Pouty Parker, Pouty Mommy

POUTY POUTY POUTY PARKER!

I absolutely die laughing when I look at this picture.  The consensus is that it was past donut time.

Today was my last visit to the perinatologist.  Well, it was supposed to be.  Everything is fine, no real changes, but in the last week I have accumulated 3.6 extra centimeters of amniotic fluid.  It puts me at 25.6-- normal range ends at 25.  Translation--- I have to go back in Tuesday for ONE MORE VISIT with the perinatologist.  It will also be the day of my pre-op OB appointment, and then it will be go time!

Apparently nobody is really concerned at all with the extra fluid.  With only seven days to go-- it will make me more uncomfortable and MIGHT send me into early labor.  At this stage of the game, it won't make one bit of difference to Parker.  Sigh.  $4 more to the parking deck of doom.

We also spoke to a neonatologist from Northside today.  She walked over from the hospital to speak with us, and I have to say it was not fun times.  She chatted for about 10 minutes, and I was completely flustered by the end of it.  Her tone of voice and her line of questioning rubbed me the wrong way.  The first thing out of her mouth was, "Sorry about your baby."  She then asked about other children, and seemed mildly surprised that Jeremiah was born healthy.  She walked us through what will happen in the delivery room, and then gave a completely conflicting account of Parker's first hours of life.  ALL of our doctors have said that the priority is to make sure Parker is stable before transport to Egleston and that ECMO will be determined on an as needed basis.  The neonatologist today told us to expect Parker to be gone to Egleston within an hour or two of his birth, and that any testing would be done at Egleston.  She made some weirdly toned comments discouraging Mike from riding in the ambulance with Parker, even though Mike had expressed zero interest in that.  She expressed her near certainty that Parker would be immediately placed on ECMO.  She informed us that if all Egleston's ECMO bays are full, we will have to go to Augusta (!!!!!).  She followed all that up with, "Of course, he might not make it long enough to be transported."  Sigh.

We know all of these things to be true, but it was frustrating.  We have never met her before, she didn't even look at our file before she started talking, and to top it all off, she won't even be working next Friday when Parker is born.  *secretly, I am happy to hear that news.*  I know she was doing her job, giving us the facts (none of what she said was untrue), but we have been so very spoiled by our doctors.  They have all been so very caring, we have spent so very much time together, and we truly feel like we are in the very best of hands.  I left all grouchy and pouty like Parker, Mike blew it off and said it is unlikely we will have to deal with her again.

She did tell me: a) our pediatrician **shout out to Laura Putnam!  Love her!** is one of the most highly respected in her field and she refers anyone in the area to her, b) she was pleased I had managed to breastfeed Jeremiah for 7 months, and c) I looked great.  Whatevs.

All of that to say-- back to the perinatologist Tuesday at 8 am, OB appointment Tuesday at 10:30 am, and then Delivery Day on Friday at 8 am!  Yowza!

Gotta end with a mind cleanse--

I CANNOT BELIEVE the amazing people we have in our lives.  Seriously, y'all.  Every single day we either have something dropped by our house or delivered in our mailbox.  We have gotten gift cards, puzzle books a-go-go, "sunshine bags", an artist's print of Krispy Kreme for Parker's room, monogrammed burp cloths, the sweetest cards, care packages, and so many offers to keep Jeremiah that I have him all squared away for 8 weeks.  It is truly astounding to us that so many people, some of whom are complete strangers, are so willing to love us and support us right now.  Please know how much it means to us.  How much all of you mean to us.  It is making this last week so much more bearable.

**We received a box this week from MJ's Memories, which is tied to Project Sweet Peas.  Megan sent us a huge box PACKED ABSOLUTELY FULL of NICU survival items (picture frames, brag books, toiletries, baby clothes, baby pillows and blankets, baby sleep masks, decorations for the room, etc. etc. etc. it just kept on going!), along with a very sweet letter.  She lost her little MJ to CDH, and she chose each and every item in that box with thoughtfulness and care.  Amazing, amazing, amazing.  Please visit their websites to see the work they do for NICU families. Thank you, Megan!!!!!**