are planning on ramping her continuously for the next 4 days until she is at 7x her feeding from 2 days ago. We're thinking she'll be 7 ft. tall in a few weeks with that feeding schedule.

Not much else is new at the moment. Chad (Shel's brother) is in with her right now, and I'm out in the lobby type type typing away.

To everyone else who is reading this, thanks again from the bottom of our hearts for all the support. Each time Shel gets a little discouraged, I pull out the emails and pump her up.

One more story from today... we had an educational/meet and greet with the other parents of the NICU babies today, and it was really cool. We learned the names, and the stories, of our new neighbors...and learned exactly how well Anya is doing. (I'm actually knocking on wood as we speak.) Made us feel really special. :)

ok, enough sap from me today....time to think about heading home.

8:55a (6.13.07)

No posts yesterday due to my hectic driving schedule. We had a ton to do outside of the hospital, so we were only there for a few hours.

Anya's feedings started the acceleration yesterday, and it looked like she was tolerating it well. We'll know more when we get down there today.

A few pics to post, and then we're off to the hospital.

This bottom picture is the isolette that is her home until she can moderate her own temperature. More later!

5:48p (6.11.07)

Things are doing beyond excellent down here at the NICU. (knocking on vinyl) Anya has continued to impress the Docs with her progression in breathing and digestion...so much that they are going to start on a progression of feedings over the next few days.

She is currently being fed 3 CCs of food per feeding. That is going to be dramatically ramped up over the next few days so that she is receiving in the area of 20 CCs of food. Now, to put that in perspective, a teaspon of liquid is 5 CCs. So right now, her total daily allowance of food is 24 CCs, which is just under 5 teaspoons of food, which is approximately one bite of a meal for me. But the quadrupling of food, if she takes to it with her feeding tube, will dramatically accelerate her development, as calories = growth opportunities. (or at least it can equate....)

Additionally (sorry to be TMI guys) Shel will begin tinkering with getting Anya to breastfeed. The idea is that she is already imprinted with the idea that 'food comes from a tube', so the instinctual going to the breast has been tainted a bit...so its not nearly as 'normal' as it would have been in the first place...but that initial period wouldn't have worked for breastfeeding...so.....

Kangaroo Care is something I realize I haven't talked about yet on here. Preemies, more than traditional babies, need skin to skin contact...but they are the ones who are least likely to get it, with the tubes and tubes and tubes connected to them. So the theory goes that what they need is long periods (60-120 minutes) of quiet, non-moving, skin to skin contact. We've been doing this for the last few days, and she (Anya) is just totally into it. Quiets right down, snuggles up, and goes to sleep. 'Tis quite cute...and warm as heck! Shel is doing the Kangaroo Care right now as I type out in the waiting room.

Shel asked me if I minded if she got to Kangaroo Anya one more time before we left (delaying our departure time by at least an hour, more likely more than that). I (of course) told her no problem. I see it like this.

Shelley is a ravenous lion who is desperate for meat. Anya is (metaphorically at least) a fresh zebra waiting to be devoured. I am a hyena... I want the meat too. But there is no way my little hyena heinie is going to step between the Lion and the Zebra, lest I become part of the meal. I will enjoy my meal....in time. Let the Lion feast. :)

Ok, enough with my blather (over caffeinated as it is...) on with today's pictures!

Of course, all of these are available on my Flickr site. If you want to grab a picture to print, feel free. This is how you do it:

• Go to the site with the link located above.
• Click on a small version of a picture (called a Thumbnail) on the right side. This will launch a larger picture.
• When that larger picture loads, use the right mouse button to click on the picture.
• A list of options will appear. Click on 'Save Image As' and then save it to your hard drive.
• This will enable you to print the picture if you have a photo printer, or upload the picture to a place like Walgreens, CVS, Wal-Mart, etc. or put it as your desktop wallpaper (if you want to know how to do that, email me and I'll walk you through it)

Hope you all are having a fantastic night!

7:04a (6.11.07)

Wow! Definitive proof that I still have an audience. You have to like that!

We had a great night sleeping in our own beds. Kleaha, featured below, was really freaked out from us being gone for so long. She was so love starved she hasn't left my side since I got home. Purrrr.

So my parents had a chance to come and hold Anya for the first time yesterday, which was a cool experience. I'll post a few pics I took. Follow the link on the right side of the page if you want to see all of them.

It is quite amazing how much of one's child you can see when you don't have some massive space-age apparatus attached to her face. Woo woo!

We're off to meet a pediatrician this morning, and then back to the hospital! Updates as we get them....

1:22p (6.1o.07)

Is anyone still reading this? I wonder...

We're (as in shel and I) are being released today... of course Anya will be here for quite a while longer.

Updates:

• Anya is off all oxygen sources again. She's breathing just room air naturally....and we can see her face! (always a good thing)
• Shel's BP is coming down slowly, at least at a level that they can accept and still release her. (they want the room)
• We're heading home at 6p(ish), but we'll be spending most of our time here for the next few weeks.

For those of you who might want to come visit, you're free to...just contact us via phone or email (phones are off while in the NICU) and tell us when you're coming...we'll make sure we're here at that time. We have very little scheduled outside of the hospital matters.

I'll have more photos to post tonight for those that are interested. :)

4:50p (6.08.07)

So we've been transfered to the 'Mother / Baby' unit at St. Joe's....

I was told it was 'efficient'.

I was told it was 'sparse'.

I was told it was 'cozy'.

Here's the analogy that I developed... Imagine you've been staying in a penthouse suite at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. People wait on you hand and foot...you have ample (too much even) room to move, and you feel pampered.

Then you are forced to check out, as the hotel overbooked. You are given a replacement room at Motel 6.

Had you never been at the Waldorf-Astoria, you would have been perfectly fine with the Motel 6. It has a bed, it has a bathroom. However, the amenities at the W-A were so overboard, it makes the Motel 6 look like a total dump. A dump that's really loud, has broken-down everythings, and generally looks 3rd world.

Shel said it was more like giving birth in America, and recovering in Kazakhstan. I'll take her word on that.

Enough complaining...its not about us....especially not about the loud as heck neighbors who just won't shut up.....er I did it again. Its about Baby Anya.

So here are some much....much more attractive pictures of her from this afternoon. She's out of the CPAP machine, which means we can see her face a whole lot better!

Shel got to hold her for a long time today, as well as take her temperature and change her diaper. She opened her eyes a bit and was calm and collected the entire time she held her... Its just amazing seeing her bond like this. :)

We're scheduled to leave either tomorrow afternoon or Sunday afternoon...depending on what the Docs say about Shel. Of course, we'll be here a whole lot until she's ready to come home.

We talked to the NICU Nurse this afternoon about possible times she will be ready to come home. She said its quite normal for babies born at this period (32 weeks) to stay in the NICU up until their original due date, which is end of July. So there's going to be a lot of this summer spent in transit, and at St. Joes....but it is what will make her the happiest and healthiest baby.

Off to tend to Shel...she's waking up from a nap!

9:31a (6.08.07)

We've been given the (sorta) clean bill of health to transfer to the next step down! Woo Woo! The labyrinth of tubes have been disconnected from Shel, and she is free to walk and move and get around. Got to be liking that!

For those of you who have the direct line to call us, it will be changing. We are scheduled to be staying in the hospital through tomorrow afternoon, but they may reserve the right to keep us another 24 hours if the meds they gave Shel for her BP don't work as effectively as they hope

But lots of good news...and a free ticket for Shel to see Anya at will. I'm figuring I better just get a good book.... :)

12:49a (6.08.07)

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back...

Sorry to be slacking in the blogging duties yesterday....truly surprised I've still got this many readers! :)

Baby Update: Anya seemed to spend most of tomorrow morning thinking that breathing consistently was optional. Due to her stubbornness (wonder where she gets that? It will be an eternal mystery!) they had to put her on a CPAP machine, which is the same machine that is used to treat Sleep Apnea.

Although it looks like something out of Sci-Fi, its incredibly helpful as it both positions the breathing passages so usable air goes in, it keeps the mouth shut so it doesn't just stream out. So she's getting good oxygen, and is being forced to use it for the time being. Baby Steps right? But her magnesium level is going down, and she's tolerating food....so we're on the right track.

Shel finally got to see Anya, which was really good for both Mom and Baby.

Regarding Shelley:

The real triggering menace in the condition that created this whole adventure (and i'm not talking about the pregnancy here, that's another whole triggering event that I'm not going to explain to you) is the heightened blood pressure. The BP was supposed to go down consistently with the other symptoms after the delivery. Well, that hasn't happened yet, which is quite concerning to the Docs. So Shel still hasn't been transferred out of the higher-risk area to the Mom and Baby area. But she's off the main drugs, and available to eat again, which is a really great thing for her. Baby steps are what's important.

I'll attempt to keep blogging tomorrow more faithfully!

2:39a (6.07.07)

Sleep is good. It is amazing the clarity you can get when you get a little bit of sleep. :)

We've been getting a lot of emails about the details of the birth, so here are the 'released' details (I have an agent who vetes all of my press releases).

We had marched towards having a traditional birth, but in the end, it wasn't in the cards. We had originally scheduled a C-Section to be done at 2pm, which was 48 hours after the initial deployment of the in vitro steroids which helped accelerate lung development.

The C-Section began around 3:30p and she was born at 4:01. Unfortunately, due to her preemie status, all Shel got was a microscopic glance (a 1/2 cry), and she was then whisked away. As of right now (middle of the night) she has still not been able to touch, nor see her.

The reason for that is the Magnesium Sulfate, which is continued for 24 (let's hope only that) hours after the birth. The MagSulfate makes her slightly loopy **like she needs any help in that department! :)** and prevents her from being mobile in any way. Once that goes off (4p today) she will be able to be wheeled down to the NICU, and hopefully, depending on maturation/stability, Anya will be able to come out of the isolette and be held by Shel.

So due to the fact that the MOM hasn't even seen the baby, we told everyone else that they needed to take a ticket, take a seat, and wait their turn. Mom gets to see the baby before any of your fools! Ha! Deal with that Yo!

Ok, maybe that's the sleep deprivation speaking...I really shouldn't taunt all of you when y'all know that you will be babysitting for me when I want to go see movies. :)

Oops. Just made Shel laugh...and those staples (yes, staples Allyssa!) are a real bear. Only serious, serious talk from me now on. Oops, did it again.

Shel wanted me to say, "Thanks for all the love, prayers, thoughts and support that have been sent. The emails that have been sent have meant the world to us, and let us know exactly how much support we have out there. It is a gigantic reason for why things have gone so well so far. Thanks from the bottom of my heart"

Yeah, what she said!

'Night!

6:22p (6.06.07)

Ladies and Gentlemen

Boys and Girls

Presenting....

(drumroll please....)

Anya

Quinn

Strzalkowski

Weighing in at 3 lbs. 6 oz.

and

16 1/2 inches long!

Born 6.6.07 at 4:01p

Baby and mother are both healthy, whole, and resting comfortably at St. Joseph Mercy Birthing Center in Ypsilanti.

She is off the ventilator, and breathing room air in the NICU. She'll be there for a period of time, and can come home once she can:

• Breathe on her own (Check!)
• Maintain her own temperature.
• Handle that whole eating thing.

The only downside is that Shel is still locked down to bed due to medication, and still hasn't been able to hold her

(or really even see her except through pictures!)

So wait a bit y'all! We'll share her with the world once the ever so tired Mommy gets to spend time with her.

12:33p (6.06.07)

Alright, this will be the last one for a while.

2p is the time to see

the baby that is so wee

we're getting ready to yank her out

in the NICU, she'll scream and shout

but in time she'll be brought to us

Shel will feel like she's been hit by a bus

so when you next see a post from me

we'll have a brand new baby

See ya next time as a parent!

8:17a (6.06.07)

Just a few pictures to post that I've been given permission to show.

Things are good and calm for the moment. It's a waiting game. Thanks again for all the kind words that have been sent. They've been great little happy balloons that I can send to Shel in those moments that she needs them.

2:37a (6.06.07)

Shel is a trooper, that's for sure. The main Doc just came in and told us about our midnight blood draw. The liver enzymes have continued to rise, once again at a level that is unhealthy for the long-term, and necessitates turning the corner.

So the decision has been made to start the process to get the baby out. I'll spare all my audience the gory details...but to use a terrible metaphor, the eviction notice has been filed with the courthouse and the Sheriff's dept's deputies are on the way to serve the eviction notice.

The timeline is to have the baby out of there within 12ish hours. Wheee. Its a strange ride we sometimes end up on, eh?

12:51a (6.06.07)

I'm convinced Shelley is from a long line of Vampire Hunters, or at least one in a former life. Her veins are impossible to find...of course this is a genetic mutation that would be absolutely necessary for one in her line of work.

Being woken up at midnight from a dead sleep to have someone plunging a needle in your arm for 20+ minutes because your veins are slippery sucks. I recommended they take my blood and just fake it, but apparently that's not so kosher around these parts. Sheesh! Standards.

The pic above is me getting Shel back to sleep...or at least attempting to do it. Hope y'all are sleeping betta than us! IceBat is on the job!

9:10p (6.05.07)

Shel fell asleep for the first time since admitting. Whew!

They will wake her at Midnight to draw more blood, but she has the chance of getting a few good hours of sleep in. :)

I'm headed off too....I believe tomorrow will be the big day.

6/6/7 that'll be easy to remember. :)

6:49p (6.05.07)

Quick story from the land of magnesium sulfate:

Shelley said she was feeling something really strange, and would I please call the nurse. I, the dutiful and obedient husband, quickly do so.

Upon arrival, Shel tells the nurse that she has a weird feeling, and explains it like this, "It feels like all the organs in my chest have turned to liquid, and are all vibrating and pulsing together."

I am wondering if maybe she hasn't been given Ecstasy, and not MagSulfate. Hmmmm....maybe she is having a better time than she admits!

5:30p (6.05.07)

I'm not a slacker, or at least usually I am not. There just hasn't been anything going on!

We are still in a holding pattern. Her blood pressure is quite stable, usually between 130/95 to 150/97. However, her liver enzymes (which come from the once per 6 hrs blood draw...) have been steadily rising, which means that we are only getting closer and closer to a profoundly medical outcome.

On the positive side, the little one has had the hiccups for the last 20 minutes or so, and we can hear it clear as day through the fetal monitor. Quite cool.

Thanks again for all the emails that have been sent, as I've been reading them to Shel whenever she is coherent and awake enough to enjoy them.

...and Diane...you rock. :) woo woo! Lookin forward to it.

12:26p (6.05.07)

Nothing new here. Been reading some of your emails to Shel, and some made her cry.

On the positive side, I think with all the experience I've got over the past 24 hours, I can take up Nurse's Assistant as a new side-job in the summers. Woo Woo! Unintended Consequences.

Btw, Hospital Food and Coffee suck. In case you were wondering. Of course since Shel hasn't had anything to eat or drink (except ice logs) I really shouldn't complain. But I love my coffee.

9:40a (6.05.07)

If you see a pregnant woman, a blue bat, and a bewildered husband floating in a rotating pattern over the skies in Ypsilanti....that's us.

Here's the goal for today:

• We're getting another shot of steroids at 1p, with the goal of having those work for the next 24 hours developing the baby's lungs.
• Shel's blood pressure is stabilized, and most of her other alarming stats are also stable under the boatload of meds that she is on at the moment.
• They are looking (strongly) at delivering the baby tomorrow afternoon. Whether it comes out a natural or an artificial hole is up to Motha Nature.

Everything is calm, everything is good. Each of the emails that y'all send to me get read to Shel...so feel free to drop a line.

jasonstrzalkowski@gmail.com

7:15a (6.05.07)

Shel named her Catheter! It's name is Monty Freedman, but she calls it M.F. for short. Ahhh, that girl!


We got a visit from the NICU doctor...gave us some really good statistics and thoughts about what will happen if we do give birth sometime in the extremely near future.

* 99% of the babies born at 32 weeks are viable and thrive.
* the baby will still be able to be breastfed, just through a honkin big tube rammed down its throat.
* the baby will 'normally' be in the NICU for 2-3 weeks as it sorts out all its tax forms, Netflix queues and general political preferences.
* they will be giving it a $10,000 check to use at a fine dining establishment of their choice.

Shel is really feeling better...she's starting to revolt against their rules (taking off the pressure cuff, taking small sips of water, complaining a bit.) We're about to see the new Doctor within the next 30 minutes.

4:26a (6.05.07)

Things much the same. Shel has been getting poked and prodded, questioned and questioned again making sure the negative side effects of the preeclampsia haven't progressed.

She is in love with her Catheter. I think she might name it soon, due to her fondness.

9:11p (06.04.07)

Ok, so I'm a major techie geek. I admit it.

But I don't have cell access, and there's free wireless access, so here ya go.

The story: (11a - 9p)

• Shelley has been feeling winded off and on for about a week. We thought it was merely the heat matched with the head cold she has...
• Last night at birth class, she developed some serious abdominal pain, nausea and back pain. All of which made us hightail it outa there and get home. She felt better by the time she went to bed.
• She had a regularly scheduled appointment with the midwives today, and called to see if she could come in early. When she got there, they were worried about her blood pressure and protein in the urine.
• They advised her to go down to the hospital, which we did, and they did some lab work. It came back with the diagnosis that she is suffering from a severe case of preeclampsia, which can be quite dangerous if untreated and unwatched. The only way to treat it is to have the baby.
• They administered Magnesium Sulfate (to treat the possibility of seizures due to the preeclampsia) and a steroid to help develop the lungs of the baby. These generally make her quite uncomfortable.
• We've been surfing this out for the last 5 hours....

• All things are well as of right now...we're waiting to see what happens.