A Steel Cage

No, Molly isn't in prison, but her new home for the time being is in a very industrious, stockade like steel crib.  She finds the accomodations quite suitable - judging by her total hours of sleeping per day that is.  Life seems rather easy for this young lass.

Her feeding tube has been out completely for the past few days.  All sources of caloric intake are "au-natural".  She gives one nipple a go for a bit - and finishes off with another via the bottle.  As picture indicates, I take the secondary feeding to top up.  My genetic disposition dictates it is impossible to take the primary feed.

So Molly has been in the section of the NICU which is closest to the exit.  There are 3 sections, labelled A, B, & C - she is in the "C" unit in a solitary room with a comfortable couch.  The one drawback is that there is a meager view out of its large picture windows.  Nevertheless it is closest to the door as indicated, and it gets a good deal of morning sunshine.

We have gotten many nice gifts and notes of congratulations lately.  I haven't opened anything that has arrived in Goderich.  Shelly however has received a few things in London.  Larry and Diane Grail sent a terrific outfit consisting of a poncho for our little chica - I will get a photo.  And we got a very creative homemade card made by Shelly's cousins Mark, Jen, & their 3 boys from Toronto.  It was very well done and I will use this idea in class around Mother's Day.  Thanks guys - level 4!

   

There is a big move coming....  My paternal senses feel it.  When?  Sooner rather then later.  All is going very well in London and it faintly seems reasonable the girls should stay much longer. 

Notice and compare Shelly's card making skills to those of her cousins who made the card shown above....  They are in Kindergarten, the first and second grades.  Shelly is a few years removed.....  Thanks anyway my sweet baby - level 1!  I love you too.

Lots To Lead With

I was in London, of course, this weekend and spent it with the two girls.  So there are lots of pictures and plenty of stories....  All is going quite well.

Santa was in the NICU for a visit with one of his trusty elves.  The only difference one would notice is that he wore white surgical/disposable gloves rather then white cotton ones.  Other then that all appeared normal; lots of Ho Ho Ho'n, jolly laugh'n, gift give'n, and bell jingle'n.  He assured us Molly has been very well behaved this year and she is, infact, on the "Nice" side of his T-Chart.  That is good because Shelly and I aren't around 24/7 to monitor her conduct.

And one more which may become a tradition.  See you next year Santa, but not in the NICU!

Molly's stitches are out, but she is far from healed.  It also doesn't diminish the sensitivity around the area...  It probably hightens it.....  However she has been cleared for "pick-up" and Shelly, deservedly so, got her right into her arms as soon as possible for a bit of a squeeze.  I had a go kangaroo style....

That is the basic turn of events from this weekend - This ain't no adventure'n motorcycle'n or down hill ski'n blog lately = This is my new reality.  No information about having the girls back to Goderich - Still around the second week of December perhaps?  But nothing has been indicated.

She is still in the five pound something weight classification.  Molly has a lot of long, skinny features such as her face for sure.  Her arms and legs are also quite long and lean.  This weekend was really the first time we have got a good look at her because we can pick her up. 

Enjoy a few more photos:

A Face To The Name

Last week that really wasn't a picture of Molly - It was the cat, Mango...  I doubt I fooled too many people.  But Molly did strike a pose this weekend.  She has many, many less tubes and hoses in and out of this and that on her body; thus making her a bit more photogenic.  All day I said to Shelly we have got to get our picture taken, but the day just sort of escaped us.  Oh well.

Her backside is healing up quite nicely I suppose.  It is hard to describe the extent of what she has went through - the inseams of her legs and buttocks are heavily stitched.  There is a big incision across her lower back which is heavily bandaged.  All in all it isn't terrible however.  There should be no issues with muscle problems or movement of the legs and such later.  She is breathing and going to the washroom like a champ.  She is still fed through a tube, but I bet sometime this week that'll change.  She seems rather big at 5.5 lbs and probably a bit over 46 cm long...  Not too shabby for someone who had a four pound lump hacked off on November 4th and about a month premature.  Way to go Molly!

Dad couldn't be happier:

Just Another Number

There has been much made about the 7 billionth person born in the media recently; who, where, when....  There is a website that calculates this silly statistic.  Click here to get directed to it.

Accordingly it indicates I came in as number 4,078,638,466th, Shelly at 4,366,175,444th and Molly at, wait for it, 6,997,917,075th.  Oh, so close to being that 7 billionth baby.  But alas....  There doesn't seem anything particularly special about any of those numbers.  Oh well.

Just stay tuned and I will be sure to get some photos....

Things are going pretty good in London with the three of us.  Shelly and Molly will be here for a bit yet (a month?  5 weeks?  6 max???)  I (un)fortunately am hitting the road tonight and getting back to the swing of things.  Again, I will get some pictures posted.

It's A Girl!

Molly Macaulay - born on Thursday November 3. 

Though it may not look like it, all is going pretty well with Molly.  Her first 48 hours or so has been a bit rough (as picture indicates...), but soon enough she'll be on the go......  Dad, well, that is another story:

Mom hasn't yet struck a pose for the camera and I can scarcely blame her...  She looks and feels more tired than Molly and me combined - And those are pictures of two very tired people!

In anticipation and maybe boredom, Shelly started to dabble in crochetting and she really wanted me to post a picture of her first creation.  She thought it would make a good saddle blanket for Mango, the cat, who you shouldn't confuse with Molly despite the similar likenesses....

At any rate, times are changing around here and the two of us couldn't be happier.  Molly arrived about a month early - maybe only 3 weeks....  She is in a neonatal intensive care unit where she has some recovery to go through and get a bit stronger.  And for the staticians, she is currently about 5lbs in weight, 46cm long, and her head is 33cm in circumference....  I think anyway.  I took a quick glance at the charts and if my memory serves me correctly those are the digits we are working with.  So a pretty good start if I may say so myself.

Way to go Shelly!  I love both you and Molly so much....