One is better than none

Shortly after I wrote that post, my husband called me and said Meorah was coming home.  Ha.

So now I have one baby at home and the other in the NICU.  Which I suppose has its pros/cons...we are slowly entering the pool rather than diving right in.

We just finished the second night with her.  The first day went quite well, although the actual pick-up was rather drama-filled...more insurance issues regarding the girls' medicines which needed to be picked up resulting in what should have been a 5-minute-errand turning into a 60 minute saga.  But, at least Zev had fun running up and down the aisles at CVS (no sweetie, you do not need a tongue scraper...and please give me back that lip gloss).

But we got her.  I do have to say, the minivan looks much MUCH smaller with three car seats in there.  It is going to be...interesting...when all five of us have to go somewhere.  Jason also ended up going out and getting another combo booster seat for our PT Cruiser for when someone (mainly Nicole right now) goes out with Zev in that car.  Yesterday, Nicole went off with Zev and Jason and I took Meorah to her pedi appointment for the initial visit.  Nothing horribly exciting there, although they do want us to come back on Thursday to pay close attention to her weight and make sure it continues to go up.  Today we have to take her to Mass Eye and Ear for her ROP appointment.  Wed we have the visiting nurse come in to see how things are going.  Busy busy busy.

So far, she is rather easy.  She is sticking to her 3 hour NICU schedule rather well.  There are a few instances where I have woken her up (which seems so contrary: never wake a sleeping baby!!!).  But the rules are different for her, and we want the two girls to be on the same schedule when Tzelia comes home.  The first night, I woke her at 12am, but she woke herself up at 3:03 and then 6:05.  Sometimes she gets up a bit early, but she is also getting more breastfeeding in, and that will go through her much faster (and has less calories than her fortifier).  Our routine right now:  during the day I try to bf her once or twice; we were doing it once in the NICU and I hesitate to do it more right now because she is still a bit weak and it takes more out of her to do so.  Plus, she needs the calories for the fortifier.  I pump after I feed her since she isn't taking that much from me.  Either Jason or I will bottle feed the rest of the day, but during the night Jason bottle feeds while I go and pump...I make a bottle for the 12am feed, and then at 12 am pump for the 3 am feed, at 3 am pump for the 6 am feed, etc.  We did the same thing with Zev, although we will obviously have to modify once Tzelia gets home.

Tzelia is doing ok, just still rather weak.  I visited her yesterday and she took a bottle from me, but with prodding.  She only gained 6 gms over night, and they like a minimum of 15 gms.  Slow, slow, slow.  End of the week, hopefully.  Jason only gets two weeks, so I really hope she comes home soon so he'll be here with both of them.  It was really hard leaving her in the NICU yesterday.  At least with her sister there, she wasn't alone.  I'm going to go back today, probably while Jason and Meorah are at Mass Eye and Ear (the two hospitals are next to each other).  I saw M and T's first ROP exam, and have no desire to see (or hear) it again.

Zev is doing fine.  I am now acutely aware of how loud he is.  Ha.  Luckily babies at this age can sleep through anything and he isn't bothering her.  I'm not going to ask him to be too quiet:  he is a growing boy and needs to run around and be himself.  But I admit to wincing when he yells...which he does a lot when he's happy.  He's a very verbal boy and generally doesn't stop talking, even if it is just repeating whatever sentences he knows ("humidifier upstairs...go back on", "don't touch the space heater; BURN YOU", "Zevy turned lights on", "Zevy funny", "Green means GO!!!", Zevy brush the teeth").  His way of making conversation, I guess.  Funny, though.

I'm more tired than I was before.  I suppose that isn't too surprising, but I wasn't expecting it.  I had already been sleep deprived with the pumping.  Now I'm still sleep deprived but also worrying/caring for one baby.  Will probably be worse with two.  The plan is to return to work in mid-March and I just hope I get into a good enough rhythm before then.  Feel worse for Jason who has to go back after next week....