Okay – a lot of you parents who had jaundiced kids do light therapy are rolling your eyes at the cheap play on words right now. Do me a solid, here, people. I’ve had maybe ten good hours’ sleep in the last 72. I’m running a little low on the repartee and am basically down to two syllables or less most of the time.

The good news is that Jocelyn is recovering well from the surgery and dividing time between being there for Julia and spending some time resting. It’s a fine balance that takes a little trial and error. Push too hard taking care of the child and you delay your own recovery. We have constant reassurance from the staff that this is a normal tension, but suggestions of what side to bias on depend on what floor of the hospital we’re on – 5th floor NICU or 6th floor Post-Partum.

We have been very focused on getting Julia out of the NICU and that requires three things: Breathing, Pooping & Eating. The first two, she seems to have down pat. She is completely weaned off of the oxygen and for two days has been thriving on room air. And as far as the pooping, well, some things are better off left unrecorded.

Our cardiology team has told us that we are in the “honeymoon stage” for kids with AVSD. It seems that babies’ lungs are naturally hypertensive and provide back pressure that mitigates the effects of the septal defect and the blood that can be misrouted. The symptoms start to appear 2-8 weeks later after the back pressure reduces. Nonetheless, the cardiology team has told us that her heart is not keeping her from going home! Big time hurdle has been cleared!

There are still other challenges to clear, though. The jaundice (a common condition for premature babies) makes her a little more sleepy; and even though she is SO adorable when she’s sleeping, it makes her a little less interested when it comes to feeding. Everyone on staff has been impressed with Jocelyn’s determination and drive to breastfeed, and some work with a lactation specialist has given her great tools to practice on over the weekend. Bottom line, we’re hopeful!

The days have been divided up into rest, pump, feed, repeat. I gotta say, nobody can calm cranky Julia like her momma. So we’ve spent a lot of time hanging out with Julia in the NICU…

…aaand begun the process of saving up for her college fund.

There are a lot of thoughts rolling around in my head about the strange, disturbing, beautiful, cosmic way that parents and kids are knitted together, but like I said, sleep deprivation has taken a toll on my writerly discernment. So I’ll drag out those ideas and think them through later. In the meantime, I have some sleep to catch up on.

Night night, sweetheart. We love you.