A setback

We learned a few hours ago that Jossie had a brady episode last night at 7 p.m. - four hours shy of going the required five days with no episodes. I'm not sure why the nurses didn't tell us sooner, but here we are. We are very disappointed, especially because we let ourselves start to dream she might come home tomorrow. Jack and I even decorated our front door to welcome her home.

But we are comforted that she is a healthy baby. The brady episode lasted 10 seconds and she self-recovered from it.  It's a result of her being a preemie and her brain just needs to develop a bit more to figure out how everything functions.

Five days from last night is 7 p.m. on Sunday, and on Monday, she'll be 36 weeks gestational age. We will get through this and someday we'll look back at this as just a brief moment in our family's history. Thank you for continuing to follow our story and sending your love and support.

February 2 baby update

I now know what thundersnow sounds and looks like - a blizzard complete with thunder and lightning. The wild weather continues in Chicago. As I sit on my couch, a fuzzy blanket wrapped around me, I can hear a car trying to drive up our snowy street. Jeremy and Jack are sound asleep - this is a snow day for most of Chicago today.

I called the nurse this morning and she told me that Jossie had an "unremarkable" night. Good - we like being the boring patient. She continues to take her bottles well and at larger portions. She only gained 20 grams yesterday (as opposed to 90 grams the day before) but the doctors are glad to see her still gaining - they had taken her off of the calorie supplement so she's only being sustained by Mama's milk at this point. I had a nice supply of milk built up at the hospital, so she will have enough for today if we can't make it to the hospital.

I hate that I can't get to her this morning but we're going to keep tabs on the weather and see if I can go later this afternoon. I can take the Chicago Avenue bus to her if need be. (Luckily, we live very close to the hospital - as my BFF pointed out last night, I could walk to her if I had to!) In the meantime, I continue to put my house back together. I'm down to just the kids' room (yes, eventually, Jack and Jossie will be sharing a room until we move) and a huge mound of laundry. What new mommy has time to clean her house before her newborn comes home? I'm in major nesting mode, which is good for our snowed-in family. Our fridge and cupboards are full, and Jack's toys, board games and books are stacked and organized for a day inside. And I bought balloons and streamers yesterday, so Jack and I could decorate our door to welcome our dear baby home.

What poetic justice for Jack too - his last day at home as an only child (we hope!) and it's a snow day where he gets both Mommy and Daddy to his own. I think we'll make pancakes this morning and take the day from there.

We're hoping Joss will come home tomorrow. We'll know more later today.

February 1 baby update

Chicago is supposed to get a blizzard tonight - the biggest storm since 1967. Let's see if the weather lives up to the hype...

I just called the hospital for an update on Jocelyn. She is still a rockstar - she continues to be brady episode-free - we're bearing down on the final hours. Tonight at 11 p.m. or so will be the five-day mark. Please let us make it there!

She surprised us all with her 9 p.m. weigh-in last night. She had been moved into her big-girl bed the night before, and we were asking a lot of her little body. We were asking her to work harder to generate her own heat, to continue to eat well and possibly gain weight. The nurses forewarned me that she actually might lose weight.

Well, guess what: She not only gained weight but she gained more than she ever has before in a 24-hour period, going from 4 lb to 4 lb 3 oz! I guess our collective prayer line to God is really working!