Saturday Evening (12/18)

Silas is doing great.  He is still on the ventilator and they said that they will probably wait until later in the week to try him off of it again.  There really is not a whole lot other than that to report.  He looked pretty comfortable today.  They kept his room dark today and he just sort of relaxed all day.  He is still off of the bilirubin lights but they said to not be surprised if he is back on them tomorrow.  He might go back and forth with the jaundice for a while. 

The fun part today was that Santa came to the Nicu.  I'm pretty sure it was the real Santa too.  He was so nice.  The nurses put a teeny tiny red hat on Silas and then Santa came in, along with a professional photographer.  Santa stood over Silas bed and the photographer took a pic of them together.  It looked so cute!  I can't wait to get a copy but they said it would take a week or two.  Maleah and Carissa were in the waiting room and they also got to see Santa.  Carissa was a little upset that he didn't bring her anything but we reassured her that he would be back on Christmas Eve. 

We had several visitors today.  Grandma Sherrel, Grandpa Clarence, Uncle Craig, and Aunt LuAnn all came to visit.  After their visit, we went and ate at Applebee's.  Jason and I were getting very tired of the hospital cafeteria food.  Unfortunately, the Applebee's we at just happened to be the slowest one in the world.  They should have a sign on the door that says that.  Thank you to Sherrel and Clarence for buying our lunch though.  And thanks to Craig and LuAnn for being such great support too.

After we finally got out of there, we saw more visitors at the hospital.  Grandma Debby, Grandpa David, Uncle Brad, Chloey, Calli, and Aunt Lori all came to see Baby Silas.  He had a big day of visitors and slept right through it all.  The girls were excited because Brad and Chloey brought Christmas presents with them.  Maleah got a Wappy Dog, which is exactly what she wanted, and Carissa got cute new doll clothes and a beautiful new North Face coat.  They were both very happy.  Jason and I got gas cards which I know will be put to good use.  Thank you Brad and Chloey!  Aunt Lori brought Silas a very cute little blankie with a puppy on it.  I can't wait to see him carrying it around one day.

It's been wild weekend for Maleah and Carissa. They are so used to their schedules and we are so off of our schedules that it's not even funny. Bedtime last night was interesting. We are all four sleeping in one room. I get up 2-3 times a night to pump breastmilk. The girls usually talk/sing themselves to sleep. We were all four constantly bothering each other. Carissa finally fell asleep after making continuous fart noises with her mouth for five minutes. I hope her brother appreciates her bathroom humor because the rest of us don't. Today they were both ready to go home from the hospital after five minutes. They have been tired, whiny, and hungry because they are used to eating what they want at home. The nurse told me that they would not be allowed back. But not because they were that bad or anything, but RSV season is starting so as of Monday, no children will be allowed in the Nicu, not even siblings. And I am a-okay with that because I don't want them to unintentionally make Silas or any other baby sick and besides that they don't have a good time in the nicu's family room or waiting room so they might as well stay home. They will be very happy to return home tomorrow. I am very thankful for the Nintendo DS today...

The Ronald McDonald House is so nice and so convenient but they do have pretty strict rules. I sort of feel like I am back in school because there are so many rules. Tonight I got in trouble because I left the dining room with my cupcake and was eating it in the hallway. I apologized and promised to throw the paper lining away as soon as I finished the cupcake. I didn't drop a crumb and was very careful. What kind of example am I setting for my kids???

Silas will be one week old tomorrow. It has been a crazy crazy week but filled to the brim with blessings. Each day we continue to be blessed. God's grace is amazing. Thank you all for your prayers.