A New Week - New Room!

The last few days have been pretty hectic around here. Sadie is doing very well - so well that she's moved out of the PICU and into the acute care pediatric wing of the hospital. We've moved into a room that has 4 walls (oooooohhhh) and a private bathroom (aaaahhhh) and a closing door. Very nice digs after being in the PICU for close to three weeks.

Sadie is officially 3 weeks old in a few hours, and is becoming a "normal" baby already! She tracks things well with her eyes, is eating pretty well and is smiling up a storm. Those smiles make my heart stop every time I see them. She's so pretty I can't stand it. She looks so different from those early days it is amazing.

The only drawback to our new room is that there is no internet access, and that I need to be there basically 24-7. They have volunteers who come in to sit with the baby so you can do things like shower or run out for some food, and nursing students who help, too (how I'm on the computer now). So, sorry to say, I probably won't be able to post the new pictures of the new, improved Sadie for a few days.

Katie had her big birthday party yesterday, and it was great! It was my first time away from Sadie for an extended period, but Kerinda (my sister) was with Sadie, so I didn't worry. Of course, they picked the time that both Jason and I were away to move Sadie to the new unit. Anyways, Katie had a blast at her party, and I think the other kids did too. It was my first time at the Richmond Children's Museum, and I was really impressed. It was fun to watch both sets of the kids grandparents playing in the "shadow room." I would highly recommend having kids parties there - they did an awesome job, and I didn't have to do a thing but sit back and enjoy. It was great to see friends and family, too - I enjoyed it as much as Katie did, I think.

Today's big news is that I gave Sadie a sponge bath on my own for the first time. I got to check her all out, which I'd never done before. She's so skinny right now that I constantly worry she's not getting enough nutrition. Most of her "stuff" is now removed - no more heart monitors, and the only things she's hooked up to now are some oxygen, a nasal-gastric tube for supplemental feedings and a probe on her foot to monitor heart rate and oxygen use. She still has the pacemaker wires sticking out of her tummy, but everything else has been sutured up. Her chest wound is healing well, but pretty gross to look at, since the glue is starting to peel. Ewww.

I can't believe that we're starting to move toward normalcy. Today Sadie has slept most the day, and not eaten much. I've been so paranoid that something is wrong that two different docs have had to come and reassure me it's ok. I just don't know what to do with a happy, sleeping baby. It's wierd after all we've been through.