(7 spells of severe apnea) + (1 manual bagging) + (1 return from minimal O2 to High Flow) + (1 failed bladder tap) + (1 catheterization) + (1 blown IV) + (1 successful IV) + (1 blood culture) + (1 elevated CRP) + (1 dive off the preemie growth chart) + (2 mentions of “tracheostomy”) + (1 mention of “bronchoscopy”) + (1 mention of “g-tube”) + (1 dose of morphine) + (1 blue baby) + (3 doses of Narcan) + {1 oxygen tube accidentally disconnected during spinal prep and unnoticed until + (>toomany deep desaturations + >toomany minutes) later} + (1 lumbar puncture) = Thursday.
Morning.
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Simone! You are SO grounded!!!
((hugs)) Alexa.
Looks like the bratfree bitches are back at it! Seriously, who does that? Anyway, my heart is in my throat over here, awaiting your next post. Lots of love to that sweet little baby and her brave mama.
Dude. So not in the plan.
Tomorrow is another day. I’m sending you all my best, biggest wishes that it is a *better* day.
Shit!! I sure do hope the afternoon was an improvement. Perhaps Simone just thought she needed a bit more attention…. a Drama Queen in the making perchance? I have everything crossed that things will go smoothly from now on.
Just you all stay tough and remember to breathe, perhaps giving Simone the odd nudge in that direction too. Bourbon and cookies sound very good again, tell Simone that she has to grow a bit more if she wants some.
Jesus Christ. I hope Simone (and you) have a better day tomorrow.
Oh dear God, I hate posts like these. Rooting for you Simone!
“man – she is going to have a lot of mental/physical problems when she grows up. I sure hope you can deal with that!”
I shouldn’t react to it and I know you know what bs this is. But I can’t let this pass.
Best regards from my daughter who dealt with similar problems 15 years ago. She is a beautiful, healthy, stable young lady now, proud of her achievements as a newborn and very interested in other preemies. In Simone, for example.
Comments such as the above make her grin. She thinks it’s envy because not everybody has proved his guts the way she has. And Simone.
(I wonder how much emotional maturity is displayed by such posters who clearly have no clue at all but HAVE to chime in.)
Everything will be alright and perfect and just the way it should be.
Keeping you all in my thoughts.
Maybe she didn’t like the sheet pattern? Or she wanted a different style of crib?
Seriously, I’m sending positive thoughts to the Twin Cities for all of you. (Now I do have to say that my positive thoughts made my friend’s baby’s cystic fibrosis test turn out negative so I have some damn fine positive thoughts to send.)
I am really sorry Alexa.
Oh Alexa. I really hope your ride on the NICU roller coaster ends soon. Or at the very least, you’ll be able to throw your arms up in the air and gleefully yell “WHEEEEEEEEEEE” right quick.
Kisses.
Oh and Jesse? If you’re going to come up in here talking shit on preemies, ESPECIALLY this one, you should at least have the balls to leave your email or web address. You’re a pathetic coward.
Shit, Alexa.
I am glad, then, that this day is over. Tomorrow will certainly be better with no more unnoticed tube disconnections of any kind.
**********
And stoic, though I am trying to be, I am fiercely defensive of you and sweet Simone and wish to drop kick anyone who is in the least bit snarky.
However, I was reading Sweet/Salty Kate once when a “troll” dropped in and she thought it best that we remain “an unpokeable bear.”
So, here I sit. Unpokeable. Until further notice. (A bear, nonetheless. With claws. And teeth. and weight to throw around. At your disposal. Just saying…)
Oh no no no, none of that is any good at all. Scaring the heck out of me. Heart hurting for you, honey. Hang tough, Simone!
Hang in there Simone and Alexa! You’re both in my thoughts and prayers.
Oh, hell, what a day! I am so sorry the rollercoaster took a downward turn. Praying this was the last “down” and that everything is “up” from here! Please update us when you have a chance. Hugs sent your way!
Oh my. I so hope the rest of the day, week, months are much better. Hugs to you.
Oh, Alexa, I can’t tell you how sorry I am to read this. I’m keeping Simone and you in my thoughts, and hoping with all my heart that the little one returns to previous form in no time at all.
Oh, crap. Really not what I was expecting to read this morning: I thought your rollercoaster was all levelled out. I should have known better: NICU doesn’t quite work that way. But she’s a big strong girl now compared to February, and she’ll come back fighting, hopefully this afternoon. Hugs x lots.
Shit. Not what you needed at all.
Ah! Sending lots of good and healthy thoughts your way. Hugs!
Thinking of you and hoping and praying that things look up over the weekend. Go Simone! You can do it!!
OK, Jesse was on Full House and then went to ER. If that’s not enough medical knowledge for you people, well, then, I don’t know what to say. Blood recirculator’s got my tongue, I guess.
I am hoping Thursday afternoon went better. And all of today, and tomorrow . . . . The Baby of the Week judges don’t take kindly to scaring the crap out of the parents.
Dammit. This should be coming to an end, and that sweet baby should be coming home to her Momma and Daddy and their new Deluxe Apartment in the Sky.
Sweet Jesus, enough already!
Hey Jesse,
I sure hope you check back…
Fuck Off.
and Go Away, you Dolt.
Sorry to hear that. I hope it’s nothing more than a bump in the road and that 13 years from now you’ll be shaking your head and trying to decide if this event or her 13 year old attitude is worse. Hugs. Praying for you guys too.
I’m so sorry that you had this episode — it sounds so scary, upsetting and frustrating.
I have yet to hear a NICU story that is all smooth sailing and steady improvement. This seems to especially be the case for the very little ones. As you know better than anyone, Simone is very tough. My faith in her is unshakeable.
I am thinking of you and hoping for you. And of course obsessively checking your blog every five minutes. Please be well. All of us our here in internet-land are sending you all the good karma we can muster.
Aw Simone… I can’t imagine the rollercoaster ride you are on.
I’m hoping this is a *very* short hiccup.
Big hug to you and Scott.
Son of a bitch! (Shit, Fuck and Christ have already been used a few times so I’m trying to balance it out ;)). I’ll be another one to ‘not comment’ on the buttmunch that left such an uneducated reply on here.
I’m still thinking of you guys all of the time. Apparently my super powers weren’t working yesterday, my apologies. We’re all pulling for your little girl, Alexa. Many of us know what the NICU world is like and our hearts go out to you. No baby or mother should have to go through the torment, but unfortunately it’s just one of those things that some of us have to deal with. I have full confidence that Simone will bounce back from all of this. I’m telling you….she’ll be 16, headstrong, independant, and bitching that you don’t let her use the car enough and you’ll be sitting back wondering how on earth she had such a rough beginning.
Hugs to the three of you.
Oh dear Lord. Simone, baby, please try not to give your mama any more heart attacks right now. Save it for your teenage years. Right now we are looking for nice, steady, positive progress.
Hugs, vodka, and stinky cheese to you, Alexa dear.
Yikes! Simone’s been a busy girl. Here’s to more placid days ahead (lifts glass of Old Tyme Ginger Beer.)
Your new glasses are perfect; just the right shape for your face. They make you look both sweet and intellectual.
Just when I got lazy about checking in here.
Good grief. Hugs to the three of you. I’m hoping/praying that the next post will be like ‘Splish’.
Oh no! Poor sweetpea. Hoping you are on the upswing now – for surely as quickly as things change for the worse, they will change for the better? Good days are on the way..
I hope Friday is a LOT better than Thursday. That is just too much to go through.
Thinking of you and hoping you get better news soon.
I’m hoping that Jesse was just insensitive and not deliberately mean-spirited. Hard to tell, though.
i don’t even know what to say. i cannot even fathom what that you and Scott are going through STILL and it all makes me so angry. as usual, you are in my thoughts.
*torn between the fact that HATEFUL people love nothing better than to invoke more hatred, but for now i will just say that some people deserve their existence far less than the one you have fought so hard to share with the world. the one the world cannot wait to gloat over when she discovered a cure for cancer and poverty and hateful bastards.*
Holy hell – what a morning! Hang in there Simone – stop scaring Mom and Dad like that!!
The ups and downs of the NICU are hell. Here’s hoping that there is a really big UP right around the corner.
Dammit.
I wish I knew more better things to say. Hang in there. We’re sending all the prayers and hope that we can!
Son of a bitch. Sending good healing vibes your way and hoping that Simone comes back from this downturn quickly. Hugs.
Damn, Damn, Damn!!!! Hang in there Alexa, Simone will kick this and be on her way up again. Sending lots of love your way!
Prayers for a better weekend for you all ;-)
Feel the love and support from all of us out here in cyberland. I can’t wait to read the post of Simone’s homecoming and her participation in the March for Babies. I have a team of about 20 who will be walking in Reston, VA on Sunday in memory of my first son and in honor of all babies and families who don’t get such an easy start.
Wow, very rough morning. I know the NICU is an up and down process but that seems like a lot of stuff to go through. When my ds was in the NICU he had a few good days in a row followed by some pretty bad days. I am not sure why it is not more even keel…
I imagine that this is hardest on you, I hope that you are feeling better today.
Well that’s not good. Any idea what set her off? Did you refuse to let her wear eyeshadow or something? Seriously, keep us posted There’s lots of worried surrogate grandmas out here.
Oh man, Alexa! Not at all what I was expecting to read today. I really thought Simone had finished the rollercoaster ride. I just love this little one… I look at her pictures and watch her videos every day. I’m sending her all my love and praying for her to grow bigger and stronger each day.
Just thought I’d come back to post and say that I just got a very happy message re: my friend’s (one surviving) twin who was born at about the same number of weeks as Simone — and I hate to say it, but that little girl had a time in the NICU that makes Simone’s stay there look like a walk in the park (I am not kidding, think multiple surgeries, think one kidney lost) — *however*, said tot (who is a total charmer) has just undergone extensive testing and basically been pronounced to be well ahead of the curve on a wide assortment of developmental tasks, even not taking into account her adjusted age (but especially if you do). All of which is to say hang in there and here’s hoping you’re posting things similarly gleeful to the email I received, in the not-too-distant future.
The hardest part of the NICU (for me) were the continual ups and downs. I never thought they would end, but they do. Do what you need to do to stay sane – I used to cry in the parking lot of the hospital. Hang in there.
Thinking of you Alexa. So hoping that today was a (much) better day for Simone.
I really hope you all had a better day today. Little kiss, Simone.
DANG!! More prayers coming your way. I would block anymore blog entries from that Jesse if you can – Jesse doesn’t know squat! Simone will not remember any of this – memory does not start to form until about age 2 1/2 to 3 YEARS of age. She will be fine! Definitely more prayers coming your way from Michigan.
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