Weekend Updates...

Well, I published a post last night but somehow it got lost. Suffice to say that I was sounding pretty negative anyway so it's a good thing that it got lost in cyberspace. You don't need to hear me rant. After getting two new room mates in our TINY room (twin girls arrived last night, for a total of 4 babies in an 8 x 12 room), I was at the end of my rope. In our small room, there were FOUR babies in cribs/isoletes, THREE nurses, TWO sets of parents, THREE rocking chairs and a partridge in a pear tree. This hospital gig is getting the best of me. But after getting a renewed plan for Cole, my attitude is back on track.

Here's the weekend scoop. First, I will say that Cole is doing excellent and getting the hang of this feeding thing finally. We have a plan for this week and that is that he is home within the next FIVE days. That means by the end of the week, we might have both boys home finally!

They have stopped Cole's caffeine to see how he does without it. Hopefully he'll be fine and will not start having any episodes (A's & B's). He's been episode free for a couple of weeks now so we're hopeful that he will continue with that trend. Assuming that he goes 5 days without any significant "events" and he's eating 8 bottles per day, we're out of there!

JD continues to do great too at home. He loves being here at home and is eating like a champ (as evidenced by the photos below of his chipmunk cheeks). We have discovered an uncanny resemblance between JD and my baby pictures. He's definitely got lots of the Leach side in him. I still haven't stopped staring at him endlessly.

The new NICU unit at AAMC was unveiled today and it's absolutely beautiful. And it's so different from the existing NICU unit. The patients will not be moved until 11/14 which is still 9 days away so with any luck, we will NOT have a chance to reside in the new unit. But suffice to say, for any of you NICU mom's who have been at AAMC, you would be SO impressed. Words cannot even describe how awesome it is. It's huge! And it has individual rooms for each patient, complete with a sink area, flat screen tv and new kangaroo chairs. It's so welcoming and calming - and an all together different philosophy of care. It is MUCH more patient friendly and so great for privacy for the families. It's just awesome. Although I would rather have my baby Cole home any day, I am a bit sad that we may miss this new experience. The nurses are very excited and I hope that it's an easy transition for them all.

As the final discharge day nears, I have found myself feeling a bit nostalgic and sad - in a weird way. The nurses have become my extended family. And the daily hospital routine has become my life. Don't get me wrong, I welcome the change and the idea of getting our life into a routine with our new family. But I must say, it will be an adjustment. They say that anything you do for 21 days becomes a habit. Well, I would definitely call my hospital trips a "habit". I wake up knowing that I will be going there and seeing my baby. I was talking to Jack's Mom (our roomate) today and we both think it will be an odd adjustment when we don't have to go to the hospital any longer. It's amazing how that happens.

Thank you all for your continued thoughts, prayers and messages. We are getting close now and I can hardly believe it. Your support has been amazing and we certainly would not be where we are today without the love of our families and friends. We'll keep you posted as the week rolls along - I can't wait for the day when I can write and say "WE'RE HOME"!