Day 3 and Starting to get the hang of things....

As the reality of our new life begins to set in a little bit, I wanted to capture some of what took place right before Patrick came into our lives.  I know that Little Tiger will share her story of the day, but I thought that I would try and capture mine before I forget, quite frankly.  Please don't feel compelled to read this, as it is more for myself than anything. 


Mom and Dad holding Patrick's hands
 
It was Wednesday morning, March 17, 2010, and I was just getting into the swing of things at work.  I was sitting down with a co-worker to start reviewing some material for an upcoming proposal due at the end of the month.  10:30AM and my beeper suddenly goes off, and I think it's Christy calling to let me know the latest status of her non-stress test she takes each day.  This particular morning we had focused on as being routine and I had actually spent a good part of the morning with her on the phone working through our baby registry.  However, this beep was a little different, I saw a '911' tagged onto the end of the number and my heart started flying.

I called her, only to talk to the nurse taking care of her, who told me to head to the hospital straight away as they didn't think they would be able to wait for me to arrive. There had been a deceleration of the baby's heart rate, and at the time they couldn't get it to come back up.

I ran off telling work where I was going, and hit the toll road going as fast as my little car could go.  I think that I would have been arrested had a cop seen me, or caught up to me.  I get to the hospital around 10:50 or so, and start running across the parking lot.  I make it to the labor and delivery floor where I am a sweaty mess trying to put the little disposal booties on my head (not on purpose) and get a gown on to head into the operating room. My mom was there to cover Christy, if I hadn't been able to get there in time.  She helps me with my gown, mask, and pushes me off to the room.


Mom and Patrick
 
It's about this time that a mountain of a man, Dr. Denny, comes out to greet me.  He is the anesthesiologist for Little Tiger and takes me, literally, by the hand and escorts me into the delivery room.  There are about five or six people around LT, and then four more around a little baby bed.  He walks me through the room and Dr. Denny sits me down beside Christy's head and places my hand in hers.  Christy looks great and before we know it, the doctor on the other side of the sheet is announcing the time of the first incision.  Christy and I continue to talk/laugh/cry and I stand up to see what's going on the other side of the sheet.  As I am standing up, Dr. Denny, announces the sighting of a little bottom.  I see Patrick arrive into the world  as a little gooey mess, and he is quickly whisked to the other side of the room.  Christy and I continue to smile and cheer each other on, and not 10 seconds or so do we hear a little squeal from across the brightly lit room.


Mr. Naked face, just for a second he wasn't too happy at the time.  This was taken 3/19 so you can see his feeding tube for the first time.  His eyes and cheeks are swollen due to some retention of water.
 
Never, ever have I been so happy to hear this little one make any kind of sound.  I am invited over to see him, and he looks great!  The doctors ask me to put my hands here and here to finish putting on the first diaper...one of many the assure me.  They bring Patrick back over to Christy so that she can see him before it's off to the NICU.  She holds his hand for a second, and they take him back to his bed to get started on his long day.

I give Christy a kiss, and escort the little man to his new digs.  The NICU at Fairfax is made up of five large rooms with Isolettes bordering a raised center desk.  It looks like there are about 20 little beds in each room with 10 practitioners and nurses in the room attending to a variety of beeping/buzzing/alarms.  There are sounds going off all of the time, and everyone seems to know exactly what is going on, and what to do. It is like some crazy orchestrated chaos which is both loud and quiet at the same time.  While there are alarms going off, all the voices are whispered and calm.  The room has a peaceful feeling to is, as everyone there is smiling.


Mom looking at Patrick
 
I am asked to sign some obligatory paper work for the little man, and pass on some well wishes before heading back upstairs to see how Christy is doing in post-op recovery.  Since being there the first time, it gets a little bit easier each time.  The room is a little bit less daunting, and the beeping becomes background until you don't even notice it.