A Good First Week at Home

Although Alexis was unplugged from her IV's and sent packing from the hospital last weekend, she has not seen the last of doctors and nurses by any stretch of the imagination. For starters, we actually had to schedule six appointments for Lexi for the first two weeks following her hospital stay, as that was a prerequisite to our bringing her home. We also were asked to schedule in-home visits by nurses a few times each week for the next couple of months. Part of the motive for this probably is aimed at giving us confidence she is genuinely okay given what she has been through, but the main reason is to give Lexi a head-to-toe check more frequently than would be possible with periodic visits to her pediatrician or various specialists.

One of the biggest benefits of these home visits as far as we're concerned is the arrival of the infant scale along with the nurse. Weight gain is probably the most tangible sign of whether or not things are going well for her overall, so the weigh-in is a pretty big deal to us. We're pleased to report that after a break-even performance in her first weigh in, Lexi tipped the scales at 10 pounds, 14 ounces yesterday, which is a solid 3 or 4 ounces above the weight at which she left the hospital. Given there are usually a couple feedings each day where we spend upwards of an hour getting her to take it, and given there is still some uncertainty regarding how her intestines will respond over the long term, we were very encouraged by seeing her pack on a few ounces. Weight gain might not be what she wants when she hits the teen years and beyond, but chubby limbs and double chins is the game plan right now if we have anything to say about it!

Midweek Help from Grandma

When Lexi was born, Laura took the first week off to heal and spend time with her. Then, she jumped back into work in hopes she could take some time off when Lexi came home. Unfortunately, Lexi's stay in the hospital was so long that it ran into the busiest part of Laura's work. Therefore, she doesn't have the leeway to take time off and only took Monday after Lexi came home as a vacation day. Adjusting to Lexi being home, caring for her, being up at night, and working full time has been quite the challenge and adjustment. So, Grandma Phyllis came down today to help us out and ease some of this stress on Laura.

Grandma Phyllis is taking her job pretty seriously by getting in naps with Lexi. The two crashed on the couch in the first hour that Grandma was here. We realize there are never enough hours in the day for any parent, but having Grandma Phyllis here seemingly helps create a few more hours in the day and has the bonus of bonding time between Lexi and Grandma. Grandma is enjoying seeing Lexi at home, and especially seeing her without any wires attached to her. As you can see, they are both comfortable with and enjoying each other.

And please, no comments on the different outfits in one day. We're trying to keep it to one, but so far we're averaging a pathetic three.

Adjusting to Life at Home

Lexi's first 48 hours at home have gone pretty well, all things considered. She did scream for virtually the entire afternoon the first day we were home, which put a tiny and brief damper on our excitement of finally having her home. However, we reasoned that she was probably overstimulated from her new surroundings and from seeing natural light pouring in for the first time, and we promptly ruled out the fact it could have anything to do with our parenting skills. A similar episode on Sunday afternoon poked a tiny hole in our theory, but we're still banking on the fact that going from 3+ months of dark and quiet NICU living -- to living at our house -- is an adjustment that will take a little while.

As for the evenings, they have gone better than anticipated. Alexis actually appears capable of sleeping through the night if we would let her, which is a good sign for the future. However, doctors' orders have us feeding her every three hours right now, day and night, until she she shows some measurable weight gain, so a good night's sleep will not be on our agenda for quite some time (we can hear everybody saying 'welcome to parenting' in unison right now.) She's worth it, though, and with any luck she will put on a few pounds sooner rather than later so we can at least give her the opportunity to sleep for longer stretches at night. We figure with a cozy environment like the one pictured, she should have no trouble sleeping like a baby!

As a side note, and to satisfy some potential curiosity out there after our last posting, it was the hospital's choice and not ours to have Mom carted to the front door in a wheelchair on Saturday. We were told at one point that Laura would still leave the hospital in a wheelchair with Lexi in her lap, regardless of the length of Lexi's NICU stay. We thought that was a joke, but found out on Saturday that we were mistaken. Frankly that is all the insight anyone should need into the sorry state of liability concerns and medical malpractice lawsuits these days. We were very close to pulling the trigger on Brian riding out in the wheelchair, as a symbol of just how ridiculous that rule is, but decided against it for fears that would be viewed as inappropriate by those who really need their wheelchairs. So, we snapped a quick picture right outside Lexi's room in the NICU, traded places, and then headed for the exits.