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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Can I borrow your life savings?

C-section: $12,000
2 week NICU stay: $75,000
Being able to bring this little animal home healthy:
PRICELESS



So we got the hospital bill for Graham and I. Wow. Who do they think they are kidding? For the 2 hour procedure that resulted in a 7 inch scar across my abdomen they charged us 13,000 dollars!! seriously?? You would think for that price they could have at least had the decency to cut off the handfuls of saggy, stretch marked skin that is now called my stomach. Geez. I mean, you were already down there.


Moving on to Graham's bill. Ok, I understand he was in the NICU for 2 weeks, hooked up to all kinds of expensive machines, not to mention plenty of tests were done on him daily, so I was planning for it to be expensive. But 75,000 dollars!?!?!?
I had absolutely no idea it would be anywhere in that vicinity. Crazy. In spite of these outrageous bills, I am really grateful he was born at a hospital that had the tools and staff available to make him better with no lasting side effects.
I am also grateful for Medicaid..... :)

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Trying to catch up on blogging

Tonight I discovered the easiest way to blog (or do anything that requires 2 free hands to be exact).
It's great! I have been sitting at this computer with him tightly mooshed against my chest for over an hour while I catch up on everyone's blogs. I do have my doubts about how much he is enjoying this experience. It doesn't look so comfortable to me and I have to keep going out to the living room to have Elliot make sure Graham is still breathing because I can't see him and I have a fear that his nose is going to be smashed up against me. Paranoid, I know. But mostly this discovery is the greatest thing ever. I can blog and email again! It's good to be back. I'm assuming you all missed me? (Not quite sure who "you all" is referring to, but it makes me feel good to think that there are people out there who have been anxiously waiting for me to post a blog).
Last week Megan and I went to a children's consignment sale. It was great! They had so much stuff there. I got an umbrella stroller for 5 bucks! I also bought 10 Dr. Seuss books for 15 dollars. What a steal. I have been reading one or two of them to Graham each day. To be honest, I am mostly reading them to myself since he either sleeps through them or intently stairs at the ceiling fan the entire time. I can't wait for him to get bigger and be excited about reading books. Although, if he decides to grow up to be more like his dad, video games might be higher up on the excitement list. Is it possible to force your children to like the things you want them to? Either that or I can just keep having kids until one comes out that enjoys my hobbies. Joking......mostly
So, motherhood. It's been pretty good so far. I gotta be honest though, when I was pregnant and imagining having a baby, I mostly day dreamed about doing kid projects and going on walks and playing dress up. Turns out an actual new born baby is a lot more interested in when the next feeding is then making cutsey halloween crafts. Go figure.
I am getting used to doing what he wants to do during the day and have been letting him choose the activities. So far our days are mostly filled with sleeping (can't complain there) and plenty of formula to go around (which in return means there is plenty of formula breath to go around. Care for a whiff?)
I don't have much to compare him to, but Graham seems like a pretty easy going baby. He likes to be held a lot, which happens to work out wonderfully considering we have 3 women in the house who love babies, as well as Elliot who also happens to have taken quite a liking to him.
He doesn't seem to get too crabby as long as I feed him on time and keep his diaper dry. Fairly easy tasks. Getting up in the night to feed him is definitley tiring, but not too bad as long as there is something good on TV at 3:00 am. There have been several times when the tv wasn't interesting enough to keep me awake and I nod off and drop the bottle. Graham is never too pleased by that.

When he is awake he can be so funny! He makes Elliot and I laugh a lot. Sometimes I just stare at him amazed that we made another human being. Isn't it so crazy?


In other news here are a few examples of the joys of living in the basement.Seriously, is this one a baby tarantula? I swear it is and Elliot says it absolutley isn't (and apparently he should know because he had a pet tarantula as a kid. Insane, I know).

Sunday, October 12, 2008

What we've been up to this week

A LOT of sleeping





Intermixed with some eating


A few walks

Some visits from friends


And mostly just being ridiculously cute

Sunday, October 5, 2008

First bath at home




Thursday, October 2, 2008

He's home!!!!

I don't have a lot of time right now, but I wanted to let everyone know that Graham came home today!!! I will post millions of pictures tomorrow documenting the wonderful homecoming!!!

Great news!!

The Dr. said Graham has been doing so well drinking his bottles (each feeding has only been taking him about 15 minutes) that he put Graham on 8 bottle's a day already!!!! So that means if he is able to drink all 8 bottles he will be able to come home in the next couple days! If he isn't able to drink them, it will take a few days longer, but still that is such great progress!! I am so excited. I can't believe he might be home soon. I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday Aunt Megan finally got to go see Graham and hold him for the first time. He seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. When I was feeding him, he even stopped drinking to crane his neck around and look at Megan. It was pretty cute.


I am going up to the hospital today to feed him all of his bottles for the day and see when he can come home. I will update everyone as soon as I hear anything!