Fight the Power!

We took this pic less than 1/2 a mile
from our house

The McGarvey Militia was called into action today for "Operation Rescue Milk." Like most of Louisville, we lost power in the crazy storms that blew through yesterday evening. Losing power is not that big of a deal unless you have four freezers (two at our house and two at our next-door-neighbors' house) full of breast milk. The milk cannot be used if it thaws - even a little - because of the risk of bacteria forming. This risk is amplified with preemies due to the sensitivity of their digestive tracts and weakness of their immune systems. So this morning we sprang into action. Coolers were borrowed, Morgan's parents and some of our friends retrieved and stored as much milk as they could, and we packed three big coolers and headed to the hospital. We had so much milk two nurses had to help us label the bottles while another nurse rounded up a wagon to carry it all down the hall. We lost a few brave bottles during the Operation, but were able to save the majority of our supply.

In our previous life, a cool summer evening without power would have been cause for celebration. We would go out to eat, stay out to drink, and get to sleep in the next morning. Ah, how pumping has changed things. We still used the power outage as an excuse to meet some friends for a late dinner, but we had to be around electricity so Chris could pump. Just remember, pumpin' ain't easy. We stayed with a friend Saturday and hoped our power would return overnight. We should have known our luck wasn't ready to change. 

Several readers pointed out that we haven't updated the blog for almost three days. Mea culpa. We were a little lax this weekend but it wasn't for lack of big news. The biggest news from the weekend was Wilson being held for the first time by his paternal grandmother. We told Wilson how important this event was and he didn't disappoint. Not only did he stay awake for a few minutes, he didn't spit up any milk or poop his pants while his Kentucky Grandma (we haven't decided names but "Mimi" is in the lead) held him. Sure, expectations were a little low, but Wilson made Mimi incredibly happy. This was a moment she had anticipated for quite some time and it was really cool for us to see.  

Wilson is still on the fast track at the NICU. He is breathing on his own, receiving some of his nutrition from nursing, gaining weight, and maintaining his body temperature. Wilson has not had to go back in his isolette and we're hopeful he will remain in his open air crib until he comes home. It was a little shocking however when the doctors told us Friday night he could be home in as early as 2 - 4 weeks. Are you kidding!?! That's great news (if true) but we are far from ready to have a baby at home. Chris' water broke before we really could get started on a nursery and we still have some work to do before our house is ready for babies. Part of our delay in posting is due to the amount of time we spent Saturday getting ready for our new roommates.

This was also a good weekend for Clara. She has not received any steroids since Thursday and is breathing easier. She still requires a nasal cannula with around 30% oxygen but is receiving minimal pressure. We'll know more about her progress - and prognosis - earlier this week but are cautiously encouraged by what we've seen this weekend. We'll have lots more posts this week and hope the good news continues. (And if anyone from LG&E is reading this, please restore the power in the Highlands. Thanks!)