Family of Four

Well, it has been a week and a half since Haley has been home (she came home on the night of Monday April 20). And life has changed. Sure we knew it would but I know it's only the beginning. After all, this is the easy part. Sure the nights are described as broken sleep but Haley came home on a schedule (set by the NICU at L&M). So we do try to stick with it but it's not easy.

So Haley is struggling to gain weight since being home. She has not lost weight but only gained 2 oz since being home. Hopefully, when the nurse comes tomorrow, we'll see that Haley has gained at least 2 oz (she was last weighed 2 days ago and 2 oz in 3 days would be GREAT). But Haley is certainly eating and that is not the problem. So last weighed, Haley was 5 lbs 9 oz. Tiny uh?

Evan has had a lot of adjusting to do since April 5. First mommy was away. His sister was in the hospital. And things started to change at home. Evan moved out of his crib and into a toddler bed. His room went from a baby boy's room to a little boy's room. He then had to adjust to having his little sister at home. And b/c I'm recovering from my c-section, Dan has been doing EVERYTHING (cooking, cleaning, yard work, shopping, Evan's bath and bedtimes, etc etc etc). And I think Evan has gotten used to Daddy and Evan -- Mommy and Haley.

But the question everyone asks... and perhaps you are asking yourself this too.... "how does Evan like his sister?" He has his moments but he is two years old after all :) Does he throw tantrums... yes... but not everyday and never over his sister.

Evan has taken his role of Big Brother seriously. In fact, he was very happy to get a shirt (actually he has 2 now) that states "big brother". And he likes to wear it all the time :)

Yesterday was a first. We wanted to let Evan know that not everything is about Haley. So my dad babysat Haley (a first) while Dan and I took Evan to the Mystic Aquarium. And fun was had by all.

OH no... Haley is calling... LOUDLY :) But I'll try to keep this updated... at least with photos :)

Going Home

Erica is going home! It's late Thursday morning and Erica is being discharged from Yale New Haven Hospital. She is very much looking forward to resting up in her own bed at home, and being able to see her son a little more often. Also Haley is going to be moved to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London within the hour, so we'll be able to visit her locally rather than have to make a trip every time. She's doing great with no problems whatsoever. I fed her for the first time today and she fell asleep in my arms pretty much before she was done.

So it's all good news - we're heading home. Here's a nice video of Haley up close and personal.

Haley Alexis Bouges

At long last a name has been chosen - Haley Alexis Bouges. We narrowed our choices down to two before Erica was brought in to deliver the baby last night, and we figured we'd make the final choice afterwards since Erica was very undecided. Well, it's been a long morning as far as trying to discuss the topic with Erica while she was lucid. I made my choice last night but admittedly had the advantage of not being pumped full of narcotics.

Erica is doing well today. They keep testing her for trouble with her kidney and liver (the trouble spots last time) and all levels are returning toward normal - so everyone here feels like they caught this thing just in time. The hope is that she can go home Thursday. Haley is doing great - breathing on her own and wiggling around just like a healthy baby should. I haven't been able to see her today because everytime I go they are doing rounds. How long do rounds last here anyway?!

The next thing on my agenda is to turn my attention toward Evan. The poor little guy has been shuffled around from family member to family member since Friday afternoon - not having slept at home since Thursday night. So my #1 priority now is to give this kid a normal night - pick him up from daycare, bring home, have dinner, play some ball, maybe watch a little Diego, have a bath and then hit the sack in his warm, comfy crib. Evan's put up with a lot (though I'm sure he had fun too) and deserves a nice, peaceful night at home. And I wouldn't mind one myself as well...

So that's it from New Haven. Everything went great given the circumstanace - so NOT like last time with Evan. I'll post more pictures when they actually let me in the NICU.

First Picture

Here's the baby! She's happy and healthy - came out weighing exactly 5lbs. I've decided what name I want for her but Erica needs to take a look before she makes up her mind. She's in the NICU here at Yale and should be here for another week or so before going to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital back in New London. We are hoping Erica will get to go home on Friday, but it's too early to tell. But, all in all, tonight has worked out just great.

Baby Girl

It's a girl!! Ok, we already new that - but she's out and doing fine. She was born at 9:01 PM on Sunday, April 5th - which just happens to be the birthday of my brother's daughter Abby. We have two names that we are considering and we will decide which one to use once we see her. Hopefully it'll become obvious. If not, I've got a coin in my pocket.....;0 They were still finishing up with Erica when the nurse came out to talk to me, but everything was looking good

Almost Game Time

So it's 8:00 - two hours after we were supposed to have delivered the baby. The PA is saying it's something to do with a difference in opinion between two different groups involved with the surgery - plus the lead surgeon got called away on an emergency. I was about to sit down and write an entry saying that the delivery has been delayed until tomorrow until....the doctor came in and said we will be doing tonight after all. So now they are getting her ready to go. Still need to pick a name....got it down to two.

Just a Few More Hours

So Erica and I are sitting in her room in Yale getting ready for the birth of our daughter. She is scheduled for delivery at approximately 5:00 in the afternoon - so we've got some time to kill. The endless stream of medical professionals keep us somewhat occupied, as does the continuing discussion regarding choosing a new name for Baby Girl Bouges. At one point Erica said that we could always choose a name afterwards, but I'll have none of that. At this point we are down to four first name and two middle name possibilities - and the problem is we like them all! But I get the feeling that we'll pick one in the next little while.

Otherwise we're just waiting - so unlike last time. Evan is with my parents now after spending the night at Erica's dad's house with his favorite cousin (Emma). He's looking forward to meeting his baby sister and should be able to tomorrow, assuming all goes well.

That's it for now. I'll write more tonight after the event.

Here We Go Again

As many of you are aware, Erica is pregnant with our second child and is due on May 24. And as many of you are surely also aware, Evan's birth was wrought with difficulty as Erica came down with a rare liver disorder that required an emergency C-section and an extended stay in the ICU for both of them. Well, here we go again....Erica was told on Friday, after a blood test showed her liver wasn't fully cooperating, that she needed to be admitted into Yale New Haven Hospital with the likely outcome of the weekend being the birth of Baby Girl Bouges seven weeks early.

So far, this being mid-Saturday evening, her (and my) stay at Yale has consisted of continual tests and retests and doctor, PA and nurse visits 'round the clock. As the weekend has crept along it has become clear that the doctors' goal has been to keep Erica healthy enough to delivery the baby on Sunday night - giving the cycle of medication she has been administered time to help baby develop enough to be breathing independently upon arrival. All seems to be going well on that front and the current plan is for baby to be removed early Sunday evening.

Of course, that leaves us with the same problem as last time - we don't have a name yet! We thought we had a few weeks left (at least) and had narrowed it down to 3 or 4 (just like last time with Evan) but now are "on the clock" to come up with a name we can live with by tomorrow night. The pressure!

So that's the deal so far this weekend. I will make every effort to update this when there is news to tell. All in all things are looking good and, because Yale had monitored the pregnancy so closely from the outset, we feel very confident that all the precautions and preparation will lead to a happy ending.