Oliver's Journey: Tuesday & Wednesday

On Tuesday, they removed his CPAP and replaced with nasal supplemental oxygen.  He spent Monday and early Tuesday with this supplemental oxygen (just a little) and was fed through his chord IV.  They attempted to discontinue his IV later on Tuesday.  The doctors were concerned that Oliver was not getting enough fluids to process the antibiotics though his kidneys, so he went back on IV fluids. Through Tuesday, Oliver was a breast feeding champion, a natural at the ole' sport. This helped immensely, as by Wednesday he was feeding really well. By Wednesday evening, he was off the IV.  Also late Tuesday, early Wednesday, Oliver was breathing great and came off any air support. Wednesday was another day of Olympic feedings, both by the bottle and by the boob (since he came off the IV, they needed to ensure that he was getting enough fluids so we supplemented with donor human breast milk).  Oliver was clearly partial to the real breast over plastic (as most men are!).  He was doing so great that doctors started suggesting Oliver might be coming home soon... Bonnie has been a champion, feeding and pumping.  Bonnie was discharged on Wednesday and we reluctantly meandered home around 9pm, after Oliver's feeding.  Wednesday night, Oliver got the donor human bread milk and Bonnie was worried he might become a plastic man but her fears were put to rest early Thursday morning when Oliver was excited to say hello to his two, new breast friends. It still looks as though we'll be heading home with him on Friday and we are so happy!  We can't say enough about the staff at Georgetown Hospital, they were phenomenal! Keep your fingers crossed!

Oliver is coming home!

Oliver's Journey: Monday


     Oliver's entry into the world was a little more dynamic than we hoped. After trying to get the record for holding his breath, due to swallowing some bad stuff, he is making a swift recovery.

     On Monday, he was whisked away from us by the Georgetown Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) staff. These doctors and nurses are absolutely phenomenal. They cleaned up his lungs and filled him with antibiotics just to be sure nothing would cause problems. Initially, he was intubated and when the NICU docs went to change out the breathing tube, Oliver made such a vocal fuss the doctors decided not to put the tube back in. So instead they put him on a CPAP machine (note: this is the anti-snoring miracle machine that has saved so many marriages). This was short lived.

Oliver Joseph Marx has arrived on 08/08/2011!

7 lbs, 20" and a full head of hair.  Stay tuned more info. to come...

This was not Bonnie!

The following article courtesy of our good friend James...

Posted at 09:40 AM ET, 08/02/2011

Baby delivered in D.C. traffic jam

By Justin Jouvenal

A woman stuck in a traffic jam in Northeast Washington gave birth Tuesday morning with instructions and encouragement from a 911 dispatcher, D.C. fire officials said.

The woman was caught in a crawl near the intersection of New York and Florida avenues around 6:30 a.m. when heavy labor forced her to make the emergency call, said Pete Piringer, a D.C. fire department spokesman. A tractor-trailer fatally struck a motorcyclist in the area.

It was unclear whether there were any other passengers in the car.

Listen to audio of the 911 call:

Piringer said he 911 dispatcher, who declined to be interviewed, coached the woman through the delivery, and the baby was born before emergency crews arrived. Piringer said he did not know whether the baby was a boy or girl.

Piringer said the mother and newborn were taken to the hospital, where both are doing well.

Dispatchers are trained to handle emergency births and do so regularly, said Lajuan Sullivan, an assistant watch commander for the D.C. dispatch.

“It’s part of our day-to-day business,” Sullivan said.

The Washington Post has requested a transcript of the call. Please check back later for more details.

All quiet on the eastern front.

Bonnie is doing great but ready to get the show on the road.

Late

It appears that "1.0" has picked up at least one negative habit from his to-be mother: he is not on time. I hope once he joins the outside world he will learn a few things from his to-be father who is fond of saying "if you arrive on time you are late, but if you arrive early you are on time." My due date came and went yesterday, and I woke up today still pregnant. Even more disheartening is that there is little sign of the end of this pregnancy being near. I understand that at some point--one way or another--he will come out, but why does it feel like I am doomed to be pregnant forever? I am of course grateful for the relatively smooth pregnancy so far and most of all hopeful that whenever 1.0 arrives he will be healthy. But, I cannot help being disappointed that 1.0 is not as eager to meet us as we are to meet him. And as a final selfish note, Joe was kind enough to point out to me this morning that if he waits to be born until August, his birth stone goes from being the lovely July Ruby to the August Peridot. Enough said.

So Grateful!

I have to admit, when we signed up for this pregnancy adventure, we never anticipated the amount of generosity and support we would receive from our family and friends—especially since it has started long before 0.9’s anticipated arrival.

At the risk of leaving some acts of kindness out, I want to share just a few of the many amazing things our friends and family have done for us…

Baby Shower—Midwestern Style

I was surprised and touched by Sheila’s (my sister-in-law) offer and enthusiasm for throwing us a baby shower. Moreover, she was so wonderful about making the event as comfortable and convenient for us as possible. We made a trip to Wisconsin with our East Coast friends (James and Meredith) in May. James and Meredith are from Australia and were game on having a Midwestern baby shower experience while living in the States. While Sheila slaved away (with a minor back injury) to prepare the morning of the shower, I enjoyed a yoga class with my Mom, Mother-in-law, nieces (Kate and Claire), and friends Meredith and Dana. It was a great way to spend the morning with everyone and to get ready for the big day ahead.

The shower itself was amazing. My mom (with delicious cupcakes and cheese cake in tow), Aunt Sheila, and Daniel and Bethamy (brother and sister-in-law) made the drive from Indiana to join the festivities. Also attending were many of Joe’s relatives and family friends (and there are MANY of them!). Everyone was so genuinely happy for us and it made for a very joyful day. Thank you so much Sheila for giving us such a wonderful gift!

My co-workers also treated me to a surprise baby shower. I was amazed that so may of my colleagues were willing to sacrifice a little billable time to eat cupcakes and watch me open baby gifts. It was an unexpected bonus. From the baby showers we received many useful gifts and funds to go toward supplies for 0.9. Joe’s co-workers were also in the giving spirit. Several of the women on his Squad made an afternoon lunch outing to buy us many practical and cute items from our registry.

Support from our friends all over the U.S.

Seattle care packages started arriving a few months ago from our friends Darcy & Ryan and Amy & Byron. I cannot possibly describe all the amazing gifts that have been included in these packages. One of the greatest joys from each package is a letter describing the included items and sending words of love and encouragement. The boxes have included themes such as date night gifts, hand-me-down treasures, mom-to-be treats, and dad-to-be treats. The boxes have been a mix of new gifts, amazing hand-me-downs, books, music mixes and even a spa gift card!!

Staci made the flight from California while pregnant over Mother’s day weekend (a slight scheduling oversight) to provide support and help me prepare for the adventure ahead!! Staci also has a professional photography business. So although I was only 28-weeks at the time, we were able to get a few maternity photos in during her visit. It was a wonderful weekend and I was so happy to spend time with my dear friend during our overlapping pregnancies. Staci has also been a consistent source of support for me throughout my pregnancy with regular calls and emails to check on me and patiently listens to my pregnancy concerns. She gives the kind of advice you can only get from someone who has known you for 20+ years.

Stephanie was our most recent (and last) visitor. She drove her minivan from Michigan for a girl’s weekend in the city with me (at 33 weeks). In addition to spending an afternoon shopping with me for various maternity and baby items, Stephanie came bearing a van full of gifts. She cleaned out all of her stored baby gear (she has three little ones) and brought us literally a van full of baby stuff—including a car seat, pack-n-play, swing, activity center, and boxes of clothes/bibs/toys/other goodies. Even more importantly, she was a wealth of practical advice on labor and life with kids.

Joe and I have both also received emails, calls and gifts from high school, college, graduate school, law school and academy friends when they hear our news. Each word of encouragement and congratulations has helped to make this journey even more enjoyable.

As shown by Joe’s previous post, we are feeling pretty organized in terms of the nursery must have items, thanks in no small part to the contributions of family and friends. Thank you all so much!