The Rainbow Connection

Driving home today, I saw a full (not a double) rainbow.  What does this mean?  It's so bright, it's so vivid... All the way across the sky...* No worries, I didn't break out into tears, but I did actually have a hard time capturing it with my iPhone:

Anyway...

I ran into Dr. Breed as I was going in to NICU3.  Abby is still doing well, and her last brady episode was on Tuesday, May 8.  The rule is they won't discharge a baby until he/she goes five days without an episode ... so if nothing happens in the next two days, five days from her last episode would be Sunday, May 13 (coincidentally, Mother's Day).  He is worried about her growth, though, since it has tapered off the last few days, although she gained an ounce from yesterday (so back to 5 pounds, 1 ounce).  After the doctor left, I talked to the nurses (Jean and Tammy) about it, and they suggested I go ahead and bring the carseat in for the carseat study.  Folks, it's getting real!  They also suggested I use the optional "room in;" the night before discharge, we can stay in a room in the NICU and take care of the baby, but if something happens or we have a question, the nurses are right there around the corner.  Matt and I are definitely interested in doing THAT - we can use as much help and guidance as we can get.  :)

Hazel is still doing better, and although she still has bradys - she had one last night, and another one while I was feeding her at 5:30.  It occurs to me that I've become somewhat hardened to this NICU thing - my baby was turning blue while I was holding her and I didn't panic or really react at all.  Of course, having the nurses there probably has something to do with it.

Dr. Breed said he is tempted to take Hazel off the caffeine again, to see how she'd do.  He also noted that if she gets discharged while still on caffeine, that means she automatically gets an apnea monitor too, that would go where ever we went.  He'll be around this weekend, so we can talk again and see how she (and Abby) are doing.  

Hazel did really well with breastfeeding today at 2:30 - she went for 20 minutes and only beeped once or twice (and that was a quick heart dip, not an oxygen sat drop too - the nurse and doctor said that is something that even adults do).  Abby, on the other hand, took a bit to get on (even though she was definitely awake and hungry at the beginning), and only went for about 10 minutes.  After that, she was too sleepy to get on again.  I was hoping to BF both again at 5:30, but Jean had already made up the bottles (apparently Hazel was fussing like she was hungry), and I didn't want to waste them, so they were bottle fed at that assessment.

Still working on the nursery ... getting close!  Matt and I need to make a trip to the store (Walmart/Buy Buy Baby/Target) to get some last few things, but overall we are in decent shape (stuff-wise) to bring a baby home.  It's hard to believe that at this time next week, I'll have a newborn in the house!!!

Pics from the day:

Hazel, dreaming about life with a bow hat.

Abby, contemplating life with a bow hat.

* I'm referencing this meme: Double Rainbow Youtube Video