Answers to the name "Lucky"

There is an old joke about a flier for a lost dog who is blind, has three legs, is missing his right ear, had his tail run over, was accidentally neutered and answers to the name "Lucky." That's a little bit how we feel right now. Clara tested positive for MRSA, a nasty form of staph infection resistant to antibiotics, but we are lucky because it is not in her blood, lungs, or spine. The infection colonized on her skin and should only harm her if it enters her blood stream. Unfortunately, this can happen through IV lines and other openings in the skin - both of which are constant possibilities. Clara will receive a clorohexidine gluconate ("CHG") bath every Monday and Thursday to reduce the risk of the infection spreading, but there is no definitive cure. Clara will be considered MRSA positive for the remainder of her stay in the NICU.

The doctors didn't pull any punches and told us this was bad, but stressed it could be much worse. As long as the infection doesn't spread to her system, Clara should not have major complications. However, Clara must remain isolated until she is released from the the hospital. This means she was evicted from her cushy suite across from Wilson and is literally across the street with other MRSA positive babies. We feel like she went from the Waldorff-Astoria to the Motel 6. Instead of her own space, Clara's isolette is lined up next to the isolettes of the other MRSA babies along a non-descript wall in a sterilized wing of the hospital. There is no sink, no table, no chair, and no privacy. Also, because of the risk of infection, we have to wear gowns and gloves when visiting her. 

However, we try to remember these circumstances are much harder for us than they are for her. It is more painful for us to know she will not see Wilson again until she gets home than it is for her. It is not easy for us to leave the comfort of the nurses who took care of Clara for the first seven weeks of her life, but Clara will still receive top-quality medical care. It is difficult for us to encounter the tactile reminders - the gloves, gowns, and infection barriers - that something is wrong with Clara, but hopefully she won't notice. The most important thing is that Clara gets better, and hopefully she is in the best place for that to happen.

Aside from the emotional roller coaster, there are logistical challenges as well. We cannot go see Clara and then go see Wilson because of the risk of transferring MRSA. We have to visit Wilson first and, if we visit Clara, are supposed to change clothes before seeing Wilson again.

So right now we feel a little lost, and if a flier was posted for us it might read "looking for parents with two kids in the NICU, a totaled car, a bum hand, now growing gray hair in their early thirties, and answering to the name Lucky." You know though, if anything, this has made us realize we really are lucky - we have great support from incredible friends and family, good jobs, fantastic medical facilities, and two really brave kids. So go ahead and get ready, their one year birthday party is going to be epic (MRSA gowns hopefully not required).

Although we tried to narrate some of what happened yesterday, these pictures do a better job telling the story. (Sometimes it does pay off to have a professional photographer with a national geographic photography project following your family)