God knows his Algebra and Urban Babies wear black

I've been taking an Algebra class this summer, I'm sure I've mentioned it a few times. It is the last math class I should have to take, and I am happy beyond what should be legal to be done with math classes. It's just a college algebra class, and I do pretty well in math, but it's still just math. I tend to be dissatisfied with any grade in all of my classes that isn't the highest grade in the class. So last week when I got a 91% on one of my tests I was less than thrilled. The final exam was yesterday. I have been praying since all of this baby stuff started happening, not for a grade I didn't deserve, just a clear head. I got a special email from my teacher today, I aced the final..(grin and chuckle) That made me happy. Kristen thought that meant that I just did well, I clarified as I cartwheeled about the living room that aced=100%. The professor called me a genius, I know he was just joking around, but I'll take it. So I got an A in the course, thanks God, you've got this algebra stuff down!

Baby news. Greydon has been back and forth from cannula to c-pap. To clarify. The respirator is what was hooked up to his tubes while he was intubated (tube down his airway). They don't use what you think of as a respirator anymore that breaths for the baby at the rate we breath. The newer versions vibrate funny and breathes some impressive number like 500 little breaths per minute in stead of less bigger breaths, it is less stressful for new lungs. Some preemies stay on the respirator (intubated) for up to two weeks. Greydon impressed everyone by only needing it the first day. They then took his breathing tube out and put him on the c-pap. Which I have no idea if I am spelling correctly. The c-pap is a little (tiny) mask that goes over his nose and is hooked up to tubes and a machine that provide oxygen. There are two styles, prongs and no prongs. The little prongs that go up his nose provide a better seal, but he was too small for even the littlest one. The other style is just a mask that fits over his entire nose. They can do a few different things with the mask. They can control the percent of oxygen that he is being given, as well as how much of it is being given. He kept needing less and less of an increased percent of oxygen and was sooner than they expected on 21% which is room air that we all breathe.

Later, since he was doing well with not needing too much help from the c-pap. They moved him to the cannula, also earlier than many preemies. The cannula is the traditional clear tube that runs under the nose with two little prongs going into the nostrils. You see it all the time on patients of all ages. He started working really hard to breathe which is why they put him back on the c-pap. It didn't seem to make anything better so they put him back again on the cannula, which is more comfortable. By 6:00pm yesterday they re-put him back on the c-pap since he was working even harder after being moved to the cannula.... hmmm that was supposed to help clarify... not sure that's what just happened. Today they have left him on the c-pap (mask) to try to give him a little help breathing. He is still on room air, just getting a little help getting it to the right places. He is not re-intubated and not back on the respirator. He is breathing on his own. He still has a feeding tube, but that goes right to his stomach.

His tummy isn't AS distended, but is still pretty swollen and he is not going back on feedings yet. Some of his bowels are less full of air, but there is still one bend that is really pumped full. It looks on the x-rays that the pocket is moving and isn't in the same place as before, that's a good sign.

Today when we got to the hospital he was swaddled for the first time... he loved it. We at first thought, duh, why did it take 2 weeks to try this. But apparently some of the lines he had, kept them from being able to swaddle him. Since he has a couple less lines swaddling has come on board and he is a big big fan. We think it makes him look even smaller, which is saying something, but he is so calm, it was very satisfying to see him so peaceful.





We went three times today, took some time to be together in town, which was nice. Although I must say trying to find cool AND cute fabric for baby boy quilts and bedding sets is not the easiest task.

When Kristen and I were first married one of the first meals we made together in our tiny little kitchen on the miniature stove was sloppy joes. We were being very newly-weddish and all cutesy and playing house like newly weds do. You wouldn't think it would be very easy to screw up sloppy joes.... but yet.... One of us would put in an ingredient, then the other would smile and get a peck on the cheek as they put in the next... but soon the pecks got less frequent and furrowed brows and quick glances from under wrinkled eyebrows become more common as neither one of us understood how our spouse could be so clueless in how to make something as simple as sloppy joes! Everything that Kristen did made no sense and should never have happened near a stove, everything I did seemed utterly ridiculous to her, and soon there was no point pretending this was going well as one of us asked "Why would you do that?"

"Because I'm trying to make sloppy joes!"

I think I came back with something like "Well you're never going to be able to pick up your sandwich and eat it if you keep doing things like that."

Kristen came back with "Why would I try to pick up an open face sandwich, that's what forks are for!"

And in unison we both went "oooooohhhhh" We don't have the same definition of sloppy-joe, ah-hah!

They were honestly the best things we have ever made and we have never been able to recreate them, they were delicious!

Why such a long and unrelated story? I'm hoping we end up with an equally cool baby bedding set, because we are not operating under the same definition of what that is.

I told her today she gets full veto rights and totally gets her way, she has tears on her side, which she hasn't whipped out yet, but I know they are available and I don't want to risk it. If you know Kristen she can sometimes be racked with indecision. But my "helping" might just be ruining her sloppy joe.

As we were walking out of the fabric store we were playing at, we both saw a couple of fabrics that we could live with... they were close... so someday Greydon might get to have a baby quilt and matching bumper pads, and maybe even a bed skirt! No rush just yet.

We went back to the hospital at 3, and again at 7. Kristen got to hold him tonight. The last two days he was having too rough of a time for us to feel good about stimulating him even farther. So tonight was great, especially for Kristen of course, but for me as well as I got to watch my lovely wife hold onto my fighting son.... very rewarding.

But just to ruin that nice sentiment I will point out that our nurse tonight just turned 14 years old and is much more impressed with herself than I was.

Our nurse, Hollie Hobbie, transferring Greydon with the help of Steve the respiratory therapist.








Kristen got to hold him for an hour. Little Greydon was so so comfy on Mom's chest that he fussed the second she started to give him back to Hollie Hobbie. Kristen put him back next to her heart and he quieted right back down... so sweet.

I dropped by the bookstore to pick up the best baby board book ever I had ordered in with my gift card... I'll be reading this to Greydon tomorrow as soon as possible.