photos, etc.

fritz is doing well – he was briefly moved out of his isolette but was put back in this morning. because he was 5 weeks early he still has a little trouble keeping himself warm. it was a bit of a setback in terms of getting him home, but we continue to be grateful that he has not had any more serious problems. seeing the other babies around him helps to put things into perspective.

we’ve gone through enough shifts here in the newborn intensive care unit to have repeated a few nurses and it is fun spending time with them and getting to know them. our first night nurse, kate, was a funny russian woman with a thick accent that liked to say things to fritz like “it’s just poop” or “you’re over-exaggerating” or “be a man”. she made us laugh so much. she is in the room next to fritz’s tonight and when we told her he got put back into his isolette she said he must think we are in hawaii. our nurse tonight was also our nurse last night and his name is paul. he is funny because he likes to be the “bad guy” in helping to rouse fritz when he’s feeling too sleepy to eat. he dangles him and pokes him in the sternum and it is really hilarious to watch the poor kid respond.

last but not least, we had the pleasure of having jordan and paul come visit little fritz a couple of days ago. paul took photos while we visited and i can’t believe how beautiful they are!

September 29, 2009. 1. 5 comments.

an afternoon in the life

(BB) we are here at the hospital, squatting as “boarders” since we were technically released yesterday. it is a work-around the social workers have devised for patients who have babies in the intensive care nursery. our days consist of visits to little fritz every 3 hours for a feeding, then sitting around the hospital room for a couple of hours waiting to go back again. christian sleeps in a chair all night while i get up every 3 hours and walk down the hall to the nursery. fritz is doing great and feeding well, but he was getting a little jaundiced so we’ve started supplementing with a little formula after each feeding and he’s now hanging out under a uv light.

while i’m holed up here during the day i send christian out on errands and one of them today was to buy an slr camera so we can capture some good photos of the little guy. we’re having fun playing with it so for your viewing pleasure here’s a quick photo diary of our last visit to fritz.

when we get to the nursery we – usually christian – change his diaper and take his temperature before taking him out of the isolette. he is naked in there so we swaddle him up to get ready to eat. then comes some quality breast-feeding time. (christian tried to take a picture of that which of course i immediately demanded be erased.)

then a good burp, whilst i admire the back of his head. something about it is just so incredibly cute.

next a good dose of formula. we were lucky this time because he was really awake and alert and looking around.

i think he looks like a baby chimp in this picture so i had to include it.

next christian takes a turn feeding him. sometimes christian will do the formula while i go back to the room to sleep.

then it’s unswaddled and back in the isolette to get ready for the uv lights.

i wanted to catch a picture of his funny legs and all his wires. he likes to pull the sensors off while he is eating and then all the alarms start going off on his monitors, it is pretty hilarious. he also has a little alarm on his ankle so no one can snatch him. also if you look closely at his right foot, his big toe is purple-ish. since he was born the top half of his big toe and the tops of the next two toes have been purple (don’t worry they’re  slowly becoming less purple). the doctors don’t know why and they’re not concerned since they can tell the blood flow is fine. i am convinced that he had them pinched between my ribs because i could feel this pain in my ribs for the last few months. i digress…

next he gets his sweet goggles so he’s all ready for the lights. we close up his bunny hutch, turn on the lights, and say goodbye until next time.

September 26, 2009. 1. 9 comments.

The Boy has come!

(CB) Our son Frederick Joseph was born at 7:30am on Tuesday, September 22nd. He is a joy to behold and has fulfilled one of our greatest hopes – that he would come into the world healthy and whole. As a new father, I feel in a visceral way my love for he and his mother gripping my heart, like there are fingers squeezing it under the skin. I truly do feel witness to a miracle.

Brooke’s painful contractions began Saturday morning and she was admitted Sunday night, after my Mom advised us go to the hospital. Hours later, we received a message from her saying she was on her way, and on Monday morning my Mom arrived from Maryland and stayed with us, in the room, through the rest of the labor.

Tuesday morning, after two nights of labor, the breaking dawn showed us an expansive view from our fifteenth floor corner room of the tops of the city buildings and the distant hills standing above a thick blanket of fog. We could not believe the labor was still going. Brooke pushed for three hours before delivering. It was an extraordinary effort after an extraordinary effort, and I was overcome with emotion at the moment he burst out.

Frederick was very purple when he was born and because he was so early, the pediatric team whisked him away immediately after I cut the thick, strong cord. I watched as they worked over him, sucking out fluid from his lungs with small tubes, prodding and gently shaking his extremities, and encouraging him with loving words to wake up; to continue his difficult efforts to cry so that he could fill his blood with oxygen. His eyes were open the entire time and he responded extremely well to the skilled work being done by the team of doctors and nurses. They brought him to Brooke so that she could hold him for a few moments before taking him away to the intensive care nursery.

He is now a day-and-a-half old. Brooke is feeding him in the nursery as I write. He only had his eyes open for the first few minutes of his short life thus far and keeps them closed except for the briefest of moments during and after feedings, when our coos spark his curiosity enough to will one of them into a little open slit, exposing a beautiful black pupil. He is feeding well and enchanting his nurses with his good looks.

The tiredness is fully saturated into my bones like the cold after a long wet winter paddle in my kayak. We have had a couple of visits from friends, many calls, and dozens of emails. I think of all the people we know who have had a positive impact on our life. I worry I won’t be able to thank them all. We are full of joy and love.

September 24, 2009. 1. 7 comments.

Chipotle Bol

This is the bol I love to get. Vegan, delicious, fresh, not too expensive, fast, done.

Chipotle is great because they care about local agriculture and bring one of the only healthy fast food options to the public. I am a huge fan.

September 2, 2009. 1. Leave a comment.