Oh, So Quickly

The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness.

You have to catch it yourself.
Benjamin Franklin

I promised myself I would post something every morning.. so, here I am- even though I cannot yet post what I actually want to post: my very first ever picture of my gremlin with his eyes open!

I took it yesterday at his 4 o'clock hands on time. I got his temp, changed his diaper, and put lotion on his poor little legs which were super dry from being out of his incubator a couple days ago [he was having a ton of "spells" and they needed to be able to get to him faster]. He was awake the whole time. With the ventilator in, he cannot cry anymore.. so he was doing his best to make it clear with his eyes that he was not too pleased with this string of events. He is obviously not very fond of his artificial lungs either- he kept grabbing the tube and trying to move away from it. The ventilator is so heavy that it weighs down his little head and he cannot move- I am sure that is an uncomfortable feeling. I told him it is up to him- if he would get his lungs in order he would not have to deal with it anymore... and I swear... somehow... he has already mastered the teenager glare.

I got a fantastic picture of him looking directly at the camera [slightly cross-eyed, but hey- give the kid a break... focusing is not usually on the agenda at -8 weeks old.] He is furrowing his brow and looks exactly- and I mean EXACTLY- like his Papa. It is slightly ridiculous. I will have to post a comparison picture eventually so you can all ooh and ahh at the outrageous resemblance. It makes me so very happy. Unfortunately, I cannot upload the cuteness until tonight... so you will all just have to wait.

I really love being able to go see him whenever I want to. I am going to be leaving here in a little while for his 12:00 hands on.. and then I will probably just find a place to stash myself until his 4:00. It makes a huge difference in how I feel about the entire situation. Also, I finally remembered to ask what criteria Liam had to meet before we would be able to hold him and we were told that usually it is just after they hit 1000 grams, but since Liam is not feeling so good, it would probably be better to wait a bit... and maybe get him off the ventilator. So, that gives us something to look forward too.

Anyway, I accomplished my goal for yesterday and came up with a schedule... Of course, today I am already 24 minutes BEHIND that schedule.. but at least I have one to mess up. Oh, and also- RYAN FIXED THE SHOWER!!!! Glory, Hallelujah! The water was running lukewarm at best.. and I like my water to be just short of scalding, so it was horribly depressing. But, Ryan fixed it and I took the most gloriously hot shower last night- I came out pink and wrinkled and happy. I woke up this morning thinking it was all a dream but it was not and no matter what happens in life, it is easier to deal with when you can come home to a hot shower.