Friday 6/8
Fifty days. It’s hard to describe the strange time warp that the NICU throws you into but if you’ve ever seen the movie Groundhog Day you probably understand what we’ve experienced. For Susan especially, each day is almost identical to the one before, drive to Boston, find a spot in the garage, say hi to the security guard, take the elevator to the NICU and then wait for Izzy to poke her head out of the Incubator so she can see her shadow and decide, reluctantly but alertly, 6 more weeks in the NICU. Those first few days feel like a lifetime ago and the thought that we are only halfway can be hard to accept.
At the same time, Isabelle’s days are completely different from the proceeding ones, marked by constant growth and change. Her body has grown 100% of it’s original size and everyday she obtains new cells, a personality and hits new developmental milestones. She is literally growing before our eyes and each day brings new hope and encouraging signs that the end of her NICU stay is near.
It is a bizarre dichotomy of timelines, a reality that probably mirrors that of parenting in general. As we plod along, tired and weary from the stress of the daily grind we also witness life’s greatest miracle at hyper-speed.
Of course Isabelle is unaware of her fathers existential crisis du jour and has been blissfully growing and sleeping. As of a few hours ago she is officially 4 pounds, and this afternoon she got to spend time in the tub. We’ve learned that Isabelle doesn’t actually like baths, she came out of the tub with hiccups (a sign of overstimulation) and spent the afternoon up and down on the oxygen saturation monitor. This is nothing to be too concerned about, but it is a reminder that she is still a small, fragile preemie who needs a bit more time to develop. If born today she would still be 7 weeks early, I think sometimes we forget that.
Enjoy the weekend and remember, never mix beer and wine, and don’t drive on the railroad tracks.
Meet Isabelle 