He came. He saw. He crapped. BOY, did he. I noticed Jr. hadn't pooped in 24 hours, though he was REALLY trying. It's unusual for him to not poop at least twice. I mentioned to the nurse maybe he was constipated and needed a little somethin' somethin'. She agreed and said she'd give him a suppository, the glycerine bullet. Sam got a spa treatment of a bath, after which we dressed and swaddled him up before she had a chance to give it to him. So, she gave it to him later. When we returned in the evening, the night nurse said he'd had a blow out, which I dubbed Sam's Sunday Craptacular!! We were happy he pooped and happy we weren't there to clean it up! Not so fast. We approached Sam's crib and noticed the funk in the air immediately. Craptacular 2.0 was in effect. Steve got the wipes ready. I got the diaper and Aquaphor. I pulled down the diaper. Oh. My. GOD. It was FULL of what looked like MUD. Seriously. It looked like he sat in a bucket of MUD!! I looked at Steve. He looked at me. We looked at Jr.'s butt. We were in disbelief. I told Steve I was gonna need more wipes. It took a good long while to get the crap spackle off his butt. Damn. That's all I can say.
Speaking of huge poops, Sam is up to 6lbs 4oz!! I was sure he'd lost like a pound after that poop, but he's going strong. He still feels tiny compared to other babies, but I guess he's kinda normal size now. Smaller side of normal. The only time I think he's huge is when I remember he's still suppose to be in me. Last week, I found myself examining my c-section scar. "My son came from here, from me.", I thought. Still very surreal. I mean, he's here. I've got the baby to prove that scar is not for naught. Sometimes I still can't believe it though.
More about that fabulous bubble bath! It was like a spa treatment, thanks to his wonderful nurse, Patty. He was a little fussy before he went into the tub. Being nekkid isn't his fave right now. Once he got in the water, oh man! He just loooooved it! He loved it so much, his little toes curled. Here's a little video of him chillaxin'.
Now, on to the Boob Report. Jr. has been working very hard to become a breast feeding expert. He's doing it so well, his lips are getting chapped. Seriously! He still has his fits of desperation, where he gets in his own way. He'll have his little arms in the way and end up with his hand in his mouth. Then he has a fit and tries to grab onto my nipple with both hands. It's hilarious! Well, it wasn't so hilarious the other day when he scratched my nipple with his little shiv of a fingernail. OWWWW! Mommy will need to learn to cut fingernails asap. He usually goes at it for 15-20 minutes and gets out about half of his feed. I give the rest by bottle if he's awake enough. He gets tuckered out working for his meals. At that point, I'll pull him off and I'm always amazed by how much of my boob is actually in that tiny little mouth. Boob for DAYS. Reminds me of one of those clowns with the never ending stream of handkerchiefs coming out of their pockets. Hopefully, as the next few weeks go by, he will get stronger and be able to breastfeed for longer periods of time.
Sam's eye exam last Thursday brought great news. Actually, let me back up. The week before last, Jr. was noted to still have stage 1 in both eyes, an improvement over the previous diagnosis of stage 1 in both eyes and a tiny bit of stage 2 in his left eye. His last exam showed he's no longer even considered stage 1. Whatever damage he had is reversing itself. At this point his eyes are looking great! He'll still need to have weekly checks since this could change at any time, but so awesome to take a step in the right direction!
Okay, ready for some REALLY awesome news? Yes, it's even better than the Craptacular! Today, Jr. had an oxygen challenge test. His oxygen was turned down to 21%, which is regular room air. He was still getting a little flow though. He did so well, his cannula was removed. He continued to do well after another 30 minutes. For this reason, the cannula will stay off unless he backslides a bit. HUGE news!!! I was so excited, I hugged his nurse, told 5 people, then ran out into the hall and jumped in the air pumping my fist! YAY SAM!!!!!!! I am so, so proud of our boy! I'm just about to bust with happiness! As Sam nears 37 weeks, I feel like I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Now, time for some serious thank yous. Dayna and Eija, thank you for throwing such a beautiful shower to celebrate Sam. What a wonderful day! I so enjoy being in the loving fold of girls I'm proud to call friends. Dayna, thank you for welcoming us all into your home, AGAIN. Some of the most important events of my life have been celebrated in your backyard. I cherish those times and you. Also, big thanks to Dave, our wedding officiant and homey, for springing for the par-tay for the displaced husbands and children! You are too, too generous!
In addition to becoming parents, Steve and I are now god parents to a wonderful young man named Joseph. Ash, we were so floored and so honored you asked. We look forward to being a huge part of Jojo's life and hope he will always know he can count on us. We are family and we love you both so much.
This is gonna be a long one. Lots of big stuff happening and no time to write all week. You ready?? Here it goes!
Our little guy continues to delight and entertain us. We've recently referred to him as Sam, The Destroyer. This is due to his ability power poop, destroying all in his path. Last week, It was the poop heard 'round the world! The nurse pulled down Sam's diaper and ka-POW! Jet-propelled nuggets splattered the inside of his isolette. Way to go, champ! The little dude has done this a couple of times. He farts up a storm, which Steve thinks is hella amusing. Okay, it IS kinda funny :-P How could something that loud come out of such a tiny little being?? He cut one so loud yesterday, I feared people would think I did it! Somehow, I think there will be many farting contests going on in our household in the future. Aren't boys awesome?!
Close monitoring of the eyeballs continues. Sam had his 2nd eye exam last Friday. The results were "incipient stage 1 ROP, zone 2". As scary as that sounds, it's actually a pretty good report. Sam has the tiniest of beginnings of ROP at the very outer edge of zone 2. This diagram explains a bit more: http://www.tsbvi.edu/seehear/winter98/rop.htm. The eye doc said most stage 1 and stage 2s resolve on their own. Yesterday's exam shows the same with the addition of some minor stage 2, outer edge of zone 2. All in all, still a pretty good report.
Sam has been on the nasal cannula for over 2 1/2 weeks now and is doing great. He's still having his desat and brady episodes (less than before), but over all, he's on the right path. I walked in on Monday (or was it Tuesday?) to find him off the cannula breathing room air! The nurse just wanted to do a little test to see how he'd do. He proved to be a bad ass. He's back on the cannula, but hopefully in the near future, he will be able to try out room air again.
After he managed to rip out the feeding tube from his mouth AGAIN, the nurse decided to put it through his nose. He definitely seems more comfortable with this. However, it causes him to make weird sounds. He's somewhere between a snorting pig and a honking goose and it's a total hoot. He sounds like he should be in France rooting around in the forest for truffles. Might be kinda cool and profitable to teach him to do that! We love us some truffles!
Probably the most fun thing that's happened in the last week has been bath time! We've done sponge baths and full on baths. Jr. was so cute stripped down in the little basin. At first, he seemed alarmed when submerged in the water. He cried a bit then was like, "Ohhhhhhh! I remember how it feels to be in warm water! Cool!" He totally loved it. I washed his hair and got all the little crevices. Crevices are good. Means he's gaining weight and getting those little baby rolls. Speaking of weight, our little chubbster is 4lbs 14oz as of this morning. I remember being so excited when he busted 3 lbs, then 4. Now, 5 is just around the corner!
Little dude's star continues to rise. We were asked to participate in yet another video. This one is an orientation video for the NICU. It will go on the hospital's website and YouTube channel. I will definitely post that when it comes out.
Last week, Sam started a little recreational breast feeding. It's exactly how it sounds. He was just messin' around on there. While I held him, the lactation consultant squeezed a few drops into his mouth (Yes, someone else was operating my boob). He smacked his lips and decided it was pretty tasty, so we put him on the boob. Amazingly, he started to get the hang of it all. He doesn't quite have the suck/swallow/breathe thing down, so he does what he needs to, which is suck for a bit, pause to swallow and catch his breath, recover and start again. Pretty good for a newbie to the booby. He's doing even better this week. The lactation consulted called him very motivated. LOL! At times, I'll think he's done, so I start to move the boob out of his mouth and he attacks me like the honey badger attacks a snake (learn about the honey badger here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg ) . He's almost in a panic, like he fears it'll be his last boob (early development of a feeling I'm sure most males have). So, he gets back on and goes to town. You should see him kill a pacifier. This kid is going to be a breastfeeding expert in no time.
The biggest news by far this week is Sam's graduation to the step down nursery! It's called the IICN or intermediate intensive care nursery. They don't deal with CPAPS and ventilators down there. I was excited, but scared as the nurses prepared for Sam's departure from the NICU. They got his isolette hooked up to portable monitors and an oxygen tank, loaded up his chart and other pertinent records and we were off. There was something in seeing his isolette rolled out of the NICU. I felt proud and happy to be taking such a step forward with him. I was also nervous to leave the the familiar confines of the NICU and the wonderful nurses that literally kept him alive. They became our family and I was sad to leave them.
We made our way downstairs. When we arrived, I was kinda creeped out by the eery quiet down there. Not nearly at chaotic as the NICU. The lights were low. There weren't as many dinging machines constantly going off. I later discovered there's a different kind of noise in there. It's due to having older babies whose lungs are stronger, who let you know when they are HUNGRY, or wet, etc. One baby will start crying, then all at once, they all chime in for a huge, collective WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! Kinda like a bunch of dogs getting going when they hear a fire truck. It's pretty damn funny!
Things are definitely more laid back in the IICN. Unlike the NICU, we don't have to ask permission for alot. We can go in, take his temp, change his diaper, his clothes. We even take him out of the isolette on our own and just get our cuddle on. I'll get settled in to breast feed on my own. They like for the parents to take charge and just care for their child. We're still learning alot and it's kinda neat that we get to practice on a real baby knowing we have expert help at the ready. Hopefully, by the time we take him home, we'll have alot of stuff down and won't be quite so terrified.
Went back for the early afternoon feeding and got to help move Sam into an open air crib! PRISON BREAK!!! It's soooo cool to be able to look in on him without the thick plastic separating us. Yet another milestone reached! I also fed him by bottle for the first time. He did a great job, taking nearly half the feeding by bottle. He managed to not choke himself once! Impressive!
Lately, it's been tough coming to terms with how this all went down. I found myself looking at some pictures of Sam the first week he was with us. Seeing him so tiny and fragile literally causes me physical pain. I find myself feeling so robbed. I missed out on the whole birth experience. I wasn't there for Sam. It should've been the most amazing moment of my life, filled with joy. I remember my discharge summary noted "viable male infant" delivered. Viable. Why did that send chills down my spine when I read it? How close were we to something far worse? My wise friend, Cherie, said the birth is like a wedding. Yes, it's a spectacular, wonderful event, but what really counts are the days and years to follow. Makes total sense and I know this, but I'm still having a hard time. And really, would it have been better if I'd been conscious? I was sick with fear on the way to deliver him and when they began to put me under. He would've been whisked away. I wouldn't have gotten to hold him. I probably would've been a wreck just wondering if they could save him.
Last week, I pulled into the parking lot so exhausted. I sat in my car and cried realizing I was about to walk through those hospital doors for about the 150th time since Sam's birth. I will try to focus on all of Sam's achievements. No more ventilator. No CPAP. No isolette. No brain bleeds. No NEC. He smiles now. It melts my heart. He makes me laugh. Sometimes, I want to hold him so tightly, I fear popping his little head right off. He's gaining weight right on target. He poops like a champ. He's my boy and he's going to be fine. We are going to have a wonderful life together.
A special thanks to my sweet Alice, who walked this path before me. You've been my touchstone and sounding board through all this. Even though being there for me may cause you to re-live your tough times with your little boy, you have never wavered in your support. I love you so much.
Tammara, your pulled pork rocked! I had to skip the cole slaw. Jr. already has enough gas to heat a small village :-P
And to my Brunch Bunch, thank you so so much for the lovely baby shower last week. I so enjoyed celebrating Sam with you. Michele, you and your stellar organizational skills are much appreciated!
We're in the home stretch now. 9 weeks down. Hopefully only 4-6 more until our baby love is home with us.
Yes, it's true. Our little man came crashing into the world 8 weeks ago. He started at 1lb 13 oz and is now 4lb 3oz! Here he is today with one of his primary nurses, Brigid. A dose of cuteness for the day :)
Feels like a looong time since I last posted. It's been another crazy week. One where I felt like time was always getting away from me. Well, this always happens. This past week was just particularly bad.
Sam has had ups and downs in the last 9 days, but is still doing great. The sprinting experiment failed. He did really well for a while, but his little lungs just pooped out. He was placed back on CPAP solely to give him time to recover. The doc decided to try again yesterday, 3 hours on, 3 off. He's doing much better this time and his time on the cannula has been upped to 6 hours. Way to go, Sammy!
I pointed out a little baby to Steve the other night. She was 2lbs 11oz at birth. I can't believe Sam weighed almost a pound less than her when he was born!!! Still blows my mind. Especially since our little dude just busted FOUR POUNDS!!! Yes, indeedy! Our boy is growing like a weed!
Little man had his first eye exam on Friday. This was mainly to check for any unusual growth of the vessels, which can cause retinal detachment. Did I tell you this already? Forgive me if I'm repeating myself. Anyhoo, the eyes all of a sudden scream, "Oh crap! I'm suppose to be seeing now! I gotta make these blood vessels grow!" The vessels can grow too quickly and thickly and pull on the retina. Bam. Blindness. The doctors are hyper vigilant about this and will check his eyes every week. If the unusual growth occurs, a tiny laser will be used to cauterize the vessels to halt growth. This may cost Sam a tiny bit of peripheral vision. Friday's check showed nothing unusual at this point. Yay! We'll see how he does next week.
Sam's eye's have been puffy for a while and some redness appeared. A culture was done, which came back positive for MRSA, a type of staph infection that's resistant to many antibiotics. The contamination level is rated 1-4. Sam's was a 1. Half the population has MRSA growing on them, so not all that unusual, but like any infection, can be bad for those with compromised immune systems. They aren't even sure if it's a true positive because the bacteria itself could've come from Sam's face, not his eye. Or it could be someone or something that touched him. Our concern was the infection traveling to other parts of his tiny body. All his bloodwork was unremarkable and showed absolutely no signs of infection or inflammation, so it's definitely localized to the eye. He's getting antibiotic eye drops in both eyes and a special ointment in one eye. His eyes looked so much better today. Perfectly normal, which you can see in the above pics. 2 infectious disease docs came by today and said he looked fantastic and they saw no need for additional work ups. Despite there being no cause for alarm, hospital policy dictates Sam be placed in isolation and will most likely remain there for 7-10 days. We are required to wear gowns and gloves when we visit. Unfortunately, we will have to cancel all visitors for the time being. We actually like that he's in solitary. It's less noisy and less risk of germy germs from other people coming in! And really, he's a famous baby. He should get a private room, right? :)
Speaking of being famous, Sam may have to get an agent any day now. He and I were recruited to be in a hospital training video about the importance of skin-to-skin contact aka kangaroo care. Now, every nurse in the NICU is going to see our little peanut!
Is it Father's Day or Fathers Day?
In some ways, I've really been looking forward to this day. In some ways not. I've purposely tried not to think about my Dad too much since Jr. was born. Too much highly emotional stuff to handle all at once. Then a couple of weeks ago, the Grandma of Sam's girlfriend across the way asked if she could say a prayer for Sam. Of course, we said yes. She joined us at his bedside and started a long prayer. When she got to the part about angels watching over him, I had a vision of my Dad standing over Jr.'s isolette. It wasn't one of those times where I felt him, like he was in the room and I could touch him. It was more like I was at a distance observing and saw him there. He was leaning over the bed as though he just wanted to make sure our little guy was okay. He was wearing his grey Addidas sweatpants with the black stripes down the side, his slippers and a white v-neck t-shirt like the ones he used to wear under his work shirts or at home when lounging. I wasn't afraid or alarmed. I felt comforted that he came to me in such a gentle way.
Afterwards, on the way to my car, something intoxicatingly fragrant hit my nose. I looked around and saw large beds of jasmine blooming. I wondered how I never smelled it before. It didn't all just bloom overnight. Then I recalled how much my Dad loved jasmine. He grew it at our house in San Jose when we were young, but could never get it to grow in Daly City. I had told Steve when we had the space, I wanted to plant some in my Dad's honor. It was kinda like my Dad shook me and reminded me not to let life's little pleasures and blessings pass me by while we are in the midst of all this madness. Now, instead of trying not to think of him, lest my head explode, I inhale the scent of the jasmine deeply every time I enter and exit the hospital, think of my Pop and smile. Every single day.
Sam got his Daddy a few things for Father's Day! I swear, that boy is so resourceful! He got a little "I <3 Daddy" onesie, some gummy bacon and a hard back cover of Go the F*ck to Sleep! Score! After our morning visit with the boy, we walked across the street for brunch at California Cafe. We sat outside, enjoyed a good meal and observed the families there. There was a little boy who was so proud to be shoving a straw up his nose. I completely cracked up and thought how we would be saying, "Hey! Cut that out!", to Sam before we know it as he tries the same tricks. I can't wait until Sam is big and strong enough to be a complete knucklehead who publicly embarrasses us!
Watching Steve become more a father each day has been one of the greatest joys of my life. My heart swelled when he said to his son, "Because of you, I get to be a Daddy." Crap. Here come the tears again.
I have got to give a shout out to all the peeps that have kept us fed as of late! Debbie, Kevin, Christina, The Yummys & Michael, you guys rock! Renee, a special thanks to you for your visit and all those you've recruited to pray for us. Dan, Wandah and Debbie thanks for coming by as well. Sam is happy to know he is so adored by so many wonderful people. Shauna, a HUGE thanks to you for getting our registry together. I was feeling completely overwhelmed. The thought of handling that on my own literally made me burst into tears. Tracy, thanks for the assist!
A special birthday wish to an angel named Ashlee. We love you, girl! Can't wait to see you next month! And Happy Birthday to Jo Jo! Tell him Martz #12 is doing great!
To all my loved ones out there missing your Dads today, my heart is with each and every one of you.
The little dude continues to improve this week after such a scare. His bloodwork is no longer showing signs of infection and he just seems more like himself. Yesterday's tummy x-ray wasn't completely normal, but definitely better than when this all began.
I arrived in the NICU yesterday morning to find Sam on a nasal cannula! What a wonderful surprise! I was so happy and so proud, I just burst into tears. I love being able to see his face. And he's no longer sporting the do rag that helps keep the CPAP on. I felt his soft hair under my chin while we cuddled. Divine.
He's getting breast milk again in small quantities. We think the combination of this and the nasal cannula was alot of change for him to handle all at once. He had some episodes of desaturation and bradycardia (he hasn't had a brady in quite a while), so they are sprinting him, meaning 4 hours on the cannula, 4 on CPAP until he's ready to ditch the CPAP for good.
Samuel is 3lb 8 1/2 oz!! I'm giving him that half ounce. He worked hard for it. He definitely looks like a little baby now and I don't quite feel like I'm going to break him when I hold him now.
Since the boy is rebounding, he's begun receiving members of his fan club once again. He was very happy to meet Auntie Lamya :)
I had my 6 week check with my OB today. She was on maternity leave when everything hit the fan. She has been with us through all the trials and tribulations of getting pregnant. She would've been back in time to deliver Sam. It was very good to see her. However, when I was called in to the weigh station, I just lost it. I was thinking I should be on that scale giddy to see how huge I'm getting. Instead, I was sad to not be pregnant, not protecting Sam from all his struggles. I also checked out the wall of pics of the docs with their patient's newborns. Sam should be up there with Dr. Shin. Sad again. Doc said some things that made me feel a little better, that I did not fail my son. She pointed out all the things I did do right that gave him the grit to get this far and do so well. HOTY has been wonderful, trying to reassure me of this as well. Thanks, honey. I love you :)
In an effort to feel a little better about myself, I've decided to do things like comb my hair and buy clothes that fit. I need to wear button down shirts to facilitate the skin-to-skin cuddling, but my knockers are busting out of most of my button downs. Dayna took me for a pedicure yesterday. My last one was the week before Sam was born, so, 7 weeks ago. I'm sure you can imagine how wrecked my toes looked. The polish had grown out so far, I had a weird, purple french manicure. Not being so haggard helps my disposition somewhat.
I will also get back to nesting, ensuring things are ready to go around here when our little guy comes home. And, hey, maybe I'll actually finish our registry. Man. So much stuff has fallen by the wayside. Sam's improvements and the sunny weather have me feeling hopeful today. Hope that feeling lasts.
Apparently, Sam likes to act a fool and have his biggest troubles on Sundays. Shortly after posting Sunday's blog entry about his great progress, I headed to the hospital and was informed he was running a fever and had a spike in his heart and respiration rates. Also, his tummy girth had increased. There was concern he may have some kind of infection. An x-ray of his abdomen was ordered. It showed some dilation of the intestines and some soft markers for a condition called necrotizing entracolitis aka NEC. It's as scary as it sounds. This is when bacteria in the intestine attacks the walls, causing perforation, which could allow all that bacteria to enter the abdominal cavity. Also, parts of the intestine can start to die and those parts must be surgically removed. It is often fatal. I was on the verge of tears most of the day pondering all this.
Bloodwork later indicated a definite infection, though they could not determine where it originated. Sam was started on wide spectrum antibiotics and a follow up xray was ordered a few hours later. That xray looked a little better in that the markers for NEC were no longer there. Our nurse practitioner was pretty certain it wasn't NEC. We breathed a sigh of relief, but knew Sam wasn't out of the woods. Something was still definitely wrong. We'd noticed the previous day he was fussier. Sunday morning, I could tell he wasn't himself. I looked into his eyes and he seemed to be telling me he wasn't feeling well. It made my heart ache. Poor little guy.
In the evening, a nice nurse discovered Sam had a motherlode of boogers (clinical name-nasal discharge!) in his tiny nose. She softened them up with saline solution and suctioned them out. Sam was momentarily pissed, but the boogerectomy had him feeling much better afterwards and his breathing showed marked improvement. We finally left after our 15 hour stint feeling a little encouraged seeing him rest comfortably
He did even better yesterday. The nurses were alerted to be on booger watch and make sure he's clear. He was on 30% oxygen in the morning. By 2 pm, the pressure on the CPAP was lowered to 5 (the lowest it can go) and he was on 24% oxygen. Pretty kick ass!
The poor little guy has had 3 IVs put in since Sunday. They don't last very long due to his veins being so delicate. Sometimes multiple attempts to get them in properly are needed. He screamed bloody murder at the first attempt on Sunday. I gave him his pacifier for the 2nd and it definitely helped. The nurse also put a few drops of a sugary solution in his mouth with the binky and he did great. Just like a kid to be so easily distracted by candy. Anyhoo, his PIC line was reinserted last night. He will get all his meds and nutrition through this line and it lasts much longer than an IV.
Little dude had his 2nd lumbar puncture since his arrival to check for meningitis. Thankfully, that was negative too.
Perhaps the antibiotics are kicking in. He just looks better. When serious infections and the like strike, respiratory function is generally diminished. The fact that he's been so stable in that regard is fabulous. During this morning's check in with the night nurse, she advised he remained on 24% oxygen overnight and did really well. He may soon graduate to a nasal cannula. Yesterday's bloodwork looked great. Signs of infection have diminished, but antibiotics will be continued.
So, another crazy few days. Now, we watch and wait.
1 3 mile ambulance ride from SFO to Mills Peninsula Hospital - $1574 1 20 mile ambulance ride from Mills Peninsula to Packard Children's Hospital - $4180 Discovering your ambulance co-pay is 50 bucks a pop - Priceless
Insurance rocks.
The past week has been full of ups and downs. More unspeakable sadness in the NICU I haven't been quite able to shake. I'm trying to focus on Sam's progress, but sometimes it's difficult when your heart is being broken into a million pieces on a regular basis, seeing what could've been. Though we know Sam is going to thrive, sometimes I can't help but think what could happen if he takes a turn for the worst. I tell myself to focus on the positive and not let the minor set backs get to me so much, but how do you do that when the stakes are so high? A tiny little life is on the line. Our son's life. Despite reveling in his achievements, I'm still fearful every second of every day.
Our little dude is growing by leaps and bounds! He is a mighty 3 lbs 5 oz today! What a little chunky monkey! I can hardly believe it. Jr. is no longer receiving IV nutrition. He's strictly on Mommy's milk that is fortified with an additive to boost the calorie count. Kinda like a milkshake! His goal was 25 ml every 3 hours by the end of this past week. He hit that mark and is now shooting for 30ml. We have every confidence he'll make it there. The attached video shows him getting a break from the CPAP Saturday morning.
Speaking of CPAP.... his settings were lowered this week, then raised, then lowered again this yesterday. So far, so good. Friday night, I noticed his eyes were getting very puffy and weepy. It appears the mask was squishing his little face, making his perfect little nose look like a pig snout (we've been assured it will return to its original form. LOL!) and irritating the tear ducts, causing his eyes to puff up. He was switched to a different CPAP that has tiny prongs that go in his nose. He was on this one previously, but it was no match for his feistiness. He knocked it about, causing irritation to his nose. We'll see how he does this time.
We're able to hold him for long periods of time (generally around 2 hours or so) twice per day. Mommy usually gets him in the morning, Daddy in the evening. After a cuddle session last week, we put him back in his bed. The nurse asked me if I wanted to give him a kiss. I don't know why it didn't occur to me before I could do this. Duh. I kissed his chubby little neck. OH. MY. GOD. So soft and warm. It was like crack. I proceeded to kiss him a billion more times. I just couldn't stop myself! I can't wait for the day where I can hold him close and kiss the heck out of him all day long.
The week brought a bevy of visitors to Sam's bedside. Auntie Ann was in town for a visit. She brought Auntie Cindy with her. We always love to see Auntie Cindy! Uncle Dave and Auntie Em came by. They brought with them a VAT of delicious meatballs. We've been eating them all week. Uncle Paul came by on Memorial Day. Between all the visitors and his media splash, I fear Sam may get a big head. What a popular boy!
A special thanks to Ryan who brought us decadent treats from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery. Ryan, we'll look forward to you teaching Jr. all about the finer things in life. Also, some wonderful person left a lovely bottle of petite sirah on our doorstep. No note or card. Thank you for the sweet nectar!
Between hospital visits on Memorial Day, Mommy and Daddy did some poolside loungin' at the Elks Lodge with Dayna, Paul, Bree and Naomi. Dayna scouted out a hidden bathroom where all the pumping fun could take place. On Thursday, I got a little comic relief with some of my favorite chicks - Dayna, Sophia, Eija and Bree. We saw the movie Bridesmaids. Freakin' HILARIOUS! Steve had sworn this off as a chick flick, but after a recommendation from another dude, I think he just may cave and see it. I would gladly see it again. Anyhoo, it was nice to just crack up for a couple of hours. Afterwards, I couldn't wait to get back to the boy.
Just checked the mail. Samuel Lamont Martz received his first piece of mail! Sam now has a Social Security card. That's pretty official!
