September 18th: I got to leave the hospital today and see Duke for the first time. If I could have ran out of the hospital I would have. Getting to Children’s Hospital is a hike since it is in DC, but it a beautiful building and it is beyond kid friendly. The hospital is the size of a football field and I was glad there were a lot of signs because I would have gotten very lost very easily. The great thing is the staff there are very serious about security, but so kind when it comes to the kids. When you walk up to the front desk they smile and welcome you to the NICU.
John’s room is amazing and it’s just him in the room. He has a lily pad on the floor and flowers on the ceiling. When you look out his window you get a panoramic view on the capital building to the Washington Monument. When he keeps his eyes open I hope he gets to see the beauty he is staying by.
To visit the NICU you have to wash your hands a lot so after I scrubbed my hands then put antibac on them I was able to truly touch and see Duke for the first time. The tubes were just as described and he was still so birdlike. They gave him some morphine to keep him comfortable since he has a lot of tubes and wires coming in and out of him. He has a little cap on his head, but I can see he has dark brown hair poking out from it just like I said he would after months of heartburn.
When I leaned over his bed to see him for the first time and say hi he opened his eyes. I talked with him and tried to be as gentle as possible since he is so tiny and I am so clumsy. I held his hands and felt them wrap around my finger. It is amazing how he can already grip with the rest of his muscles not developing as much. Everyone who came to the hospital today (Grammy, Aunt Judy and Auntie Bethany) were amazed at him and how tiny he is.
The doctor told me the big concern right now is he as not developed a lot of his muscles in his legs and arms, which they are doing some testing to find if this is the reason behind his tone or if it was from the excess embryonic fluid squishing him and he needed the 6 weeks to grow a little more. The tests can take over a week to get back because they have to send them out for several studies to ensure Duke is healthy or if we need to be looking at how to best help him if he does have a genetic concern. We just keep touching him to help stimulate movement from him. Everyone jokes around he is going to be like the Warners Brothers Frog and when we are there he is in there with a top hat and cane singing.
**Thank you to Teresa Piercy for bringing food for our family to eat, we appreciated this and you helping take something huge off our plate and putting yummy chicken on it!**
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