6:30 am alarm goes off
6:45 shower
7:00 pump
7:15 get ready to go to hospital
8:00 drive to Cox South hospital
8:30 feed Tanner (ALMOST ALWAYS GO TO THIS VISIT)
9:30 pump
11:30 feed Tanner (USUALLY)
12:30pm pump
2:30 feed Tanner (SOMETIMES)
4:00 pump
5:30 feed Tanner (USUALLY)
7:00 pump
8:30 feed Tanner (WE ALWAYS GO TO THIS VISIT)
11:00 pump
11:30 feed Tanner
12:00 go to bed
2:30am feed Tanner
3:00am pump
If you notice, there are very short time frames for sleep! Tobin is good at taking naps; I am NOT. I know I need to, but there are many things to be done: clean the attachments to the pump, eat, laundry, clean the house, organize, get things ready for next visit to the hospital....
ANYWAY....SOME OF THAT CHANGED YESTERDAY!!!!!!
Around 1pm, we got the call that Tanner was doing well enough to leave the NICU. We scrambled around and took off for the hospital. I was so excited and so nervous---all at the same time! Not scared that I couldn't take care of him, just nervous that I would miss one of his cues or not be able to read something he needed. I was still giddy with anticipation! We had paperwork to fill out and a meeting with his nurse. Then, I spoke with the neonatologist for 30 minutes over the phone about caring for Tanner while Tobin gathered all of Tanner's stuff. We got his carbed ready and him all strapped in and the nurse walked us down to the truck. Tobin had already taken a load of stuff to the truck and had it waiting in the outpatient parking area. He was all ready with the video camera (Thanks again, Kodi!) and we loaded up our son! I rode in the back and Tanner slept through his first road trip! Tobin was pretty calm, cool, and collected. He didn't fit the stereotype of the nervous father driving slowly and yelling at other crazy drivers. We filmed getting Tanner out of the truck and walking into his new home. Unfortunately, we forgot to take pictures. He went straight to his crib for a quick snooze and then it was time to eat, poop, and sleep some more!
We are getting acclimated to having him here and it is absolutely WONDERFUL! The schedule has gotten a little off track, but we are LOVING not having to drive back and forth!! The overnight shift was quite crazy and we didn't sleep more than 3 hours collectively. Tobin took the 2:30am feeding since I already had breastmilk bottles ready to go in the fridge. There were some frustrating times trying to figure out what "those sounds" meant and Tobin got a little irritated with me for turning on the flashlight to peer into the bassinet a few too many times. He sure makes a lot of racket in there! We also have a sound therapy machine (noise maker) that transitions him from the noisy NICU to our house. The batteries decided to go out on the first night home, so I had to get up and find the plug-in adaptor! Tanner definitely slept better when it was working!
Laundry is piling up like crazy and we have gone through an amazing amount of diapers for only having him home for less than 24 hours. This is the new life that we prayed for (and waited for) and we LOVE it!!!!!!!! Time for bed!
YAY! So glad he's home! I'm sure it's comforting and a little scary all at the same time. Enjoy! Life will surely pick up now!
ReplyDeleteSooooo glad he is home! And I'm glad for you that you get the whole summer with him...not just part of it. I cracked up about the flashlight. I'm sure I would do the same thing - or at least reach over and touch his stomach until I was sure all was well. Can't wait to read more about how you guys adjust to a new baby in the house! Congrats!!! :)
ReplyDeleteFlashlight...LOL. Both of our boys were noisy sleepers as newborns too, so it's normal I guess. Enjoy!!
ReplyDeleteSooo glad that you guys have him at home-all to yourselves:) He just looks like such a cutie! That is too funny about the flashlight. I kept my nephew overnight when he was about three months old, and I kept waking up and touching him to make sure he was breathing and his heart was beating. Have fun, and try to get some rest!
ReplyDeleteHOORAY!!!!! I am so glad that he is finally home!! I was a weird sleeper too, sometimes. :) Anyways I am so glad that he is eating that much too. WE have been praying for him in our youth group every sunday and wednesday, and I guess God does answer prayers. I love the pics. You guys look sooooo happy in them and I am so glad that God has blessed you with Tanner. I hope everything goes ok and you'll get more sleep, evertually. Just the first steps of being a parent. Good Luck!!!
ReplyDelete-Justina-
Hey Thats so exciting!!! I bet your so happy now! You won't have to drive to the hospital all the time, you'll be able to just go get him out of the crib!!!lol I want to come see him soooo bad!!! Good Luck
ReplyDeleteAbby~
Thanks everyone! He is doing well today and seems to sleep better in the daytime??? It is wonderful to not have to shower and get ready and race over [to the hospital] to see him at a particular time. I DO peek into his pack n play all day long, but so does Tobin.
ReplyDeleteFunny...I get more emails about my blog posts than I get comments on the blog, but everyone seems to get a kick out of the "flashlight checks!" LOL!! I had one of those round lights that you push and it comes on, but it just didn't allow me to see his face well. The mini flashlight has a blue cast and isn't that bright, but it is still powerful. Once he gets in his crib, we will use the video monitor which even shows him at night.
It's so wonderful your little guy is getting bigger and is at home. I'm so happy for you Holly!
ReplyDeleteNow the fun, really begins. ;)
Mrs. Elliot i am so happy for you and tobin. i am glad that he was finally able to come home. i hope everything works out well and that you dont run out of diapers to quickly. lol
ReplyDeleteTaylor Housley
Reality must have set in. I haven't heard hardly a peep from you since little man came home. It's 24/7, huh? I hope things are going well! Update when you can! Curious minds want to know! :)
ReplyDelete