Life in the fast lane

Just when you think you have mastered the Salt Lake freeway exits, you have a setback. Each day Chelle and I have traveled to the hospital to see the babies. Each day we run errands - grocery shopping, buying a crib mattress, getting drawer dividers, searching out bathroom rugs, going to the bank, finding a filing cabinet. Between new babies and a new house, we are burning through the cash.

Yesterday, after seeing the darling babes lounging in their isolettes, we headed for John Paras furniture store in Ogden. Chelle pumped at the hospital to give us more time. (Pumping every three hours makes scheduling errands a half hour from home a bit tricky.) After a few errands in Centerville, it was close to rush hour. As things started to slow down on the freeway, we convinced ourselves we should just head home rather than continue to Ogden. As we inched down the freeway, we kept seeing flashing signs saying "Seatbelt Info Use" or "Exit 1 mile". We couldn't figure out why anyone would need seatbelt info, but we soon found out. Looking for any exit to get us out of rush hour freeway traffic, we took at exit that went nowhere. It was just a police check point for seatbelts! We were laughing as we got our "info". The packet we got did include a tin of red hots and I must say traffic was much better as we exited, so I guess we weren't out much.

We did continue on to Ogden and got a glider/ottoman for the nursery, so we were successful.

The babies are doing well. They are starting to gain back the weight they lost after birth. They still have IVs, nasal canulas with low dosage oxygen, and a feeding tube, but the doctors seem pleased with their progress. Ben and Michelle go back to the hospital every evening and have been able to hold each of the babies for a half hour or more. Chelle thought she might get to try nursing next week.

Unstoppable Halle

Halle is at such a fun age. She is unstoppable – constant motion. This morning she helped me put recyclables in the bin, and we stayed outside. I grabbed my purse so I could record her conversation. As I grabbed a pad and pen, she grabbed my wallet.
Here is her commentary:

Zip it. I zip it. In there. Money. Another zipper. I need money. NamMa money. Mommy money is? I don’t see it. I need money. Put in my pocket. I need money. I did it [putting it in pocket].

I don’t see it (money is hard to get out of wallet]. I need money. Put in my pocket. I need money. I did it! Another money. Another money. See. [Laughing]

Got one. More money. Help me [hard to get out of wallet].

NamMa: You need to stand up.

I dropped. I put it in my pocket. [Hopping.]

[Now every time she puts a coin in her pocket, she stands up so it will go in better.]

Rock. I can’t get it.

I stand up [to put money in].

I dropped one. Other one. [Carefully puts each coin in pocket.] Big one in. [a quarter]

[Chelle comes outside.]
NamMa: Maybe Chelle would like some money.
[Halle grins and gives her the last three coins, one at a time.]

Put in my pocket.

Sky. Clouds [pointing]
Lets go see.
Not blow away [clouds]

[Seeing her welcome home poster of the babies on the railing] My picture. Broke it. Hole.

[Poinging to Chelle’s hospital bracelets for the twins} One Savannah. One Eve.


[Looking at picture] This pink. This purple. This yellow. This orange. This blue. This purple.

[Chelle has stood up. Halle pats porch where Chelle was sitting, inviting her to rejoin us.] Sit me.

Blue glasses [on Michelle]
Mommy’s car gone. Mommy drived.

[Seeing A on my shirt. Starts singing ABC song. Chelle joins in.]

One Savannah. One Eve. (pointing to hospital bracelets Chelle is wearing.]

[Hops like a frog up stairs.]

Heard birdie singing. I hear airplane.

Birdie walking. Birdie singing. See airplane. [hop down porch stairs]

I see rock.

I hopped. Need my shoes. Helicopter. See airplane. Going up here. [Climbs on railing.] See airplane. Mud rock. Throw it.

Zach: I can get a mud rock.

Me too. See airplane. Over there.

[Hops down stairs. Falls.} OWW. [Then up and running]

I on. [Climbs on water meter]
Hole. Hole dropping. [Fills hole with dirt]. Rock go in there. Hole done. I made it.

NamMa: What’s this?

It’s a plant. I on. [Steps on water meter. Sprinkles dirt on water meter. Jumps on and off.]

I see Zachy. I digging [with stick].
[Falls flat. Picks herself up without a whimper and keeps running.]

[In garage. Zach climbs in play oven. Halle adjusts the controls.]
Zach in there. [Shuts oven door.] Bye Zach. [opens door]. Hi Zach.
Making soup. [Turns controls.]

Two, Five, Sixteen [playing with clock on side of kitchen playset].

Ice cream [licking hardware removed from babies' dresser that Trish and Brandon are refinishing for the twins].

Vanilla ice cream. Tasty.

Zach: Do you want chocolate ice cream?

UhHuh.
All done. Two. Need other one. All done. [Brings me four ice cream cones.] Having more.

[Takes out play sink. Steps in it. Trisha appears on porch.] Mamma go running.
Trisha: No. Go to park.
Feed ducks. [And they are off…]

The Bouncing Taxi Driver

Being as I'm in Farmington to be with Chelle, I got to go to Zach's final pre-school program. Zach couldn't have been more excited. You had no trouble picking him out as he was always bouncing. It was so cute.

The program was mainly singing - with kids acting out the part of wind or raindrops, or holding flags. They told the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff (with audience participation). Zach was the "taxi driver" in a version of the following poem.

Dear Mom,
Thank you for all the times,
You cleaned up after me.
You always kissed my pain away,
When I scraped my little knee.

You're my chef, my maid, my taxi driver too,
I'd be a living mess, if I didn't have you.

You're the one that cheers me on,
A listening ear when I'm feeling down,
Everything seems okay,
Whenever you're around.

I should probably say this more often,
I'm glad a day is dedicated to you,
You really need to know,
Just how much, "I love you."

Roller Coaster Ride

In talking to Aunt Jill, she says the first weeks with preemies is a roller coaster ride - not steady improvement.

I talked to Chelle this morning. The girls are now in a separate room - just for the two of them - with one nurse for both of them. This is better, because in the larger room it was hard to visit, and if a new baby was being admitted, they couldn't be there at all.

Savannah is now on a ventilator and is still sedated (because the intubation is evidently not pleasant). She has an IV through her head. I guess that is common as it is hard to have the IV in one place all the time. Both girls are now on antibiotics. They are treating both babies the same way - as evidently when one has problems, the other often does as well.

Eve is having some apnea and bradycardia. Apnea means a period in which breathing stops. In premature babies, apnea is any pause in breathing that lasts longer than 20 seconds, causing bradycardia, or a drop in the baby’s blood oxygen level.

They have talked about putting in an arterial line to make giving meds easier.

Because they removed the CPAP machine (through her nose) and put an IV in her head, Chelle got to see Savannah's "cute nose and fuzzy blond hair".

The pneumothorax (or collapsed lung) which Savannah has can be caused by a hole the size of a pin prick.

Both Ben and Chelle are trying to get enough rest so they don't get sick - as if they are sick, they can't visit the girls.

The day has arrived!

After more than six weeks in the hospital, Chelle delivered the twins today. Her surgery kept getting bumped until after two when they were born. Eve came first at 3 pounds 13 ounces and 16.5 inches (Apgar scores of 8, 9). Savannah came second at 4 pounds 3 ounces and 15.75 inches (Apgar scores of 7, 9). They are breathing on their own, with a C-Pap machine (via canula) to help out. They are darling! It was hard to get a good pictures with the tubes, cap, and IV. I'll let Ben post the proud Daddy pictures from the U of U NICU unit.

Chelle seems to be doing well. She is in some pain, but is in good spirits.

It feels like being thrown under the bus...

We heard last week that there is a "good chance" the university will merge the Computer Science Department with Electrical and Computer Engineering - in the College of Engineering. For forty seven years we have been a separate program. Now with a flick on a hand, we could lose our identity. The "reason" they give is money, but it just doesn't save that much. It feels like we've been thrown under the bus. We are appealing the decision. I'll keep you posted.

USU acquired its first computer in 1961. It was an IBM 1620, the first one delivered west of the Mississippi. The computer was under the supervision of Dr. Rex L. Hurst, Head, Applied Statistics Department. The computer and the department were housed in the basement of Old Main. Dr. Hurst and Dr. Wendell Pope developed courses and a bachelor's degree program in Computer Science. The BS degree in Computer Science was approved in 1964.

Wicked Weekend

We just returned from the Wicked Weekend. Kimberly purchased tickets for 30 of her closest friends (including family) for Wicked at the Morrison Center. It was a great time. Everybody was there, except for Ben and Michelle. We enjoyed good food and good company, and a lot of craziness.

With church at 2:30, we got home in time to go to our meetings. This is the second time we've made arrangements not to be in church - and ended up getting home in time to go. This 2:30 church is GREAT! I know it is tough on young families, but for us oldies, it is the best schedule.

DC on a dime

I'm in DC for an NSF panel. Being as I have two funded NSF grants, I get on the panel docket a lot. The first time I was here, I took a $50 cab from the airport. Now, I pay $1.85 to take the metro. In all the previous times, I've stayed at the Hilton - which is twenty steps from the metro stop, at the rate of $250 a night. The last time I was here, other panelists were bragging about how cheap their hotel was. I had the record high.

NSF gives us a daily stipend which is intended to cover food, hotel, transportation (outside of airfare) and incidentals. Anything we don't spend, we keep (but have to pay taxes on). I figured with all Michelle's hospital bills, she could use whatever I net out of the trip. With this motivation for my frugality, I did a little searching for the cheapest place to stay. See my accommodations at around $101 a night (including taxes). It's about a three quarter mile walk to the NSF building, but I've quite enjoyed seeing a different part of DC. It even offers a free breakfast - but since we have fruit and pastries at the panel, I've not used it.


This photo of Highlander Motel is courtesy of TripAdvisor