Tubelessness

Jack's head is now liberated from all tubes. He's getting all his nourishment from bottle or boob. Sadly, I didn't have a chance to see snap a shot of him chugging back a milk bong.

The other good news is that he's now slated for release early next week. Mojo and I are both very happy and scared. I have to figure out a way to sneak one of those isolettes (aka baby terrariums) out of the hospital.

Count Jackula vs The Lactator!

On Sunday, Jack was allowed to tap the source. He took to it like a natural. We were a bit worried about this for a few reasons. First, he's been getting his nourishment straight through the nose at a regulated pace to ensure maximum satisfaction. Second, he's been so calm and content he's been ignoring his soother and therefore not practicing his sucking reflex. Third, laziness runs in the family. No worries, though. He's now on intermittent feedings. The tube's still up the nose, but it's not always hooked up. Tonight, I'll try to snap some shots of the milk bong.

More good news. We're now allowed to disconnect him for his various monitors and move him around the NICU. Sunday night we exposed him to his first Hollywood blockbuster: The Punisher was on the NICU TV set in the rocking chair zone. He slept right through it. He's got good taste.

One Tube To Go

Jack's IV is out! This is another great step. Now, he only had the tube in his nose that feeds the Mommy Sauce right into his belly. He's taking a bunch in, and holding it in, which is good. The next test is to see how little Count Jackula does sucking directly from the source.

Also, by popular demand, below are some more pictures. Enjoy, and notice the distinct lack of IVs.







Mojo's Home

Mojo was release from the hospital last night. The first place we went was the Bushwakker for some food and a beer (for me). She's doing well. The first night leaving Jack in hospital was difficult for her, but that was to be expected.

I have a cold, which means a surgical mask every time I visit Jack. It's frustrating, but I lighten the mood by singing a little Clash. "Daddy was a bank robber, but he didn't hurt nobody...:

Slight Delay

It doesn't look like Jack'll be getting oput of the NICU this weekend. His little stomache is too wee to handle a bulk amount of food every 3 hours, so they have a tube in his nose sends Mojo's pumped gold straight into his tummy. Good news is, the IV in his head should be coming out today.

Photos

Sorry about the slowness in posting updates. There's just not much time for blogging with a wife and child in the hospital. I do have a little bonus for you regular visitors: pictures!


Meet Jack. He's fresh out of the womb, and pretty confused. He also looks a bit like Gollum. Please don't hold that against him.



Jack came out quite listless (and just in time, frankly. I'll elaborate more later). He needed some help breathing at the beginning, but by the next day, he was breathing on his own.


All of these wires are mostly just monitors, to see how he's doing. His heart rate has had a tendency to drop when he's resting, but that's starting to clear itself up. He also has an IV in his head.


As you can see, his nose is tubeless and he's breathing on his own.


These are the proud, freaked out, over-joyed, over-anxious parents.

Its time for me to sleep. Hopefully this weekend, I'll have a chance to type up the story of Jack's arrival.

Jack Willem de Lint

Jack Willem de Lint was born March 19, 2005 by caesarian section. He came out at just under 4 lbs and 43 cm. He's currently under the care of the NICU. He's fine, but small and needs help breathing and eating right now. I'll update with pictures when I get a chance, but I can't be away from the hospital for very long.

Induced

Mojo's pregnancy was induced at 8:25pm tonight. More to follow.

Howard Hughes

If anyone comes up to you and asks, "How'd you like to be Howard Hughes for a day?" be sure to reply, "Which day?" If the answer is one the days he did nothing but collect his own urine, say "No thanks." At 4 am this morning the nurses started Mojo collecting her pee in a Jerry Can. She has to fill it up over 24 hours and keep it on ice. Good times.

Her mantra through this whole time has been "I just came in to give them some money." This is true. She was just dropping off the deposit and they wouldn't let her leave. Poor girl.

Here's the good news. She's really relaxed. She now has TV, which is great for keeping her from flipping out from sheer boredom. Best of all, her blood pressure is back to normal. Last check it was 124 over 84. Whether it's the meds or the rest, we're not sure but we're relieved either way. She not out of the woods yet, though. There are more tests tomorrow. If they're not convinced she's safe, I'll probably be a Dad by the weekend. Otherwise, she comes home. I'll keep you posted.

Blood Pressure Normalizing

Just a quick update. Mojo's responding well to the blood pressure medication. She's down to 133 over 85. It's that last number they really watch, and 85's close to normal. She'll be getting an ultrasound this afternoon, and they're monitoring her whiz for 24 hours.

In The Hospital

It's 10:37 PM Regina time, and Mojo's in the hospital. She went in to put a deposit down on the blood pressure monitor she picked up yesterday and they wouldn't let her leave. They decided to check her heart rate while she was there, and it was 160 over 105. That's pretty darn high. They decided to hold her for a bit to do a full check up. The exams revealed a urinary tract infect, a blood infection and more protien in her urine than should be there, which indicated some kidney problems. An OBGYN came in to explain this all to her. He's put her on some blood pressure medicine. They're going to keep her under observation for a couple of days, and if thing get worse, they'll need to induce labour (the OBGYN used the term 'terminate the pregnancy', which is a very disconcerting way of saying that). I'll try to keep you posted, but I plan to spend as much time as I can in the hospital with my wife.

This monday she'll be 36 weeks along.

Checking Pee

Mojo went back to the doctor yesterday, to follow up on the pre-eclampsia. Her blood pressure is still really high (160 over 100), but she still doesn't really have any of the other symptoms (swelling, head aches, spots in front of the eyes, pain in the right abdomen). She's picked up a blood pressure sleeve to monitor her heart rate and she has some sticks she;I'll get to use to test her urine for protein. She peed on a stick to see if she was pregnant, now she's peeing on a stick while pregnant. I wonder why she'll have to pee on a stick after the baby's here.

We've also picked up a cel phone. I hate those damn things, but it was explained to me that walkie talkies would be inefficient.

Ow

Mojo and I are both in pain. Her's are all pregnancy related, while mine are generally from being stupid and out of shape. I'm stiff from curling on Saturday night. I curl once a year, and it seems to be getting harder on my muscles as I age. I don't plan to train the curling muscle groups all year for the single annual time I play. Still, my groin's not happy with me. I also screwed up my back last night reaching for a comic book in bed. How lame is that? Why must I be a clown for the bored fates? The result is, today both Mojo and I are moving like elderly people, sharing stories of agony with each other.

It's Never Complication Free - Part 2

I just got the call from Mojo. We need to keep an eye on her. We're going to get a machine from the hospital to check her blood pressure 4 times a day. If it shoots up, she goes to the hopsital. If her face, feet or hands begin to swell up, we get her to the hospital. Until then, she needs to stay off her feet. Many movies for Mojo. She's most disappointed that she won't be able to attend the Prenatal Powerlifting Expo this weekend. Her deadlift is truly remarkable. It's a shame the world can't marvel at her power, but as we always say, safety first.

It's Never Complication Free

At Mojo's doctor's appointment yesterday, she was informed that she has high blood pressure. In pregnant women, this could mean pre-eclampsia. She's not showing all the symptoms of pre-eclampsia, such as swelling in the feet and face or sudden weight gain (quite the opposite, in fact). Junior's moving well, so we're not going to panic. She peed into a cup and bled into a vial yesterday and she's going back in today for an update. I'll keep you posted. Sorry about the cliffhanger.

New Life And A New Life

The gravity of how completely my life is going to change in a month, a week and a day is starting to settle in. While I'm intensely excited to meet my baby, I've also found myself really valuing the time I have left as a non-parent. Time alone with my wife will be scarce. Getting hammered will probably be a much rarer occurrence (which is probably a good thing). Even veging in my basement Tiki Room all by myself in front of the tube may mostly a thing of the past.

Change is scary.

Baby's Gettin' A Buddy!

After much pestering, cajoling and yelling, one of the couples in my neighbourhood is providing my baby with a buddy! I'm taking 100% of the credit. They let me know over the weekend, and I did a little dance. Their offspring is 8 weeks on and so will be 7 months younger than junior. I already have plans. I want to put together the Irresponsible Fathers Billiards League. There are some pool halls that provide free pool if you buy a meal. What a fun way to parent! YAY!

Ladybugs and cats.

I've always believed great quantities of anything can be unnerving. I call it the Ladybugs And Cats Theorem. One ladybug is cute. 10,000 ladybugs are creepy. One cat is cute. 100 cats scare the shit out of me. Last night, at prenatal class, I realised that the Ladybugs And Cats Theorem applies to pregnant women. I found myself freaked out to be in a room full of people creating genetic duplicates in their bodies. I felt like I'd infiltrated a secret meeting in a science fiction movie. If you see me on the streets shrieking, "They walk among us!!!", you'll know why.

Twisted Toys



Flipping through the Sep/Oct 04 issue of Juxtapoz, I discovered some toys that I think would save me the trouble of having to scar my child myself. Pictured above is the bunny called Harm. Also available is Bunny with Tentacles, Bunny With Baby, and Bunny with Siamese Twin. These are gold.


Scared Quiet

Normally, when the baby hears my voice it gets active. Last night, I think I may've scared it quiet. I've recently been reading to Mojo's belly. Last night, the reading material was Green Eggs and Ham. I found myself really wrapped up in my role, growing more and more agitated with Sam I Am, that pesky jerk, to get the hell away from me with his goddamn Green Eggs And Ham. If I don't like it in a house, why the hell would I like it with a goddamn fox?!? CHRIST!! Think, Sam!!...

When I calmed down, I sang a nice song. That seemed to smooth things over.

Swag

Mojo had her baby shower on Sunday. She has some very very generous friends. This baby's going to quite comfortable and constantly entertained. I wanted to keep some of the stuff for myself. My baby got rocket shoes! How cool is that?

On that topic, I've been doing some research on whether disposables or diaper services are worse for the environment. So far, my studies have proven inconclusive. The results were to determine whether I'd have a diaper party or a fund raiser to pay for the service. Since I'm not sure, I've decided to go with the dough. I'm having a raffle and the winner gets an original piece of my art. The best part is that the winner decides the subject matter. Below's a link to more info.

http://www.delint.ca/diaperraffle/diaperraffle.htm