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| The inspiration for Norman's name |
My last blog was a week ago. Its time for an update, and oh what a week its been. Lets start with catching up.
Since we were released from the hospital last week, Fraidy and I have desperately been trying to get back into normal life and routine, though it's been difficult. The baby wasn't nursing nicely, so we've been giving him mother's milk bottles, which means double time on Norman. We have to feed him bottles and Fraidy has to pump milk. This gets very time consuming. Not to mention that neither of us sleep at night. Fraidy is very considerate and tries her best to let me sleep as long as she can, but into the third hour of the night, she has to throw in the towel and I tag team her to change the diaper/ get the bottle/feed the baby or sanitize the bottles.
(We have to sanitize EVERYTHING in order to try and prevent him from getting a cold. Its neurotic and crazy, but the hospital told us it's important, so we do it.) So yeah, not much sleep. By the time Wednesday rolled around, we realized making Shabbos will be hard, and so we invited ourselves and my brother and sister in law opened up their (very) warm home for shabbos. (They need to figure out how to control their new heating system). We appreciated it so much, and it was a huge help for us to survive the week. My parents have also been wonderful driving the kids back and forth to school, taking Eliyahu to his hydrotherapy and helping us with shopping. Family, family, family. Everyone has been unbelievable.
Sunday was the next milestone.
Today we get to find out when we get to do the Bris.
We took Norman back to Schneiders (after a very stressful morning, trying to get everyone out by 745 so we could make it for the 9am appointment... we were late by 20 min. They didn't care). (I have discovered, waking up before 7am is difficult on 3.5 hours of sleep). So we came to schneiders.
First the EKG with the same short girl and the soviet russian wierd EKG instruments. Then back to the waiting room. Then called in to meet with a different doctor. (We now know we can ask to speak with a specific doctor, we didn't know this before, and we thought we would automatically meet with Dr Amichai, who we like. We met with Dr Zucker who was nice.) She asked how things were going, and we said great. Eating nicely, baby is acting normal. She dropped him down to one intake of Fucid per day, and no more icky tasting Adalctone. (Which is nice, because I messed up giving it on Shabbos... never mind that though). Then the echo. Again, we thought Dr Amichai would do it, but it was a russian doctor, who felt talking to us would be too much effort, and so it was a long quiet echo, interrupted only by sad whimpers from the baby who didn't like to be without a shirt and cold jelly. She asked us if we knew about "the hole". We said we did, but weren't sure what she was talking about. Back to Dr Zucker, who looked at the echos from before, then the echos from last week and finally the echos from that day. She showed us the new pipe that was installed (gotta admit, I still have no idea what she was showing me) and I was amazed to learn that the conduit has a functioning valve. How could a piece of artery, cut from a cow, be installed in his heart, and the valve still opens and closes? Its really unbelievable. We asked about a bris, she said she thinks we could do a bris when we get home.
Bris - Tuesday.
We also got a visit from the nurse. Nice, funny nurse. Her name was Riki. She removed the last three stitches, took blood pressure and weighed the baby. Up 250 grams since release last week! Yay! On one of the stitch holes, the skin has swelled up into a bump. She was concerned it might be infected, so she plucked, prodded, squeezed and examined, and decided she wasn't sure what it was, but didn't think it was infected. She asked Dr Zucker to have a look. Dr Zuker plucked, prodded, squeezed and examined and decided its probably not infected, but she didn't know what it was. She called Dr Gabriel. Now we wait. Finished up with Dr Zucker, and out to the waiting room. 5 minutes later, Dr Gabby himself walks in and takes a look at the baby. He plucked, prodded, squeezed and examined and decided he didn't know what it was, was unlikely to be an infection, but prescribed a full antibiotic!!! So now, we are to go home and start taking an antibiotic. And now Bris is postponed until a week after antibiotic. Bris - next Tuesday. The smartest thing they did was tell us to speak to our pediatrician when we get home. I made an appointment for that afternoon, and then again for the following morning.
We go home. We make some phone calls. People tell us no bris for a week after antibiotics finish.
Bris - 2 weeks from today.
At 415pm I arrive at Dr Rosen's office. Its packed to the gills. I go to confirm my appointment, only to discover my appointment didn't go through. But she assured me it was ok, and I sat back, watching the kids dropping off the walls. I get called in soon... I'm starting to feel like I see Dr Rosen more than I see my own kids. Dr Rosen takes a look. He plucks, prods, squeezes and examines, and declares.... "there is no way this is infected." He doesn't know what it is, but there is no sign of infection. Do not take the antibiotic, he says. No reason to give it. Come back tomorrow morning at 8 am, and we decide what to do next. Bris - ????
At 8 am this morning, I arrive back at Dr Rosen. The bump is smaller, more pinkish, no puss is coming out and Dr Rosen does it all. That's right.. he plucks, prods, squeezes and examines. He says it is not infected. Put some bactraban on it to stay safe, but there is no systematic infection. (No fever, no signs of infection). Bris - Tomorrow! I go to daven, and then I call the mohel. "When was he considered 'healthy'?" He asks me. I don't know I tell, him when we left the hospital. Why else would we have been able to be sent home. He says that the halacha mandates "one week on a full bill of health." He wants to know, according to the cardiologist was he considered healthy last week, or yesterday. I go home frustrated.
Bris - ????
As I'm trying to find a way to call the cardiologist, Ricki the nice nurse calls to check in. I tell her the pediatrician doesn't want to give antibiotics, and the "wound" looks much better today. She is relieved to hear it, and is happy we won't give him the antibiotics. (So why on earth did the surgeon recommend giving it, and why did they all listen to him???) I asked her to ask the doctor when was he considered healthy, because we need to know when to do the bris. She said hold on, and came back and said yesterday. Since his stitches were removed and medicine was dropped yesterday, that's when they officially consider him "healthy".
Bris - next Monday. 7 days from the day he is healthy, plus one, just to make sure. 915am.
I tell the pediatrician, he is clearly upset. He says the baby is healthy now! Why wait. Dunno, I tell him, that's what I'm trying to understand.
Now the mohel needs to be booked. He is in a bris, I have to call back. I try to take a quick nap, as I feel a killer migraine coming. I lie down in bed, Fraidy has an accident in the kitchen - the fruit bin is now completely cracked.
Back to bed.
The baby wakes up.
Give him to Fraidy.
Back to bed.
In walks Eliyahu. He isn't feeling well, and wants to stay home today. Fine.
Lie down with Eliyahu. I get ten minutes.
Fraidy wakes me up. 10:45. Time to go to work. Bright and early. My head is hurting less, guess I better go in.
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| 38 every morning |
Drive to work, and call the mohel to confirm next Monday. He can't do 915am. Only 730am or 11am. Traffic to Beit Shemesh is too terrible and he wont have time to get back in time. Argh!
What about Tuesday? He can't confirm 915am. Either 8 or 1030. Fine. Monday 11am? Done.
With great gratitude to HaShem, and full of excitement, honor and joy that we are reaching this day, please join us for the bris of our son, next Monday, January 12, 11am. Most likely at Kehillas Shivtei Yeshurun, but stayed tuned for more details.
Note: Baby Norman was born the day before Thanksgiving. When we discovered it would be a long time before we would have a name, Rabbi Haber recommended we give him an english name. The first thing that came to my mind was an old man's name (he kinda looked like an old man, and he was in heart failure, so you know.. old man name). Then I thought of how grateful we were at having this beautiful child, and all I wanted was to say thanks. Norman Rockwell's Freedom From Want immediately came to mind. Our son is beautiful. We shall (temporarily) call him Norman. Baruch HaShem.
