A Yucky Friday

Today was a yucky day. It feels weird typing that, as I like to look for the positive in things, but when it comes to summing up today it would probably be easiest and best to just put one of those green Mr. Yuck stickers on it and call it quits.

The day started off with a yuck. Hope needed to be "bagged." For those of you unfamiliar with NICU jargon, "bagged" refers to when the nurse has to get out the oxygen bag with the squeeze ball to help give the baby extra air when their normal oxygen support system isn't doing the job. This apparatus looks like the oxygen bags that are supposed to come down from the overhead compartment in the airplane if trouble arises. This morning was the first time that Hope needed to get "bagged," and I think that alone got our cheeky friend up on the wrong side of her isolette.

After a day of desats and residuals, capped off by a 7 cc residual at 9:00 this evening, we end Friday with little Hope increased to level 6 on her CPAP (she was down to level 5 for the past two days), being held on feeds, and on extra caffeine and a diuretic to help her lungs. Hope's nurse this evening was very calm and told me not to be alarmed by this, citing that this is typical preemie behavior and something that will happen from time to time. She mentioned that the ductus might have reopened on Hope and that issues might be going on again with that. The ductus? I thought we were done with that with Hope (and Grace for that matter). Am I living a bad Star Wars parody, "The Ductus Strikes Back?"

I looked at the nurse tonight while we were visiting, and told her that I was just plain worried. She responded with, "Sure you are and you will be when Hope's 21 years old; welcome to being a parent." I feel like I have been well-inducted into the parent club of worry so far and needless to say, will continue to be for some time. The only saving grace to all of this is that, as a person who prides himself on systems thinking and problem solving, it seems like the medical team has seen this sort of thing before and has plenty of systems that can be used to help Hope overcome these hurdles.

Speaking of "saving grace," our Gracie Girl had some trouble with residuals too. Double yuck! Her feedings are being held to 10 ccs, but, considering that she has increased her amount by 10 times more than what she was eating a week ago, I feel that she is making progress. My last report on her stated that she had tolerated her feeds better than earlier in the day. Perhaps she'll come from behind like the Brewers did tonight and rally for the Piper girls.

On a side note, this evening I had the pleasure of watching the play Seussical the Musical performed by the middle school children at University School. I had quite a few of my current fifth grade students involved in the production, and also taught the vast majority of the cast in previous years. Watching the show made me think a lot about where I will be in 10 years, and, more importantly, where will Hope and Grace be? Will one or both of them want to participate in a musical and smile from ear-to-ear like my students (past and present) did tonight when they received their standing ovation? Will Hope or Grace want to run spot lights or serve as part of the stage crew? No pun intended, seeing that the play was Seussical, but "Who" knows?

One of the songs in tonight's performance featured cast members Horton, Jojo and the Cat in the Hat, among others, singing about how "a person's a person no matter now small." I guess, to wrap up today, all I can say is Amen to that.