Grandparents Weekend

Grandpa Kevin and Grandma Deb were kind enough to return our pooch this weekend, and they earned the right to hang out with Lexi for a few days in the process. They had visited Lexi multiple times in the NICU, but they really were looking forward to the opportunity to interact with her outside of the hospital environment for the first time. All indications were that they enjoyed their time with her, as they battled for holding time and kept commenting on how much stronger the bonding experiences were now that she is healthy and in the comfort of our home. As for Lexi, she seemed to enjoy these experiences as well. Not only did she get constant attention and 24/7 cuddling time, but she seemed to never stop smiling as well.

Puppy Love

We had a long-awaited reunion today. When we determined that Lexi's stay in the hospital was going to be long term, we decided to send one member of our family off to the grandparents for awhile. Although we didn't want to part with our golden retriever Wrigley, we knew we couldn't give her the attention she needed with consistent walks, bathroom breaks, etc, while we essentially were living at the hospital. We were glad with our decision in the long run, and we think so was Wrigley, as Kevin and Deb took excellent care of her and love to have her around at their house and cabin in Iowa every chance they get.

Now that Lexi is back home, though, we promptly invited Wrigley to come back and live with us. So, Brian's parents brought her down to bring our entire family together for the first time. Things have been good so far, as the two have pretty much ignored each other besides the forced meetings where we have tried to introduce them. However, they both have been trying to compete for people's attention, so I guess that's their primary form of interaction at the moment. Lexi has won that battle so far, and we figure Wrigley better find her place in the new hierarchy sooner rather than later anyway. We hope Wrigley is happy just to be back home, as we were concerned at one point that Lexi's condition would prohibit it. Fortunately, the docs say that although children are off limits, pets are fair game, so we don't have to worry about that. It's definitely great to have our two girls under one roof now!

Newly Revised: How to Change a Diaper

A couple months ago, I did my best to prepare prospective dads for fatherhood by offering some simple steps for how to change a diaper. I felt woefully unprepared for these duties after Lexi was born, as nobody had told me how to maneuver Pavlik harnesses, change out ostomy bags, and do these sorts of things.

However, I must confess that since that time, I have discovered many of these things were only temporary and were unique to our child, so you probably don't have to worry about much of that information. That said, I don't want to leave Dads hanging, so I thought I would at least update my advice. Granted she has horrendous diaper rash, and a few other medical issues still persist, but Lexi is home now, so the way we are changing her diaper now must be normal, right?

1. You first need to talk to your child about what is about to unfold, as seen in these pictures; Gimmicks like binkies and stuffed animals no longer serve as effective distractions, so open and honest communication is now your best option for avoiding tempter tantrums during diaper changes.

2. Lay your child in the tray attached to the top of her pack'n'play; Hope and wish the thing is already put together, as stories of Dads unsuccessfully trying to assemble this contraption are legendary.

3. Do not walk away from the pack'n'play under any circumstances when following these steps; In your estimation, it might take an Olympic gymnast to springboard out of the tray, but some individuals in the household feel the child in front of you is capable of doing just that.

4. Undress your child; Survey the scene for snaps, buttons, and zippers, as all are in play and capable of stopping you; You will soon subscribe to my conspiracy theory that children's clothing manufacturers mandate no two outfits on the market use the same fastening tools in the same locations.

5. Open and inspect your child's dirty diaper; Formal documentation of its contents no longer is required, but mental notes still are, as doctors will ask you to recall the contents vividly and report the number of wet diapers per day.

6. Clean the area by squirting water and allowing it to run down front to back; Buy a cheap water bottle for this instead of sporting one from your college athletic days, as the latter will only offer constant reminders of just how drastically your life has changed.

7. Allow the area some time to air dry; Hope your child doesn't go again in the mean time, thus requiring the process to start all over again; Learn the painful lesson time and again that cold air on the skin is your arch nemesis in this situation.

8. Blot the skin with Mylanta, operating under the assumption it can combat harmful acids on the way out as well as in the stomach; Try not to get hung up on the fact that your child might be the only creature on the planet using Mylanta both inside and outside of her body.

9. Put on rubber gloves and apply Triple Paste to the skin and in the crack; When Desitin and normal pastes fail to provide a good enough barrier, up the ante and use a paste so thick that industrial drilling equipment probably couldn't even penetrate it.

10. Top off the Mylanta and Triple Paste masterpiece with baby powder; Wait for your pediatrician to suggest using baby powder, as inquiring yourself in the hospital will make you feel like a bad parent when you're told powders can cause irreparable damage to babies' lungs.

11. Put on a new diaper; Consider yourself blessed that the fine folks at P&G opted for velcro on their Pampers instead of snaps, buttons, or zippers; Seriously, these people should talk to the aforementioned clothing manufacturers (see conspiracy theory).

12. Dress your child in a clean outfit; Take caution in assuming the outfit that went on a few hours ago is still clean; The member of your household representing quality control will bust you every single time you make that assumption inappropriately.

13. In the likely event an outfit change is needed, be sure to choose an appropriate outfit given the time of year and time of day; You subject yourself to public ridicule if you choose an inappropriate outfit for the season, or if you fail to select jammies and a sleep sack at night.

14. Never complement shoes or accessories during this process; Hypothetically speaking, if you were to note how amazing it is your child's shoes actually stay on her feet, you risk being told they are expensive Robeez, and your previous comment haunts you by forfeiting your right to complain about the price.

15. Repeat these steps every three hours; The ignorant around you will tell you a 3 or 4 month old child can go twice that long at night, but the medical community will tell you that your child will waste away to nothing if you try to pull that stunt.

Road Trippin' to the Pediatrician

This past weekend we loaded Lexi into her car seat and took her to the pediatrician's office for the first time. On one hand, this seemed like a big first time event. When the receptionist asked us if we had come for a newborn first time check-up, we answered 'no' since our child is 3 1/2 months old, but we were later informed this was indeed a newborn first time check-up.

On the other hand, this seemed like a routine visit to someone with whom we were very familiar, not just because of how accustomed we have become to doctors, but because of how frequently we have interacted with this particular doctor in the past. The pediatrician we selected based on a simple neighborhood recommendation probably has seen more of Lexi to date than anyone besides the two of us. She visited Lexi in then NICU every single morning since the day she was born, virtually without exception and despite the fact she works in a completely different hospital. This would be great under any circumstances, but it became especially important in Lexi's case as her NICU stay became longer and longer. Not only did Lexi have yet another advocate checking in on her, ordering tests, and brainstorming possible treatments, but it also meant that she probably knew more about Lexi before her first 'newborn check-in' than some doctors would know about patients on the books for several years.

As for the visit itself, it went very well. We are accustomed to weighing Alexis completely naked, but the weigh-in with her diaper on came in at 11 pounds, 1 ounce. Given she left the hospital at around 10 pounds, 8 ounces, she appears to be right on track for the 5-7 ounces per week that they would like to see her gain. Aside from her weight and 22" length, everything else looked pretty good as well. Yes, she still has too much fluid in her ears from the ear infection she developed by being on the ventilator for so long. And yes, she still has the world's worst case of diaper rash. However, those issues certainly are minor by comparison, and they are a far cry from what was on our mind even just a week or two ago.

First Play Date

Lexi had her first play date last night. Well, really it was a much needed play date for Mom and Dad, but she did have her best friend NJ come over to the house. Yesterday, we asked our Pediatrician about the restrictions on kids, hoping she would say limited contact was okay. Instead, she informed us that absolutely no kids should be around Lexi until March or April, noting that Lexi should pretty much 'live in a bubble' until that time. We clarified if that meant nobody could visit the house, or if a baby Lexi's age could come over but stay on the other half the room. Our pediatrician said that probably the latter scenario would be okay if a baby of the same age got nowhere near Lexi, the baby had not been sick, and the baby did not play with any of Lexi's toys.

So, we promptly took that opportunity to invite our friends Tim and Heather, and their daughter NJ, who is one month older than Lexi, over for dinner and a little St Louis - Chicago hockey action. NJ and Lexi played together across the room by crying and trying to battle for people's attention. NJ didn't get near any of Lexi's stuff, and Tim and Heather were great about making certain she kept her distance. We're hoping that the only thing Lexi picked up from NJ last night was her hairstyle, as look at all those locks! It was a successful first play date, and one we hope we can repeat soon, even if it is at the distance required now.