Saturday, September 26, 2009

Baby Shower and NICU Days 15&16

NICU Day 15: Bath Time!
They screamed bloody murder. Oh how they cried. It was so heart breaking that I wanted to cry with them! We planned on taking pictures of them in their "tubbies" but just couldnt. We were just trying to comfort them during their tears. We stroked their heads and talked to them. Both looked at us with sad eyes that begged us to stop the "torture". It was heartbreaking! However, when the hair washing started, oh how they changed! They were much more calm for that.

Clean (and very unhappy!) Babies! They were both trying to roll over. He almost made it before we caught him.
Bobby

Maya

We held them afterwards and they were both just wiped out. I dont think either of them even tried to move. And when it was time to put them back to bed, they didnt even stir. They had cried themselves out.

***

NICU Day 16
By request... The babies with their snugglies...
Our sleeping Princess Maya...

Our sweet (and very awake!) Bobby

The babies were still wiped out by bath time. They apparently slept very well last night and didnt even stir during their assessments every three hours. Maya was still wiped out although she was awake for part of our morning visit. Tonight, when Peter was holding her, she had a few desats in a row, so she went back to bed early. She was sneezing and the nurse thinks she may have gotten some mucus in her airway. She suctioned her and elevated her head slightly and things went back to normal. Bobby was awake this morning after his assessment but after about 15 minutes was ready for night-nights again. When I held him tonight, he was awake for about 45 minutes. He played with my finger, sucked his thumb, watched Peter and I, and then, finally, began to doze. He was pretty much out like a light when he went back into bed.

***

Baby Shower:
O. My. Goodness. There were so many people! When we walked in, the room was almost full. It took us almost an hour to meet and greet (and we actually didnt get to chat with a lot of folks). There were family and friends who drove in from out of town. But the craziest part was that it took us over an hour to go through the gifts. People were so generous. Our kitchen is full of bags and packages. Bobby and Maya will not be cold, dirty, or unable to ride in a car anytime soon. There were also beautiful handmade blankets, bonnets, booties... You name it. Everything was just beautiful. I will be spending the next week writing thank you notes. We set up a slideshow of baby pictures which was a hit. Everyone was just so kind. It was really sweet. So many people worked to pull it together and make it a success. My MIL got a lot of help to make the day work and I know people put so much into making it special. And it was.

***

We drove to the hospital this morning, then the shower, then back to the hospital, and now, we are back home and I'm on the moo-chine. We are both just wiped out. We arent sure when we will go to Mass tomorrow, but we are planning on it. That will be nice...

My c-section. Yuck. The drainage started last night (which is apparently quasi-normal once the steristrips come off. Oh for joy. I have a pad against it. It's not a lot, but I dont want it on my panties. It's a clear-yellow, which is apparently fat! Yummy! (As Peter said, "You dont mind that fat is leaking out, right?" Actually, smartypants, I do mind that anything is leaking out of my (closed) incision. It's gross!) And, in even more gross news, my belly is so dry that it is flaking almost like a sunburn. The lotion bottle and I are now good friends. It helps with the itching too. (OMG, how it itches!!! Again, I'm told this is "great news" because it means it is healing.) I tried holding my incision pad in place with an ace bandage, which worked great, but because of the pressure, it made the area red. :( Since I'm supposed to be looking out for redness, I've decided this is a bad thing and perhaps I will just let my panties hold the pad in place (even though the ace worked soooo well...) On a positive note, the healing ridge is, well, healing. The hard-as-a-rock area is shrinking. It has left the upper part of my belly flabby (the lower part is still hard). I'm getting around better each day and find that I can walk and stand more frequently. I even did a quick grocery trip and made dinner last night. I was pretty proud of myself.

As a close, a follow-up from yesterday's post. Peter is such a sweetheart and romantic. When we initially exchanged vows, we found these beautiful rings, made out of some sort of metal (I think they were $8 a piece- we arent talking anything major here). They had infinity symbols alternating with starbursts. We wore them until our wedding 15 months later when we exchanged them for simple, gold bands. But we kept those rings and decided that one day, we'd have them recreated. Last year, for our 10th (June) anniversary, we decided to have them made. We priced them, etc, but so much was going on that we never got around to it. Well... For this 10th anniversary, Peter somehow found the time to have our local jeweler make the rings.
The picture doesnt do it justice. Suffice it to say, they are beautiful. We exchanged them last night, at our kitchen table, over a simple dinner (before leaving for "tubbie time" at the hospital). I love my husband. He is such a wonderful man.

And, on an unrelated note, I just got a text message from my dad. My brother called him. Apparently he's worried I'm going to be mad at him. His son's middle name is Nicholas... I dont know that he named him in memory of our Nicholas. But I think I will go with that and think that it is sweet. I love my little brother. I know that some people might think "of all the names in the world, why would he choose the 2 names that they chose for 2 of their sons". I'd prefer to think that our family is so close that we share the beauty of these strong names and that my son is being remembered in J's son's middle name, just as we chose to remember 2 very loved relatives- a brother and a cousin- in naming Bobby. And, speaking of my nephew, little Benjamin Nicholas is doing great. Thank you for thinking of him and keeping he and his parents in your prayers.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh dear! Not liking bathtime? I feel for you and your poor tired out babies.
Give them a kiss from their Aussie auntie.
And Michele on an unrelated note, would duoderm be good for your wound? I had it for each of mine and it really helped with the healing and reducing itching and scarring. Just a suggestion.
Hugs to you and Peter and your darlings xxxx

Sophie said...

Those pics with their snugglies are gorgeous. I like the rings too, what a beautiful idea.

Maya and Bobby will quickly get used to bathtime. They'll start relaxing and enjoying it soon I'm sure. I used to love bath time with Jordan. She particularly liked the moisturising full body massage after it and she'd be so lovely and relaxed.

Thinking of you and remembering those precious bathtime moments. Watch your back though, I always got awful cramps bending over that little tub. :)

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Wow, what a day. Hope you sleep well tonight. I love their bath photos. Sooo Cute. The baby shower sounds like it was fun.
I am so happy for you. Peter is so sweet to get the rings. What a perfect gift. They look beautiful.
Take care and God Bless.

Reba said...

sorry their baths were so rough on them! i love the pics of them with their snugglies. how sweet!! they are just gorgeous babies.

Busted Tube said...

Oh those precious little babies! I can't believe it was already time for baths! I'm glad you're healing, but the process sure doesn't sound like fun.

Michelle said...

Don't worry about the bath time scare Michele, my boy cried his lungs out too for his first bath. I think it frightens them because they've never had baths before. Since coming home from the hospital it's his favourite time of the day, each time we change him, he's all excited because his clothes come off and he mistakes it for bath time. Then gets angry that he got punked when his clothes come back on. hahahah..when actual bath time occurs, he giggles the whole time and I can't bear to take him out! My whole point is to give it some time, your babies will most probably love it. They lived in a waterbag inside you, and people do water births for that same reason. The water's supposed to calm them. So happy that you got your baby shower! In our culture we have showers after babies are born also (gives people a chance to see who they're buying presents for). Bobby and Maya look bigger and bigger every day. They're doing so well, I'm sure you're hella proud :)

Donna said...

They are so sweet curled up with their snugglies! Eventually they will grow to love bath time. But the first time getting a bath has got to be a shock!

Gad you had such a wonderful baby shower!

Terri Jones said...

Love the pics. They are so beautiful. Don't worry about bath time. WC hated it too at first. They'll get used to it, then discover how to splash the water!

A n T said...

Love the pics! Glad to hear all is going well!

Catherine W said...

Aw poor lil Bobby and Maya. Obviously not big fans of the water.

I'm so sorry to hear about your tummy, sounds very ouchy. I never even thought of the c-section still healing when I congratulated you on your driving! I hope it's getting better.

The baby shower sounds lovely and the ring is just beautiful. How romantic.

Glad to hear your nephew is doing well. xo

quadmom said...

Your rings are lovely. Congratulations on 10 years of marriage. I am glad the babies continue to grow and do better and better each day.

"Jay" said...

You have some serious stamina girl! Just reading your posts makes me tired! They babies look so healthy. I love that your husband had those rings made for you two. That is so sweet and thoughtful. I love sentimental things like that! If your incision continues to drain, let your OB know!

Michelle said...

Oh the babies are looking so GOOD!!!

sounds like the shower was nice, The ring is BEAUTIFUL!

Happy to hear that things are continuing to go well!

mrsmuelly said...

Wow, Maya and Bobby are so very beautiful. They are such strong babies!! Can't wait to keep hearing more good news :-)

Anonymous said...

The ring is beautiful. I am very impressed that he found/made the time to get them made in the middle of everything else that you have had going on.

The babies look great. I love reading about them thriving!

Leah said...

So happy to hear your shower went well. It sounds like you were "showered" with a lot of love. :-Dd

Looks like the kiddies didn't like bathtime so much, but I'm sure they felt all warm and clean afterwards. :-D

Mother Knows Best Reviews said...

The kids are just so beautiful - and I'm so glad you had a wonderful shower. Hopefully the oozing stops soon - but the ring is just beautiful!

Texicanic Mom said...

OH MY...the shock of water probably was a sensory overload for them. I learned with my first daughter to wash the head first then immerse the body...it gives them a warning sort of, of whats to come.

Im so happy they are doing well...they look beautiful. As for your incision...to ease the itching of it, when you take a shower...Im sure they told you, you blot your incision. BUT what they dont normally tell you is to further dry it with a blow dryer. On low at least a good 5" away. The heat sooths and the doc that told me to do that with my first c-section (Ive had 2 c-sections) said it promots healing as well. I dont know about the last part, but it does feel good!

WELL ENJOY YOUR BABIES!!! as soon as I get better, I will send off their gifts!

bankshot said...

it is soooo nice to see the babies are doing so very well... what a hand the Lord has had in keeping the so healthy. I am so happy for you... won't be long before you will bring them home! We have been following the whole preg. and I have been telling my husband. who asked about how you and babies were doing....
I am now 30 wk...and have gestational diabetes... but so far twins look good... and everything is "holding"
Sound slike your baby shower was amazing! you deserve the very best! Still in our thoughts and prayers... God bless you! ~Michelle ~ preggo twin ...lol

MoDLin said...

I remember bath time being absolute torture for the first month or so. Once the babies got used to it over time, it became one of their favorite things to do - splash splsh!

The pictures are adorable. I'm so glad they are doing well.