Kim is home. Which is wonderful. We're both really excited about it, but also uber-nervous. We're both afraid that something could go wrong and she'll have to go back at just about any moment. This makes relaxation a little difficult, but hey, we're both doing the best we can.
Thanks for all the prayers and support. Please keep 'em coming. Also, pray that Kim doesn't go insane living on the couch for (hopefully) two to three months. I know I have trouble sitting still for two hours at a time. I can't fathom two months. But man, she is a trooper. A trooper with a brand new prescription medicine, so pray that she responds well to that. Also, that I'm able to get home often enough to give her whatever she needs so she doesn't have to do much. Also also, that we're able to keep hot meals on the table, especially on nights when I'm not here to microwave the Stouffer's ;-)
Really, though, for tonight, just offer up a nice big prayer of thanksgiving on our behalf. Because for right now, we are just very, very thankful.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
v2, d223: Fingers Crossed
Sorry for no update last night. We decided yesterday to send Robbie away to stay with great-grandparents and grandparents for the next 10-12 days, and it took a while for me to come to "peace" with the decision.
Don't get me wrong, it's totally the right decision. There's no way Kim will be able to settle in on bed-rest when she comes home if he's here. These next few weeks are BIG weeks for Baby Boy #2, and Kim needs to be able to rest as undisturbed as possible. Plus, it'll be far more fun for Robbie to be with folks who have the time and energy to pay attention to him more than I would with Kim here. Still. It's Christmas season. My favorite time of the year. And it's really been the first year that the boy has started to share my general hokey sense of awe at all things Christmas. And I don't get to share that with him anymore. And that seriously bums me out.
Of course, with all the goings on of the last week, I'm pretty much a wreck anyway :-)
On to the good news: Kim may be coming home Wednesday afternoon. Tonight they shut off the magnesium. They've been trying her on the new medication since either last night or this morning. If it can keep the contractions at bay, she can come home to lie on her back on our couch instead of lying on her back in a hospital bed, and she'll stay on home bed rest until the baby is born. So, we're keeping our fingers crossed (and, more importantly, our heads bowed). (Only not literally, because it would be dangerous to drive that way)
So you can bet I'll keep you updated tomorrow!
Don't get me wrong, it's totally the right decision. There's no way Kim will be able to settle in on bed-rest when she comes home if he's here. These next few weeks are BIG weeks for Baby Boy #2, and Kim needs to be able to rest as undisturbed as possible. Plus, it'll be far more fun for Robbie to be with folks who have the time and energy to pay attention to him more than I would with Kim here. Still. It's Christmas season. My favorite time of the year. And it's really been the first year that the boy has started to share my general hokey sense of awe at all things Christmas. And I don't get to share that with him anymore. And that seriously bums me out.
Of course, with all the goings on of the last week, I'm pretty much a wreck anyway :-)
On to the good news: Kim may be coming home Wednesday afternoon. Tonight they shut off the magnesium. They've been trying her on the new medication since either last night or this morning. If it can keep the contractions at bay, she can come home to lie on her back on our couch instead of lying on her back in a hospital bed, and she'll stay on home bed rest until the baby is born. So, we're keeping our fingers crossed (and, more importantly, our heads bowed). (Only not literally, because it would be dangerous to drive that way)
So you can bet I'll keep you updated tomorrow!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
v2, d222: Hospital Haiku
And now, for a bit of a change in pace:
The parking garage
Elevator makes you feel
As though you are doomed.
It's a long walk from
The parking garage to the
New entrance, homeboy.
Christmas trees are up.
Everywhere, candy canes.
No Menorahs, though.
Hand sanitizers
Ev'rywhere. Like Pokemon:
Gotta squirt 'em all!
No water fountains
In the halls. It's because you
Might get sick, homeboy.
Dry erase board says
The nurse on duty's name. Not
Last name, only first.
Big white plastic cup.
Huge bendy straw. It makes the
Water taste funny.
Is this the TV
Button? Click. Click. Whoops. It was
The "Call Nurse" button.
White bag for linens.
Red bag for all hazardous
Materials. True.
Hospital food is
Actually not that bad.
Mmm, big cheeseburger.
Waiting room has got
Free coffee for ev'ryone!
Waiting room of love...
You get a sticker
When you visit L&D.
Not at APU.
The parking garage
Elevator makes you feel
As though you are doomed.
It's a long walk from
The parking garage to the
New entrance, homeboy.
Christmas trees are up.
Everywhere, candy canes.
No Menorahs, though.
Hand sanitizers
Ev'rywhere. Like Pokemon:
Gotta squirt 'em all!
No water fountains
In the halls. It's because you
Might get sick, homeboy.
Dry erase board says
The nurse on duty's name. Not
Last name, only first.
Big white plastic cup.
Huge bendy straw. It makes the
Water taste funny.
Is this the TV
Button? Click. Click. Whoops. It was
The "Call Nurse" button.
White bag for linens.
Red bag for all hazardous
Materials. True.
Hospital food is
Actually not that bad.
Mmm, big cheeseburger.
Waiting room has got
Free coffee for ev'ryone!
Waiting room of love...
You get a sticker
When you visit L&D.
Not at APU.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
v2, d221: Kudos
No new news on the hospital front today. Show seems to be going well at work. I'm still exhausted, but I'm totally in awe of all the extra effort friends and loved ones are making to help us in this trying time. I really don't deserve you folks. And while I'd like to formally and publicly thank each of you who've stepped in to shoulder some of my load, I'm not sure if any of you will just find that embarrassing, so I'll thank each of you without getting too specific.
--Thank you for giving up your Saturday morning after an evening show to play with my son so I could get to work.
--Thank you for driving nearly an hour in just to do my dishes, freeing me up to take care of at least four other things and buying me an hour of rest at a time when rest has been utterly insufficient.
--Thank you for driving all night just to be here in time to relieve our morning babysitter while I was in performance all day.
--Thank you for giving up your Thursday night and Friday all day to take care of our son at literally a moment's notice.
--Thank you for letting me out of my Monday evening obligation at work so I can tend to my family. I know it was a pain in the rear to put the whole thing together, and I know I'm leaving you a bit in the lurch, but I hope you know how much I appreciate it.
--Thank you for stepping a few hundred miles outside of your comfort zone to cover for me at Sunday's Littlest Angel cutting booking. Your own personal, unassuming style of graciousness continues to amaze.
All of this in forty-eight hours. I truly don't deserve friends and family like all of you. We are so very blessed to know all of you who are giving your time, your resources, your notes of encouragement, and your prayers to our situation.
--Thank you for giving up your Saturday morning after an evening show to play with my son so I could get to work.
--Thank you for driving nearly an hour in just to do my dishes, freeing me up to take care of at least four other things and buying me an hour of rest at a time when rest has been utterly insufficient.
--Thank you for driving all night just to be here in time to relieve our morning babysitter while I was in performance all day.
--Thank you for giving up your Thursday night and Friday all day to take care of our son at literally a moment's notice.
--Thank you for letting me out of my Monday evening obligation at work so I can tend to my family. I know it was a pain in the rear to put the whole thing together, and I know I'm leaving you a bit in the lurch, but I hope you know how much I appreciate it.
--Thank you for stepping a few hundred miles outside of your comfort zone to cover for me at Sunday's Littlest Angel cutting booking. Your own personal, unassuming style of graciousness continues to amaze.
All of this in forty-eight hours. I truly don't deserve friends and family like all of you. We are so very blessed to know all of you who are giving your time, your resources, your notes of encouragement, and your prayers to our situation.
Friday, December 3, 2010
v2, d220: Eyes Ahead
So, two or three days no longer appears to be a possibility. However, according to what one doctor (and a specialist! A British specialist, to boot!) told Kim today, it seems "reasonable" to believe that she won't be stuck in the hospital until the baby is born. In fact, we were told that "home by Christmas" appears to be an attainable goal.
Robbie is taking this amazingly well. He seems to have accepted that Mommy staying at the hospital is the best thing for her and the baby to feel better, and so far he's been happy with having other folks watch him so Daddy can work while Mommy is in the hospital. It helps, I'm sure, that there's a large wooden floor in Mommy's current hospital room that is perfect for rolling trucks around on. Furthermore, they have two stools on wheels that he can push around a huge area. Once they move her from Labor and Delivery to the Antepartum Unit (Fun Fact: Not Anti-Partum!), her room will probably be smaller and may not have as much room to play. Plus, as the days drag on and we keep having to say goodnight to Kim at the hospital, there's a good chance the adventure of the situation will wear off and he won't cope with the situation nearly as well. For now, though, it's a blessing, and it gives us one less thing to worry about.
Speaking of which, my mother-in-law just happens to have an entire week off, and so she'll be down here soon to help us (us in this case = me) on top of the housework, keep Kim company, and stock our freezer with nutritious reheatable meals for the next few days. Several friends have already stepped up to help take care of things, cover extra shifts, make sure we have someone to take care of Robbie, etc. And etc. And etc. I'm thankful for all the prayers, support, and helping hands I've received over the last 24 hours.
As for me: I'm weary. I'm exhausted. But I'm okay. And we're going to be okay. And, God willing, we'll still have Christmas with the family at our place this year.
Robbie is taking this amazingly well. He seems to have accepted that Mommy staying at the hospital is the best thing for her and the baby to feel better, and so far he's been happy with having other folks watch him so Daddy can work while Mommy is in the hospital. It helps, I'm sure, that there's a large wooden floor in Mommy's current hospital room that is perfect for rolling trucks around on. Furthermore, they have two stools on wheels that he can push around a huge area. Once they move her from Labor and Delivery to the Antepartum Unit (Fun Fact: Not Anti-Partum!), her room will probably be smaller and may not have as much room to play. Plus, as the days drag on and we keep having to say goodnight to Kim at the hospital, there's a good chance the adventure of the situation will wear off and he won't cope with the situation nearly as well. For now, though, it's a blessing, and it gives us one less thing to worry about.
Speaking of which, my mother-in-law just happens to have an entire week off, and so she'll be down here soon to help us (us in this case = me) on top of the housework, keep Kim company, and stock our freezer with nutritious reheatable meals for the next few days. Several friends have already stepped up to help take care of things, cover extra shifts, make sure we have someone to take care of Robbie, etc. And etc. And etc. I'm thankful for all the prayers, support, and helping hands I've received over the last 24 hours.
As for me: I'm weary. I'm exhausted. But I'm okay. And we're going to be okay. And, God willing, we'll still have Christmas with the family at our place this year.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
v2, d219: ...but it is not this day...
That boring day I said I was ready for is going to have to wait, I'm afraid.
I won't go into a ton of details right now (because it's late, I'm tired, and I still have a lot to do before I get to bed) but Kim is in the hospital for "at least the next 2-3 days" after three terbutaline shots didn't curb the latest round of early contractions. Important to note: she is NOT in pre-term labor, but the contractions aren't stopping. So they've got her on a magnesium IV and are giving her some steroid shots (for the baby's lungs, just in case she does go into early labor at some point in the near future). It'll take two days of shots and another day of observation, and if all goes well she should be able to come home Monday morning.
Meanwhile, I've got two shows tomorrow and two Saturday plus a bizarre "cutting" performance on Sunday. So I'm going to take this one day at a time. I think we've got tomorrow all figured out. I'll worry about Saturday when it gets a little bit closer.
Please pray that Kim can come home on Monday.
I won't go into a ton of details right now (because it's late, I'm tired, and I still have a lot to do before I get to bed) but Kim is in the hospital for "at least the next 2-3 days" after three terbutaline shots didn't curb the latest round of early contractions. Important to note: she is NOT in pre-term labor, but the contractions aren't stopping. So they've got her on a magnesium IV and are giving her some steroid shots (for the baby's lungs, just in case she does go into early labor at some point in the near future). It'll take two days of shots and another day of observation, and if all goes well she should be able to come home Monday morning.
Meanwhile, I've got two shows tomorrow and two Saturday plus a bizarre "cutting" performance on Sunday. So I'm going to take this one day at a time. I think we've got tomorrow all figured out. I'll worry about Saturday when it gets a little bit closer.
Please pray that Kim can come home on Monday.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
v2, d218: Whew.
What a horrible day!
Opened the show today. Which was good. It went well. There was a certain someone in the audience who, unfortunately, almost always puts me on edge when they're in the audience, and I let that get to me, but otherwise it was fun. Hey look, a picture (taken by the multi-talented Sarah and property of the A. D. Players, with more pictures to be found at this link)
After the show, things got unusual.
First, I was bored. There wasn't much to do in my office today. And a group of folks got to dress up in old timey Christmas caroler clothes and go shoot some promotional stuff for a church (which looked fun). When they all left, I was the only person left in the entire upper floor of our building. Lame. I kinda wished I'd been scheduled to go along, because the caroling thing looked like fun, and the people going were all fun.
Turns out, God had reasons I wasn't supposed to go fake caroling.
Now, I'm not going into details here, because this is a public site, but I overheard that someone had fallen out next to our building and needed help. So I tried to wait around with that person and get bandages, ice, and whatnot while waiting for the paramedics to arrive. It was a jarringly disturbing sight, because the person was hurt pretty bad. (After they left in the ambulance, I later heard that they are going to be fine and actually got to go home from the ER tonight, so there's a Praise God right there)
After all of that settled (and I was still a little shaken by it all), Kim called and said the she was going to Robbie's day care to pick him up because he'd been throwing up "all over the place." So she got him and then got me, and the poor guy just looked totally sapped. All night long, he was groggy and spent. He was also royally thirsty, but as soon as he'd try to drink something he'd throw it back up. Again, there are more details I'm not going to go into here, but it was a rough night at home.
Only, I couldn't actually be at home for all of it, because I had a meeting with the pastor at church. So I went to meet with him and left poor Kim and Robbie equally exhausted at home. When I got back, Robbie was already (willingly) in bed, despite the fact that it was nearly an hour before he usually settled down for the night. He was already on his second set of pajamas. He was tired enough to be asleep, but Kim said she thought he was waiting for me to get home to tell another Hairy and Scary story before he'd let the lights go out.
Follow all this up with a phone call I had while running a few quick errands, in which I learned some troubling health news from an old college buddy, and...yeah. All the crazy just ran up and punched life in the gut today.
I'm still fairly upbeat, though. Got an uber-encouraging email between the major daybreakers this afternoon. Praying and hoping Kim and I don't catch what Robbie has. Looking forward to going into work a tiny bit later tomorrow morning. Also, "Christmas Versions of Famous Plays" on my Facebook has provided me with lots of amusement today. A coworker took my evening shift tomorrow so I could help out at home. So we've got some good stuff going on.
Still...I'm ready for tomorrow to be boring!
Opened the show today. Which was good. It went well. There was a certain someone in the audience who, unfortunately, almost always puts me on edge when they're in the audience, and I let that get to me, but otherwise it was fun. Hey look, a picture (taken by the multi-talented Sarah and property of the A. D. Players, with more pictures to be found at this link)
First, I was bored. There wasn't much to do in my office today. And a group of folks got to dress up in old timey Christmas caroler clothes and go shoot some promotional stuff for a church (which looked fun). When they all left, I was the only person left in the entire upper floor of our building. Lame. I kinda wished I'd been scheduled to go along, because the caroling thing looked like fun, and the people going were all fun.
Turns out, God had reasons I wasn't supposed to go fake caroling.
Now, I'm not going into details here, because this is a public site, but I overheard that someone had fallen out next to our building and needed help. So I tried to wait around with that person and get bandages, ice, and whatnot while waiting for the paramedics to arrive. It was a jarringly disturbing sight, because the person was hurt pretty bad. (After they left in the ambulance, I later heard that they are going to be fine and actually got to go home from the ER tonight, so there's a Praise God right there)
After all of that settled (and I was still a little shaken by it all), Kim called and said the she was going to Robbie's day care to pick him up because he'd been throwing up "all over the place." So she got him and then got me, and the poor guy just looked totally sapped. All night long, he was groggy and spent. He was also royally thirsty, but as soon as he'd try to drink something he'd throw it back up. Again, there are more details I'm not going to go into here, but it was a rough night at home.
Only, I couldn't actually be at home for all of it, because I had a meeting with the pastor at church. So I went to meet with him and left poor Kim and Robbie equally exhausted at home. When I got back, Robbie was already (willingly) in bed, despite the fact that it was nearly an hour before he usually settled down for the night. He was already on his second set of pajamas. He was tired enough to be asleep, but Kim said she thought he was waiting for me to get home to tell another Hairy and Scary story before he'd let the lights go out.
Follow all this up with a phone call I had while running a few quick errands, in which I learned some troubling health news from an old college buddy, and...yeah. All the crazy just ran up and punched life in the gut today.
I'm still fairly upbeat, though. Got an uber-encouraging email between the major daybreakers this afternoon. Praying and hoping Kim and I don't catch what Robbie has. Looking forward to going into work a tiny bit later tomorrow morning. Also, "Christmas Versions of Famous Plays" on my Facebook has provided me with lots of amusement today. A coworker took my evening shift tomorrow so I could help out at home. So we've got some good stuff going on.
Still...I'm ready for tomorrow to be boring!
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