An Average Visit Looks Like....

Here's what a normal visiting day looks like. My friend, Valerie, used to do these all the time before her kids got older. I loved the "What an average day looks like" posts. 

4:30 AM - Get up and get ready. I hate turning on lights and worry about waking up everyone else. So I get ready in the dark or turn on as little light as possible. For some reason it takes me at least 15 minutes to get up and 15 to get ready. 
5:00 AM - Leave the house and go get gas and a Coke to keep me awake. Set up a podcast to entertain me, this morning I'm listening to Stuff You Should Know. (Awesome podcast, you should listen to it). 
5:10 AM - Get on the Interstate.
5:40 AM - Pass Echo rest stop and remember something I've forgotten back at home. Today I've forgotten her clean baby clothes. I grunt angrily at myself at forgetting them by the front door. 
6:00 AM - Remember I forgot my headphones. Grunt. 
6:45 AM - Make it to the hospital. Plenty of parking at this time of day. A perk of being up so early. Sigh because I am up so early. Grateful to have made it down the canyon safely despite it being pitch dark and a long drive. 
6:50 AM - Grab a doughnut from the hospital cafeteria. I'm hungry, I haven't eaten and most likely won't be eating until I get home in 6 or so hours. Today the nice lady that knows Char is there, asks about Anastasia and gives me a discount. The breakfast of champions. 

7:00 AM - Get to the NICU and sign in. Then my favorite part, I make a bee line for Anastasia. I chat with the nurses to see how she did overnight, what she took by bottle or any temperament changes. Hear if she has any doctor's appointments over the next day or two. Yesterday the developmental therapist came and took a look at her.  
I call Char to check on the kids at home and give him the updates.
I get Anastasia out, hold her, just stare at her. I'm always taken back by this tiny miracle growing each day that I'm carrying in my arms. Admire her curly, dark brown hair. Wonder what color those eyes will be, I'm betting brown.
8:00 AM - Do her cares, Which means; take her temperature, change her diaper, switch her pulse monitor to the other foot, try to give her a bottle. The nurse then puts what she doesn't eat into her feeding tube. Today she ate 15 mls! 
8:15 AM - Back to cuddle time. Read Facebook and blogs, wish I could listen to a podcast. Holding her is great and such a bonding experience but she falls asleep so quickly in my arms. I need something to keep me awake. I'm used to the different alarms now and I'm tending to my baby and it's so peaceful that I get sleepy.

11:00 AM - Time for cares again. Pretty sure I nodded off for 30 minutes there. She took 18 mls by bottle for me! 
11:15 AM - Hold her a little longer. I know I plan on being back tomorrow but things come up. So you never know for certain. 
11:30 AM - Leave the hospital and call Char to see how he and the kids are. Tell him how the visit went. 
 1:00 PM  - Get home (safely). Spend time as a family before Char leaves for work at 2:30pm. Eat!!