Babies = Time Warp

                                             

                              

 

Who knew babies created an alternate sense of time reality? I originally attributed the inability keep accurate time when Nugget arrived to her being in the NICU. She has been home for three weeks and I am not sure where those weeks went. We have had STO's parents helping for a week or so since she has been home. My mother and brother have been here for a few weekends, and my friend since college came to meet her niece. All in three weeks. It feels like it has been three days.

 

This is a new level of exhausting. Despite all our lovely company, I am certain I am not fit for conversation - polite or otherwise. I have been accused of being compulsive or focusing too much on on one thing at a time. I may never be told that again. I can't complete a to-do list if my life depended on it. I can barely finish a conversation without wondering how it began. My friends may not be my friends much longer if I don't remember to call them back. But honestly, I remember to call at 2 am. I am positive none of them are in a chatty mood at that time, unless they have had a few adult beverages in which case I am positive they would not want to talk to me.

 

I have heard stories of mothers who become human again, and get more than 2 hours of sleep in a row. That is not me, that doesn't even look like a possibility to my sleep deprived brain. The good news is Nugget is doing great. Gaining weight like a champ, she's 6 lbs 10 oz and a little over 19 inches long. She was supposed to be born tomorrow, so she is "supposed" to be here now. She is 8 weeks old today and acting like a proper newborn. Keeping me up, eating all the time, acting like a pterodactyl, and making the strangest noises I have ever heard from a baby. Otherwise, she's still perfect to me.

Nugget Fan Club

FUNCLE

BNONNA

DADA 

 

                             MEMAW

 

 

These are the charter members of the Nugget Fan Club.

All equally mesmerized by her inherited awesomeness.

Most take credit for it.

 

 

 

But we know, the Nugget is just magical. 

Not Bad for a Geriatric Mom...

Although there are times I'm convinced I gave birth to a tiny Winston Churchill, most of the time I think the Nugget's pretty much perfect. She is such a content baby. She eats, sleeps, and goes to the bathroom with astonishing precision, she must have an inner alarm clock that alerts her it has been 2 hours since she has eaten. I should not be so picky, less than 2 weeks ago I was begging her to drink half of her bottle. She is staying awake and interacting like a real baby.

When I was in the hospital, one of the OB/GYN's informed me I was a geriatric mother. At 35? I turned 36 today and she wasn't supposed to be born two weeks from today. Would it have been worse if she would have been born then? What does being a geriatric mother mean? Will we have to hope there is a ramp at the playground for my walker? Will she have to get used to eating dinner at 4 pm? Kidding of course but wow, I am not sure I should have been a mother before now. Many of my friends had their children in their 20's, I would have been a neurotic mess. Much more than I am now but waiting made me feel more prepared. Luckily for me, I can benefit from their experiences in raising children. It takes a village, right?

Here We Go!!!

 

We got the call at 10 am on Monday that our girl was well enough to come home. My mom and I preceded to run around the house cleaning and get ready for the Nugget to finally see where she lives. Hilarious now that I think about it because although I am sure she is brilliant, she can't focus on things that are further than a foot away from her face. Her last hospital weigh-in was 5 lbs and 1 oz, she's almost a bruiser compared to her birth weight of 3 lbs and 2 oz. In actuality, she looks like a doll. And to quote my brother the night he met her, "she just looks so human-like."

 

Although in my vast doll playing experience, they don't grunt like pigs, squawk like birds, or make messes in their pants like the Nugget does. I'm sure there are dolls that do but they were not in my toy box. So far she doesn't seem to have many super powers other than eating, sleeping, and squawking. I'm sure this will change as she is clearly exceptional. I am basing this on her keeping her eyes open for 1.5 hours yesterday and it was the time I "thought" we were going to nap. I thought that newborns slept up to 21 hours a day? She was just defying the odds.

 

Another first, her brother and sister finally got to see her. I think it was exciting for everyone, and her brother was so excited he put on his most formal velvet and lace attire. It makes me wish I met my brother in a Gone with the Wind era dress after I saw the pictures. Think of the memories we could have had? Alas, I think the pictures show I had on red footie PJ's and proceded to tell my momma he was nice but when could he go home. Luckily they haven't asked when Nugget is going home - yet.

 

 

 

 

 



I'm a Lucky Dog!

 

 

I always remember Daddy saying "I'm a lucky dog." As a result the phrase has worked its way into my vocabulary. I say it with some regularity but I don't often give the meaning much thought. In the last month I've really thought a lot about my Daddy and the other day I remembered him saying it before dinner, driving down the road, and after big discussions. I realized it was like a prayer, a way to show gratitude in a subtle way. That was his way, he was quietly proud and showed us the way to treat every one with respect because every person has a purpose. I vividly remember my embarrassment when I was 11 and he would make conversation with cashiers at the grocery store, make waitresses laugh, and talk to strangers at gas stations. Its funny how we turn into our parents in subtle and big ways. I have been known to embarrass friends with these same actions. But as my friend Lori says, it's just who you are and I have learned to live with it.

 

The other night when we went to visit our child, we found the NICU was temporarily closed. We found out from other bewildered parents and family that it was due to a code blue from the labor and delivery floor. That information hit me like a ton of bricks. Before the nugget was born, we knew she was probably going to be healthy. She could have needed oxygen, she needed to grow because she was two months early but basically she was going to be fine. I had spent the day being frustrated that she had been in the hospital for a month and I had no better idea of when she was coming home than when we started this adventure. Reality check, more like a reality smack down. Our baby was gaining the stamina to be able to finish her bottles without having to directly deposited into her stomach. This baby was clinging to life, and she is now attached to at least four different life-saving machines and our nugget has a ng tube and an apnea monitor. Some babies have been there since October, and some only stay a few days.

 

Bottom line is I'm a lucky dog. My nugget is growing well and has almost mastered the feeding issue and we will go home when she is ready. And we're ready for her to come. Although we started at a baby item deficit, we are now in a surplus. I'm still whining about the shower but the mini-showers our families have given us have been lovely. Last weekend, my uncle, aunt, and cousins came bearing gifts. Very fancy gifts. Plus a surprise, my Daddy had built a cradle for my oldest cousin in late 1974. Until about a week ago, I had no idea it existed. The Frickman family came to a consensus and gifted it back to me and the nugget. Of all the gifts we have received, this is the most special. I never dreamed my little girl would have something created by her Grandaddy. She is blessed to be surrounded by so many family members who can't wait to hold her. Now, thanks to a generous gift, her Grandaddy can hold her too.