Monthly Archives: April 2013

Surviving the NICU

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For those who don’t know, Jen Fulwiler of ConversionDiary.Com had her baby on April 8th. He has some breathing issues (unrelated to Jen’s pulmonary emboli) and is at a different hospital with better NICU facilities. She’s out of the original hospital but Joseph’s hospital is 30 minutes away. Priest’s Wife of Fear Not Little Flock put together a post on surviving the NICU and I thought I’d share my own wisdom as the picture below represents life for us 4 years ago.

Daniel being baptized on April 10, 2009

[+] Be gentle with yourself. It’s hard having a kid in the NICU. You get to cry as much as you want. If nothing else, you’re post-partum and it’s in the job description. You also need to take care of yourself though which means that you need to make an effort to eat, sleep, and do whatever you have to do to be functional.

[+] Ask LOTS and LOTS of questions. If you have qustionas and the doctor isn’t around, write them down and ask him when he rounds. (Oh yes… find out what time rounds are and be present for them.) There are no stupid questions when it comes to your baby. Want to know why they’re giving your baby a transfusion? Want to know what your child’s blood volume is? (I’m not kidding — I did actually ask the last one.) Ask away.

[+] Be as hands-on as you can. My son Daniel had specific care times at specific intervals. Our NICU encouraged me to be as involved as possible with them so I would take his temperature, change his diaper, and do anything else they needed done. It was good for me because I got to know what his baselines were and learned how to do things like bathe him without having to take a class. It also helps you know when there is something going on that needs attention. Something I didn’t know was that blood oxygen levels for preemies should be between 85-95% — anything higher can cause blindness.

[+] Engage in as much “kangaroo care” as possible. It has been empirically proven that “kangaroo care” (skin-to-skin contact with mom or dad) is beneficial to your baby as it helps them regulate their temperature and breathing. One of the best memories I have is of Daniel falling asleep on my chest. I also had the experience of him puking on my chest and having to remove my bra because of all the puke. 🙂

[+] Get the number for the NICU so you can call if you can’t room in with your baby. We couldn’t room in with Daniel until the end so I’d call the NICU before I left for the hospital and then when I got home. (I had a 2 hour commute each way so my favorite nurse actually instructed me to call when I got home.) I even called at 3 a.m. a few times when I needed an update.

These are my thoughts 4 years later. If you have any wisdom to offer, leave it over at Fear Not Little Flock.

Five Favorites: Literary Small Towns

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Five Favorites

My brain is consumed with literary devices and plot details for a NaNo piece so you’re getting another meme. Yay!!! This one is created and hosted by the illustrious Hallie Lord of Moxie Wife. When you finish reading this, go congratulate Hallie on her new baby Charlie who was born on April 4th.

Anyway, here are five of my favorite literary small towns where I enjoy disappearing when I read.

Un

Alpine, WA. It’s a former logging town that disappeared when the mill closed in the 1920’s. Author Mary Daheim’s family lived there and one of her series of murder mysteries takes place in the town with the premise that the town would still exist today. I think the closest real place would be the town of Skykomish along US-2 going over Stevens Pass. Having lived in small towns, I can completely picture it in my mind’s eye and being a wannabe Washingtonian, it’s one of my favorite places to escape.

Deux

Partonville, IL. This is the fictitious town created by Charlene Ann Baumbich (who used to read this blog) where Dorothy Wetstra lives in the “Dearest Dorothy” books. It’s halfway between Chicago and St. Louis and other than Dorothy, the main characters are Katie Durbin, a city slicker from Chicago who moves there to find her roots, Katie’s son Josh, and a number of other townspeople. It’s another small town where I can picture the layout and I can totally see myself sitting at the counter at Harry’s Grill with Arthur Landers and acting mayor Gladys McKern.

Trois

Pickax. This is the small town setting of “The Cat Who…” mysteries by Lilian Jackson Braun. Local millionaire James “Qwill” Qwilleran solves mysteries with the help of his Siamese cats KoKo and YumYum. I can also see the offices of “The Moose County Something”, the library where Qwill’s beloved Polly Duncan works, the theater in the old Klingenschoen mansion where plays take place and the apple barn where Qwill lives during the more temperate seasons of the year.

Quatre

Colleton County, NC. This is the setting for the Margaret Maron mysteries that deal with Judge Deborah Knott. I would argue that these are some of the best murder mysteries you will ever read. She’s the youngest and only girl of 12 kids, married to a sheriff’s deputy, and step-mom to his son. I love reading about the cases brought before her and some of the places she is sent to fill in for district judges around the state. The stories about her family are awesome and I can get completely lost in one of the mysteries and picture myself there.

Cinq

Mitford, NC. I would be a bad pastor’s wife if I didn’t mention Mitford, especially as I have the Jan Karon books almost completely committed to memory and my copies are falling apart. Having been in a ministry position (well… psuedo-ministry because I’m not ordained), some of the things that Father Tim does show a lack of boundaries, codependency, and a host of other things… but it’s also its own place and you minister to the people you have in front of you. I have a mental image of Lord’s Chapel, Fernbank, the hospital, the rectory, and all the other places you encounter.

OK now… go congratulate Hallie and read the lists of some other people.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: April 8, 2013

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY April 8, 2013

Outside my window… dark. We just got back from So Cal where it rained hard this morning, blew the car around going over the passes on I-5 between LA and Bakersfield. It was windy during most of the drive home and temperate when we rolled in around 7:45 p.m.

I am thinking… about way too many things right now which is why I’m blogging to empty my brain.

I am thankful… for our house sitter who shampooed our carpet in the living room. Can we say “going above and beyond the call of duty?”

In the kitchen… food brought home from my in-laws.

I am wearing… black Arabic “We will not be silent” shirt and navy blue “Left Behind” shorts.

I am creating… nothing at the moment.

I am going… to hope my packed week stays relatively quiet.

I am wondering… what my dreams will hold tonight.

I am reading… Maphead by Ken Jennings. I also finished a bunch of Mary Daheim “Alpine” murder mysteries this weekend.

I am hoping… for interesting dreams tonight.

I am looking forward to… my massage on Friday.

Around the house… unpacking to do.

I am pondering… too many things.

A favorite quote for today… “I must say my prayers today whether I feel devout or not; but that is only as I must learn my grammar if I am ever to read the poets.” — C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… Coca Cola.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Morning Prayer/editing tomorrow, Daniel’s well-child appointment on Wednesday, WIC appointment on Thursday, eye appointment and massage on Friday, and Respite Night on Saturday night.

A peek into my day… My in-laws’ new cat Tony.

My in-laws' new cat Tony.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

What I Wore on Sunday: April 7, 2013

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What I Wore on Sunday

I’m down in southern California with my in-laws for Daniel’s FOURTH BIRTHDAY right now so my very awesome mother-in-law watched the little bear while Jon and I went to our old church down here. (Let’s just say that after last week’s behavior, my mother-in-law thought it best to let us have a Sunday off from chasing him and all.)

Me with Miss Felicity

Jon was my photographer again and he didn’t get my feet. Oh well. It was cold when we left so I have my nice warm Jameson fleece on over my shirt. Describing my outfit,. it was a green v-neck shirt, a long (ankle-length on me) denim skirt with slits in the sides, and my brown sandals that are probably… 8 years old.

Fleece: Jameson distillery in Ireland (hand-me-down from my parents).
Shirt: Foot Locker.
Long denim skirt: hand-me-down from my sister-in-law.
Sandals: Naturalizer.
Cat: Felicity, one of my in-laws’ 5 cats.

Go see some MUCH better-dressed ladies over at Fine Linen and Purple.

7 Quick Takes: Baseball, British TV Shows, and How Not To Talk To Kitties

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

North Korean propaganda. I don’t know how real this particular video is but it both amuses and scares me.

I’m guessing the footage of the United States was taken after Superstorm Nemo? In any case, I wonder if it’s too close to bedtime for another cup of snow coffee.

— 2 —

Easter. Easter was quiet for us. We had church in the morning and stayed home in the afternoon. I sort of wish that we could have gone to see family or something but after two busy weekends, Holy Week with a lot going on, and Daniel being on Spring Break, it was good to have a quiet Sunday. Jon needed the naptime as did Daniel.

— 3 —

Take me out to the ballgame. Baseball season has officially started. My Giants took the series with Jon’s Dodgers 2-1. In the last game, my boys got their first two home runs of the season. Our Panda hit a 2-run homer in the 3rd and Hunter Pence shot one off in the 6th. They open against the Cardinals in San Francisco on Friday and I’ll be gone so I’ll unfortunately miss it. The World Series ring ceremony is on the 7th and I’ll unfortunately miss that one as well.

— 4 —

The doctor is in. My mom introduced me to the British series “Doc Martin” while I was in San Jose for my anniversary a few weekends ago. It’s addictive — Jon and I watched the rest of the first season the next day. If I hadn’t had a little boy on Spring Break, I probably would have finished the series that week! He’s the British version of “House” and the recurring characters are wonderful. His receptionist is the picture of apathy and the people in Port Wenn (his small town) are lovely. It kind of makes me want to catch up on “Hart of Dixie”.

— 5 —

Talking to kitties. Catfoodbreath, one of my favorite Twitter kitties, has a useful blog post on how not to talk to a kitty. I’m not guilty of #1 on that list… per se. When I talk to my demon spawn cat Freya, I have a tendency to say things like “CAT! CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT!” (She was fostered with Rottweilers so I sometimes have to remind her that she is a cat.)

— 6 —

Forty to Forever. Forty Days to Forever is done and we raised $10,000! Woohooooo!!!! Brett had a little over $100 added to his adoption grant so that’s some success there. He still needs a mama so go click on his picture to find out more about him.

Brett

— 7 —

Querying the Hive Mind. My church is doing a craft fair after Thanksgiving. Could you go to my Pinterest page for crocheted stuff and tell me what you think I should make? Please and thank you!

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.