Life as a NICU Milk Cow & Other Happenings

Just wanted to post this part for memories... During Callan's stay in the NICU I pumped approximately 800 ounces of milk. Thank heavens (and Steve & Arlene) for our deep freeze.

In a perfect world it would be organized by date, volume, and shade of yellow but who has the time?

Anyway... I'll have more of my NICU thoughts later. In case you haven't heard, we got Callan home on Saturday morning. Easton couldn't have been more proud of his baby brother and really really loves him. It took us about 24 hours to really convince ourselves that Callan was going to survive at home. We probably didn't let 2 minutes go by without checking to see if his lips were blue - which they were a few times, but he recovers quickly and it's getting more and more rare.

On Sunday I took Easton to Sacrament. It was awesome because he slept for most of it and was an angel while he was awake. Then Tyson came home to switch me and took Easton to nursery. After church we had a visit from Arlene and Hayden. We always laugh at how our moms are so in tune with each other for things like Christmas gifts etc... That night they both brought us dinners and they both brought us fresh home-made bread.

(Don't worry moms - one is white and one is wheat and I can never get enough carbs:)

Monday morning I drove around the valley trying to get a hair appointment since I want to take family pictures ASAP with our unexpected arrival. I couldn't get in anywhere so I made an appt for the afternoon.

We took Callan to his doctor's appointment and he weighed 5lbs 6oz (in the first percentile:). He is doing great. One of the concerns I wanted to discuss with the Dr was Callan's feedings. Before I left the NICU I had to meet with a dietician and lactation consultants to get my orders on how when and what to feed this little one. They said I had to bottle feed him every other feeding so that I could fortify the milk with extra calories and the calcium and phosphorous that he would have received during the third trimester. Maybe I was just sick of being told how to take care of my baby, but it just upset me that I was going to have to do this. I did my best for 2 days and couldn't wait to discuss it with the Dr. Lets face it - PUMPING SUCKS! And that's all I'm going to say about it. Anyway the Dr. said to forget everything about the NICU and start treating this baby like a 10 pound full term baby. So I was happy and I think Callan is gaining enough weight on his own!

After my hair appt, I came home to these.

I just love flowers. And Tyson prepared a delicious pasta dinner for us.

This part was very special for Easton and Tyson. They both LOVE salami and green olives.

We were more than ready by the end of the day to get kids to bed and rest up for another day. Tyson went back to work Tuesday. At 4:30 Tyson was up getting ready, I was up feeding the baby, and Easton (who had been up coughing most of the night) woke up to join the crowd. It was kinda sad. What family wakes up at 4:30? Hoping that doesn't become a part of our routine.

Tuesday was pretty mellow. My friend Jana came to visit and while she was here I noticed Easton had tons of green goop in his eyes. After she left I ran Easton to the doctor. He has pink eye in both eyes. We got an antibiotic ointment for them and I begged for an oral antibiotic as well just to kick whatever else he might have in the butt.

(Random picture of Easton when he popped his big blue ball the other day:)

If I wasn't a germ-o-phobe before, I am now. Today has been very stressful trying to explain to Easton that he's contaminated and we'll have to take Callan back to the hospital if he touches anything. I've spent every spare second wiping down couches, crib, playpen, countertops, high chair, etc... with Clorox wipes and spraying light switches, door knobs, handles, etc... with Lysol. He's already looking a lot better. Just praying Callan doesn't get sick! I know that will be the straw that breaks the camel's back!

(I guess I'm referring to myself as a camel?)