Midtown Ranch

Scott and friends (metal worker Chris, woodworker Chris, Trevor, Kevin, and the powerhouse that is Nate) moved our bedroom furniture into the (nearly) completed master bedroom yesterday! Chris and Mel did a gorgeous job on the baseboard trim, got the doors reinstalled and trimmed and even painted it all a luscious brown. It looks like grown ups live there. Scott tacked a sheet across the window for the night. We need to put the drawers back into the dressers and purchase then install closet rods, etc. It’s a beautiful room and  we love it and are grateful to all the friends who have helped.

The guys ripped out the carpeting and laid down the flooring in the nursery. Nate is an amazing worker. Basically those around him work to keep him in supplies and raw materials, getting stuff into place, then get the heck out of the way while he goes to town with the nailer. The man is seriously skilled. He was fast as heck when we reshingled the roof a couple of years ago and his skills and speed have developed hugely. We are lucky to have his help.

Today the guys are sanding the nursery floor. Based off how the master went, I expect they will get down a few layers of varnish as well.  The nursery will need the baseboard and other trim painted and installed, plus Mel and Chris are going to paint a tree in the corner. I have collected lost of hand outlines from our Providence nurses for the tree.

Scott and friends did some work on the garage, including moving the tall metal cabinet and making room to store the baby furniture previously in the Honda. The Honda got loaded with summer tires (changeover deadline is May 1st) and Joanne was going to run the car to a shop to have the tires swapped today.

Trevor gathered most of the sticks/winterfall from the front and backyard. He had a cookout on the garden plot, starting it with his nifty kit. Yard cleanup progresses.

Elizabeth and I work on breastfeeding and learning. It is going in fits and starts. She’ll have a really great session and I get all excited ‘She’s’s got it! She’s got it!’ then subsequent sessions are less productive. Today we haven’t had any success, she is too tired to even latch. Little Elizabeth was up a good portion of last night. Nurse said she finally went to sleep an hour or two before her 6 am session. She showed no signs of stirring at 6 am so rather than rob her of much needed sleep we pushed her session to 9 am. 9 am she was tired but showed signs of readiness so we gave it a shot. No go. Noon was much like 6 am and we did not try.  I am going to let her rest for the afternoon and we will try at 6 pm.

Spoke with her doctor today. She is doing fine and doc is happy with her progress. Just a waiting game for nursing.

Haven’t seen Bing or Kate for some time and miss them terribly. I wonder what they’ll make of the wood flooring. I know they’ll do fabulous with baby. Prior to farming them out we’d been working baby prep protocols with them, including scent cloths. I believe they will adjust well to Elizabeth and I know they are going to love her food dropping toddler years.

I have some photos to share but the Windows 7 machine has a driver problem which is preventing me from accessing the photos on the iPhone. The Mac is packed somewhere – it’s my primary system so I didn’t want to chance something happening to it at the hospital.  I’ll get photos posted but it’ll take more effort than usual. Soon.

And the big news? She is up to 6 lbs 3 oz!

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.

Elizabeths room has been painted green. There will be a tree in the corner. The leaves will be the handprints of friends and family. I am going to get hand tracings of her NICU nurses and paint them on the wall as leaves too. Won’t that be fun?

The maple floor was installed in the master bedroom by Scott and Nate today. It needs to be sanded (won’t take much as it is such beautifully milled flooring) and varnished. Progress!

I am quite tender from the surgeries (gallbladder came out 4/16) and very tired. Naps are critical. But I am on the mend. Each day is a bit better as long as I force myself to be gentle with myself and rest often. Visiting with sister Pauline has been a boost for my health and mental well being.

Kate and her pups are well. The pups are three weeks old Monday. We visited them at Kat’s briefly today. Kate’s barking could be heard as soon as Pauline shut off the engine. She recognized the Honda sound. I received a tail wagging enthusiastic greeting. The pups are funny and endearing and delightful to watch. Lucy’s pups are beautiful and scooting around with their little blind deaf senses. Bing has been farmed out to Mel. The chaos at home was overloading his ability to cope. He is calmer with Mel and Chris. We surely miss our good corgi dogs.

Elizabeth nursed at 9 am, noon, and 3 pm today. With the help of nurse Wendy we are getting the hang of it. It’s trickier for a preemie than a full term baby. EKA may come home as soon as the feeding tube can be dispensed with. Starting tomorrow or the next day I will be spending large stretches of time at the hospital, doing virtually nothing but napping and nursing to facilitate her nursing progress.

Elizabeth is up to 5 lbs 11 oz. Grow baby, grow!