i tried, i really tried

[verbicide]

First of all, I can't believe I didn't bring my laptop home. I will be seething about this for some time.

It snowed impressively here in Greenland. But I still wrapped myself up in 4500 layers and trundled down to the bus stop. And the bus drove past me. And then another was CENTRAL BASE. And then there was more waiting. And calling and whining to Jeff, who couldn't find any evidence that another bus would ever come. So I said, EFF THIS. I trundled back home (stopping at Safeway for firewood and soup) and am working from home. Jeff e-mailed me some documents I needed from his shiny network connection and I have Webmail. Yay for productivity.

Dear god it's cold out there. And sposed to get colder! Like in the teens. This is so not acceptable!! (Shut up everyone who lives someplace that is colder.)

So, now I am forced to stay home and curl up on the couch with a purring animal and a warm laptop.

Oh. Woe. Is. Me.

In other, and much more serious news: My SIL went into super early labor two nights ago. Like, 7 weeks early. They did their best to stop the contractions but it seemed like my nephew was just ready to come out. They transfered her to a hospital with a NICU and then, he apparently rolled over and went back to sleep. Happily he's fine, and mom is fine. I know it's not ideal for her to be trussed up in a bed just waiting, but they're hoping to keep him in utero as long as possible --maybe even a week. I can't believe he's coming out so soon, I haven't even finished knitting him booties or making him a quilt yet! I thought I had all kinds of time!

In any case, it was a terrifying start to the day yesterday and I was too afraid to do any Web research (because that way often lies hysteria). Jeff was wonderful. Without my asking, he did some Web research himself and when the information was found to be comforting, he shared it. Apparently while they will need to keep his preemie butt in the NICU for a week or so, kids are apparently born like 23 weeks early and still live to tell the tale.

I just want everything to be okay for them. They've had a rough few years, a miscarriage, and just general suckiness. Things need to be on the upward slope for them from now on.

God. I Just can't wait to meet him. He's going to be one beautiful baby because both my brother and my SIL are good looking people. And he is going to be LOVED. Oh, yes. (Jeff: "NO SMOTHERING!!")

My brother is going to come pick me up (because they're practically around the corner from me) so I can visit her in the hospital. It was really great to finally talk to her last night and hear that she's hanging in there.

If you can, please send them some good thoughts. They really deserve 'em.

Comments

[greyaenigma.livejournal.com]

My birthday gift to the kid will be cold tolerance, imported all the way from New England!

Stay warm. I'll mourn for you, having to suffer tne terrible tragedy of working from home.

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

That is a wonderful gift!

And I'm trying to keep warm, but it ain't easy! (But thank you for thinking good thoughts for my hardship of working from the couch!)

[margotheangel.livejournal.com]

Brian's nieces were both early. Noelle was six or eight weeks early, I think (we hadn't met yet at the time, so I'm not positive), and she's perfect. She did have to hang out at the hospital for a while - she was born just before Easter, and her dad just told me that they were all at home (including the mother) for Easter and she was still in the hospital. So it's hard for a while, but she's a perfect little kid now, so I'm sure everything will be okay.

But I know it's not easy, so I'm sending good thoughts anyway.

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

I really appreciate hearing that --when my brother first told me, I had no idea what 7-weeks early meant in terms of how unusual it was or anything. They are doing pretty well as of now, so there is much relief!

[saavedra77.livejournal.com]

Best wishes to your brother, SIL, & impending nephew!

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Tony!

[some_other_dave]

Commiserations on the weather--we're getting some of it down this-a-way. No snow, but still plenty cold for the Bay Area!!

The medical establishment seems to have the care of preemies down to a real science. Some friends of mine had twins that showed up something like 10 weeks early. The poor li'l things had to stay in the hospital for a month or more, but they did come home and they're doing very well now! I think they're about 10 months old at this point?

The lungs are among the last organs to form, which is why they try to keep them in utero as long as possible. But those twins are definitely not lacking in lung function! (Or vocal power, yeeesh!)

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

It is so good to hear all these reports from you guys about other early-babies!

(And yeah, we're on the West Coast, we didn't sign up for this craziness!)

[lietya.livejournal.com]

Hey, that's really effin' cold even to those of us in (relatively) colder climates. :) Not to mention, you've had both more cold and way more snow than New England this year, which, while probably a sign of the Apocalypse, also gives me enormous sympathy for you.

Good luck to your SIL and hopefully still unborn nephew. I don't know if you know erbie, but she delivered a 32-week preemie last year who is now 8 months old [6 months adjusted] and doing just beautifully. They had a rather scary run of it for a bit, but she's absolutely fine. Incidentally, the cutoff for *serious* complications is right on that line - 32 weeks - and your nephew is already past it. Every week counts at this point, but even if he's delivered tomorrow his chances are excellent.

*hugs*

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

Weather everywhere seems to be crazy this season! And I will take the sympathy with gratitude! :)

I don't know erbie, but I think I've seen her around your group's journals. I'm so glad that everything went okay with her baby! What a relief that escaped the 32-week cutoff line risks!

Thanks for the good wishes for my SIL and nephew! It was really reassuring to spend some time with them this afternoon, and I just want the scary delivery/NICU part to be over and for him to be home safe and sound!

*hug*

[rolypolypony.livejournal.com]

I somehow missed this yesterday - good thoughts!!

Two of my friends have had super-early preemies, and both kids are doing wonderully - one is almost a year, and the other just turned 5 :) They've come a long way w/ preemie care!

But here's hopeing he stays in!

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! And it's so good to hear all these stories of successful preemies!