Embarrassing moments and Surgery news (or lack there of)

As a teacher, it drives me a little bit crazy when kids leave stuff behind in the classroom. A sweatshirt here, a shoe there (though I never quite understand when there's only one shoe), books, folders, etc. I must pick up at least 10-15 pencils off the floor on any given day. I feel like I'm forever holding stuff up in the air waiting for the owner to claim it. In reality, it's a bit hypocritical, as I tend to leave a trail behind me. As my wonderful husband can attest, I have a variety of things strewn about the house, often prompting a statement to the effect of, "Are we now keeping the ____________ (shoes, coffee mugs, magazines) in/on the _________________ (kitchen table, desk, etc.)?" Ok, well I don't actually leave my shoes on the kitchen table, but you get the idea. Needless to say, neither he nor I were surprised when a nurse from the antepartum unit brought over a bag of my stuff. Upon inspection, I was horrified to find a bag full of my "unmentionables" that she had packed up for me after my departure from the hospital last week. Swift move, Jeni.

When I was a kid, I always believed that there was a simple cure for all medical issues. You have a headache, take a Tylenol; a stomachache, some Pepto will cure it. As an adult, you begin to realize that there are very few cut and dry issues when dealing with a person's health and well-being. Throughout my entire pregnancy, I had to cope with the unknown factors. I had to constantly explain to people that if I could actually get to the point of being inpatient in the hospital, then I might be there for anywhere from one day to eight weeks. It never really made sense to people, I believe, and how could it really? Between one day and eight weeks? That's a pretty wide span of time. This was a huge gray area for Will and I to work with. Now that our girls are here, the gray areas don't even begin to stop. The echocardiogram from yesterday showed that Hope no longer had an open ductus, but all her symptoms are still there. Apparently the thing can open and close at will and was closed at the time of the echo. But, for now at least, she's saved from the surgery. The doctors and nurses will continue to watch and see what happens with it. Whatever the final outcome may be, I'm very pleased that my baby girl does not need the surgery at this point!

Luckily a bag of underwear was not my only gift at the hospital tonight. Hope is now also off the bili lights just like her sister. Both girls are doing well and no surgery is needed right away. The big event for today is that they began their feedings. Since they are nowhere near being ready for suckling, a tube is stuck down into their tummies and the milk gets shot in from a syringe. These feedings lasted approximately eight seconds, but Mom and Dad were there, camera and all, making a huge deal of the whole thing.

Finally, the most exciting news for the day is that we'll be able to kangaroo with the girls hopefully beginning tomorrow if they're stable. Kangarooing is basically a marathon session of holding an infant skin on skin, lasting anywhere from one to three hours. I cannot believe how excited I am to hold my baby girls again after not being able to except for a few minutes after birth. For Dad, this will be his first time.
It's such an easy thing to take for granted that after your child's birth you will be able to hold them whenever you/they want. For us, it's an incredible blessing.