Home visit

Elizabeth continues to do well. She is very nearly six pounds and nice and alert when awake. She fussed to be picked up often when she hears my voice in her room. She can be bought with some quiet talking and stroking and insertion of her pacifier. It’s kind of fun hearing the different things nurses call the pacifier. We are nursing at 6 am, noon, and 6 pm. We skip midnight so I can get more rest. She is improving but it’s slow. I am assured that when she gets it, it’ll be an immediate kind of thing. She took 63 ml at a session recently, impressive. No full feeds since then. Fits and starts. We must be patient, listen to her cues and work at her pace. Bob Bailey and Terry Ryan would like the lactation consultants and PT folks – they grok operant conditioning and learning theory.

EKA had a butt bath the other day. Some diaper rash and stuck on bits from the rash protocol made a bath the more prudent method to get her rear clean. Nurse W. Swaddled her upper body and placed her in a basin with warm water. I’ll post a photo. I laughed inside, it was very similar technique to the one we used to bathe cats at the vets office I worked in as a teen.

Spent a couple of hours home with Scott last night and tonight. It was nice to have dinner together and have a sense of normalcy. Scott worked on the floor in the master bedroom. Sanded the rough spots in the varnish. Cleaned up the resulting mess. Tack-clothed the floor to get the little bits. Tonight he laid down the fourth coat of varnish. Very little odor. He will get another coat down tonight once it has dried sufficiently.

Got word from Mel that Bing is doing well at her place. He initiated play with her! He rarely does that with us, the fact he did it with Mel is simply remarkable. I am so happy he is relaxing with her.

Hartley (he shovelled our roof this winter)installed duct to exhaust the bathroom fan to the outside world in the bathroom and kitchen. Bathroom previously vented to the attic space (who thouht that was a good idea?) and the kitchen didn’t vent, the microwave fan kicked the exhaust back into the kitchen. Nice. this will be a great help with moisture. I need to find out if he capped the fireplace.

The yard is nearly ready to rake. The vegetable garden plot is snow free. The chickens are digging their temporary accomodations. One was walk about last night. Not sure how she escaped. 25 chicks have been ordered and may arrive June 5. It is more birds than we want but you have to order in sets of 25 so the chicks stay warm from body heat during shipping. We’ll rehome many of them. Chanteclers and slow growing variety of Buff Cornish meat birds.

We will move our stuff into the master bedroom Saturday. Work will begin on the nursery flooring Saturday. The nursery is smaller and we hope it goes a little faster.

Wish us luck as Scott continues to race the clock against Elizabeth’s home coming.