Amateur Hour

≡ Category: Bonklets, Semi-daily thoughts | ≅ 8 Comments

Apple was discharged from the NICU a week ago last Monday and promptly made her first cross-town trek to be with Mommy. Bob remains in disbelief that the City of New York did not re-pave the roads and provide a police escort. However, we did have a pediatrician (Bob’s dad) and a surgeon (Steven, Joannie’s older brother) on hand. It is times like this that I am reminded of the utter uselessness of mylaw degree.

Upon arrival, Joannie fed Apple and that mini-baby sucked down a whole 50cc/2oz bottle. That may seem tiny to you, but if you consider she weighed 4lbs 5oz that day…my brain is too addled to provide a proportion, but you get the point.

Steven is both a surgeon and father to four unbelievably cute kids. So not only did he help translate hospitalese, he showed us how swaddle, build crib boundaries, and apply diaper rash cream. He also demonstrated the ultimate parenting move–The Crotch Sniff. Hmm, I suppose this is one way to check for a dirty diaper…

Sadly and most unfortunate for Apple, Joannie had to remain in the hospital while the rest of us made our way back to Brooklyn. Elaine, Bob and I (yes, it required three full-grown adults) fed, changed and swaddled Apple. We got an A+ for effort, but compared to the NICU nurses, we were the 3 Stooges those first nights. Apple lay in her crib and shot us a look that could only mean, “what happened to the expert care I was receiving?”

Elaine inspected our swaddling technique and announced, “I bet she’s going to bust out of that thing in a minute.” Next thing you know Apple has her hands in the air and heeeeey, hoooo!!!

Apple is eager for Mommy and Bacon to get home, but she was the patient star of Amateur Hour that first night. She’s been easing her parents and family into preemie rhythms and after multiple viewings of the How to Care for Your Newborn DVD and more time in the NICU with Yuuki, we are confident we will Not Break the Baby. Aside from distressing Bob with a barrage of poo and pee her second day home, she’s been a mellow baby/alarm clock sleeping and eating every 3 hours. She also did us a favor and gained 7 oz in 4 days–as of last Thursday, she weighted 4 lbs 12 oz. I think we may have earned Gold Stars.

Yuuki is now eating from a bottle. She is 4 lbs 5 oz and passed her hearing and eye exams. She moved into an open air crib and will come home Friday–Bonklet party, bring it!

Apple has made a couple of visits to the hospital, but it’s definitely not the same as having Joannie home. Joannie’s been sleeping with a swaddle and some onesies so Apple can smell her Mommy. Ideas for how we can ease the separation are most welcome!

*Amazing how one week can bring so many changes. Will really, really post more from iphone this week. Promise. And Team Chang-Yasui of the Bay Area has generously provided the means for…video updates. Oh beware of Bonklet overdose…

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First Pictures

≡ Category: Bonklets | ≅ 18 Comments


Click above for a photolog of the first 3 weeks in Bonklet world.

Anticipating twins, I knew there would be a good chance they would spend some time in a neonatal intensive care unit. We planned accordingly and chose a hospital with a great NICU. However, I completely overlooked the Photoweenie aspects of this newborn experience. Such things like:
– snapping pictures of an intubated baby is not only no-one’s image of a happy birth announcement and feels like a privacy violation
– the flourescent lights I can work with, but NICU babies often receive light therapy for jaundice. This casts a blue hue over everything and can’t do much with that
– Apple was photo ready slightly earlier than Bacon. Somehow I felt it was important to wait until Bacon had pictures before posting to the world. Twin equity and all that.

Enough yammering, this picture is from their first road trip. Joannie was still recovering from the c-section and it was difficult for her to get down to the NICU to see the babies. So Dr.Calabrio arranged for a surprise visit! They were bundled in the same isolette incubator/hatching chamber and trundled upstairs. It was the first time anyone was able to hold Bacon. Joannie was the first to hold them together. So small, yet so feisty.

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Status check

≡ Category: Semi-daily thoughts | ≅ 21 Comments

Thanks to CC and her brother, The Monkey was admitted to Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center last Wednesday. The urgent nature of the hospitalization and ER wait were harrowing, but since then, the teams of doctors and nurses have been attentive, thorough and have assured me that this is one of the best cancer centers in the world. No one wants to be in a hospital, much less a cancer center, but the small consolation is that The Monkey started radiation treatment and ongoing treatments are planned. This includes chemotherapy, physical therapy, nutritional supplements, pain management and mental health services.

Every element of care specializes in supporting Joannie’s recovery and it does feel like there are large teams of doctors focused on her well-being. This inspires both confidence and distress. Having dozens of doctors and specialists popping in unannounced and poking, prodding and injecting can be maddening and exacerbates the loss of control over even the most basic life activities.

There are three main issues doctors are treating. First, The Monkey is experiencing spinal compression. It is minor, but spinal cord injuries are given priority treatment and she began radiation immediately. Today is day 5 of a 13 day treatment. She will be done next Wednesday. The treatments themselves are 5-10 minutes of being under a large circular x-ray machine but, the one of the side effects is exhaustion/fatigue. So it has not been an easy week. The second task at hand is to facilitate adequate nutrition. The shortage of calorie intake over the last 3 months coupled with the pregnancy and delivery, means The Monkey is drawing on her reserves to move forward. Eating and drinking have been challenging so she was fitted with a temporary nasal feeding tube today that will allow her to imbibe nutritional shakes and supplements. After radiation treatment, the doctors will surgically place a tube into her digestive tract. All of these measures do not preclude eating solid foods, but they will provide an additional means for proper nutrition on days it is difficult to eat. Finally, once The Monkey has completed radiation treatment and fully recovered from the c-section, she will begin chemotherapy to treat her stomach. (Likely the second week of August). This entails 3 week cycles of treatments. If all goes as planned, chemo will be out-patient and The Monkey will be home to change some diapers!

I know many of you have offered to visit The Monkey in the hospital, cook, read, sing, knit, send unicorns and massages. She really appreciates all of it and would like nothing more than to see friends and family, but we’re asking that you wait a bit until she has more strength and energy. Soon enough, she will be making you walk laps around the floor with her as part of her physical therapy. If you’d like to give a shout, a postcard, a picture of yourself or note in the mail would be great. We have a wall of cards and pictures that is a source of strength and a reminder of how many people are pulling for her. Just send me an email if you don’t have our address.

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