Pictures and captions

This is what Laura spends a lot of time doing....holding Isaac's hand! However, our biggest prayer is that he will be off the jet (ventilator) within a week and she will be holding him often!  Other benefits of being off the jet are that he will be dressed and/or swaddled, and, I think, advancing to a crib from the isolette.  I look forward to these advances! Also, they should soon remove the picc line in his right hand and it will be free for holding too.  Maybe tomorrow! He no longer gets meds or feedings that way, but they left it in for a few extra days "just in case".  

Why a picture of a hallway?  We see a lot of this empty hallway - but not many people do.  This is the back way between Norfolk General (where we sleep/stay) and CHKD where the NICU is located.  In order to take this route, you have to get admitted by security.  Push the button and they say "May I help you?" and you say "Patterson" and they will open the doors for you.  



Here is Isaac sleeping in his Amma's preferred pose :)  Ask Don.  I like to flail my arms around!  Which is all fine for me, but it sometimes causes problems when Isaac does it.  He stays calmer with better O2 saturation with his arms tucked in.  But he usually manages to work them free.



Here is William in the waiting room.  There are a few toys and a box of broken crayons to entertain him while he waits here (which is not too often).  See the orange stickers/dots?  We had to put one of them on every bottle of Laura's breast milk for the first 30 days. (Can you believe Isaac is now one month old?)  Apparently breast milk after premature births has higher caloric value than full-term milk for the first 30 days.  Cool.

A quiet evening spent in the NICU.  While the rest of you folks were at the beach or by the lake over the weekend, we listened to the beep beeps here.  We love it when the night shift nurses are more quiet.  And so does Isaac, who doesn't like a lot of noise :(

Some of you may have read on Caring Bridge that William had his first meeting with Isaac. Here they are, waiting to go back.  Their escort is on the phone asking if it is ok to come in. In fact, you have to pick up that phone every time you visit unless someone is working at the desk.  I say ' grandma for baby Patterson' and they check with the nurse in the pod and then say 'you can come back'. Then the door unlocks. 

Grandma for baby Patterson signing off :)