loddy doddy we likes to potty

Yes, I realize Snoop said party, but we like to potty, and we like to do it in a toilet. And by we, I'm including Grace. That's right, Friday was a big day in the Demmel household. Grace figured out that walking around in a wet, soggy, stank diaper isn't really the sweet deal it seems to be. Sarah pulled off the monumental training task in one day. Granted, Grace has been ready for a while, but the time has been lacking to devote the attention it needs. I took a little video with our camera showing how Sarah brainwashed her.


Ok, so I'm sure the big question is how's Luke? Most excellent I must say. The wee man had his first Doc appt on Monday with our family Doc and gained 7 oz in just 3 days which brings him to 6lb 11oz. He's been chowing down fantastically since he's been home. He's also quite chilled most of the time and all-in-all a happy guy. So far, the only real difference between him and non-preemie (other than obvious size) is that we can't let him cry. There is no letting him "cry it out". With a preemie, crying robs the only energy they have and then they can't eat. So, he's completely spoiled rotten and gets a doting parent any time he's the slightest bit fidgety. But, I'll take that over a hospital stay any time. It's just awesome to have him home.

If you're wondering if this blog will continue, the answer is yes. If you're really bored at work and need a site to surf, feel free to check back from time to time as I'll be keeping this spot up-to-date on the fam happenings. I don't know how often I'll be posting, but I'd guess it will probably be about a weekly event.

On a side note, is there anything more contagious than a child's uncontrollable laughter? I realize it's my child and I'm quite subjective, but if you don't at least toss a little smile at this, then you either just got a botox injection or are missing a small piece of your soul (if the latter, then you really need to see Children of Men to get some perspective). Props to Papa W as the inventor of the "walking".


peace.

welcome home, big fella

Finally!!! A mere 8 weeks and 2 days for Luke to finally make his journey home. As you can see, Luke's pretty happy about it too. Someday when he understands, I'll thank him for bailing me out of trying to find a good replacement Mother's Day gift. And a Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there! I must say this one has been the best for this little family.

On to the home coming story. Yesterday, we showed up at the hospital a little before 12. We fed him, signed a few papers, loaded him up, and were on our way. Sarah did pretty good, but as we neared the car she finally lost it and let the water works loose. One of the mommy friends were walking us down along with a nurse and I'm pretty sure Luke and I were the only dry eyes in the group. It was a bittersweet moment. If you ever find yourself having a preemie, I'd highly recommend P/SL. It's an amazing hospital and they take such great care of the munchkins. Obviously Sarah was hoping that all her close mommy friends would be able to take their babies home for Mother's Day, but we were the only ones that lucked out in that department.

Aunt Mandy and Jen watched the kiddos while we picked Luke up and when we got home, the house had been decorated. I must say everybody was pretty stoked to see him at home. MacKenzie immediately turned on her doting mother persona and in typical fashion Grace tried to mimic sissy, so the poor guy has 3 mothers. After the 1st of many bleary-eyed nights, my dream came true. It wasn't in my chair and there was no golf on tv, but the effect was the same :)

It's been an incredible journey and it's really only just begun. It's hard to remember what those first few weeks were like when he was in the isolet, all plugged in, and crazy tiny. It feels like a vague dream I'd like to forget about... and now that he's home it'll just become the first chapter in his long scrapbook (that's if Sarah ever catches up :)

Now, let's get this party started! If you care enough to read this blog, we'd love to thank you by throwing a party. Saturday, May 26th @ 7pm, our humble abode. There will be all the great food you care to eat, a keg, plenty of eats and drinks for the kids, and a small fenced yard for them to terrorize. Bring the entire fam, come meet Luke, and help us celebrate his healthy little life! Let me know if you need directions. Can't wait to see you all!

In other news, Sarah bought Grace and Mac new pajamas. Mac's came with a sleep mask to match. Little did we know she'd actually use it. What a diva.

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya Tomorrow! You're always a day a way!

That's right. Annie. Yes, I have 2 girls. Just be thankful that I took out the embedded song so it's not playing right now. And YES I'M FREAKING OUT!!! Luke's finally coming home tomorrow!!! He passed his final test today. They put him in his car seat and tested his O2 level to make sure it didn't drop and he did great! He's still eating good and no Bradys! All he has to do is make it through the night without a Brady and we take him home tomorrow.

Sarah left the camera at the hospital so she could get a shot with Erin, our favorite night nurse (we've never met, except via phone every night she's worked). But I promise a ton o homecoming pics!

Thank you all for your tremendous support! We'll never be able to fully express how truly grateful and blessed we are to have family and friends like you. I can't imagine getting through this without you!

When Luke crosses the front door, I think I'm gonna have perma grin for a month... ok, at least until week 2 of no sleep.

peace.

the final countdown

That's right. We have a theme song.

I hope this song stays stuck in your head as long as it's stayed in mine. I gotta get me some of that hair, it's making a come back. That and mullets.

Alright, so on to the goods. Luke is doing awesome!!! Today was huge. They took out the feeding tube because he ate all his feeds from a bottle over 24 hours (and then some). Because he's progressing so quickly they wanted to get everything in order for him to go, so he was circumcised today and received 3 immunization shots. The Doc warned us that both could cause Bradys, but he was good to go through both and even ate more than a full feed after each (80cc and 75cc). So, barring any Bradys or other setbacks it's looking like Sarah will get her Mother's Day present after all. They've whispered Saturday to us, but again we are very cautiously optimistic. He's up to 6lb 3oz now. He's a full fledged regular size baby now. Also, they moved his crib to flat. He's been chillin on about a 15 degree pitch since he's been out of the isolet. So I pleaded with Sarah to take some pics and she didn't get any of him awake. But, I must say he's still quite the charmer while passed out. Traits he must have inherited from the milk man.

Anyway, I really hope the next post is his homecoming. Seriously, I haven't been this nervous since last year's Husker - Kansas game. Ok, obviously I jest... Luke's bday was quite nerve racking.

peace.

reality check

Hola. Feliz cinco de mayo todos. For you non-spanish speakers out there, in English, that's "have a corona, let's party." So, how about a little update for you. Luke is doing great. He continues to hoss out and tips the scales at 5lb 12oz. He averages about 3 full feeds a day from the bottle, which is just 5 shy of our goal. He also had another eye exam on Friday which he passed with flying colors (catch that pun? ...man I'm good). He had been doing good on Bradys with none since last Saturday... until yesterday when he had 3 and another tonight, punker. He also decided to properly welcome daddy back into infant land by spitting up all over my shirt today. All in all, he continues to grow about an oz a day. If we could just get those Bradys to stop with enough energy for the bottle all the time, we'd be happy campers and we'd be at home.

So, now for the reality check... I've been pretty happy-go-lucky the last few posts because Luke's progress has been great. Don't get me wrong, the dude's a rock star and continues to amaze. However, as you can imagine we've been forming relationships with the rest of the Graduate parents. Well, there is a man who's been around most of the weekends with a couple of boys and today I finally learned his story. They come from Casper, WY (yes 283 miles from the hospital). His grandson, Giovani, was born 1/24 and finally!!!! went home today. He was born about 29 weeks gestation at 2lb 10oz, same as Luke. Giovani is a similar super hero and grew without any problems, with the exception of nagging Bradys from time to time, same as Luke. Well, so the story goes, but they were told many a time that Giovani was going home only to have him Brady the day of (or prior day to) discharge. I've been ignoring a little fact up til now that a baby can't be discharged until they go 5 Bradyless days. Giovani went home 3 weeks past his due date (over 3 months of hospital stay) weighing in at 9lb.

Crazy!!! So, a couple of things I take away from that hospital every time I'm there... We are so incredibly blessed with Luke's great health and our close proximity to such an amazing hospital. That said, the dude's still in a Level 2 NICU. Not a Level 1 and not home. Although he's made fantastic progress, I'm becoming aware of the sobering reality that these last couple of hurdles could take a while. Needless to say, Doc's 2 week prediction (which ends Monday) is out the window. I would say that a homebound Mother's Day gift is highly unlikely as well. Which means, I'm going to have a basket case on my hands in a week and the main gift I was hoping to give her isn't happening. Anybody have any ideas that doesn't require a lot of coin? Seriously, I need all the help I can get. At this point, I'm just hopeful that he'll be home by his due date (May 26). Memorial Day weekend is the 2nd biggest family event of the year for us as all the Wortmans, Demmels, and friends converge at our little abode for the BolderBoulder.

Sorry for such a downer. Even though it seems we are so close, you just never know until he's made that trip home. Mmmmm.... home... baby and I passed out in my chair watching football/golf/baseball on a Sunday afternoon. There's a priceless Visa commercial for you. Bottle of wine, $10. Pregnancy test, $5. Life flight, delivery, and 2+ months in the NICU, $500,000. Baby napping on sleeping dad's chest, priceless.

Sorry about the lack of pics in this one. I'll try to get you your fix in the next post. But not to leave you completely photoless, there was some fantastical news recently (aside from Jay Moore getting drafted, go Elkhorn!!!). I'm getting another brother from another mother! That's right, in case you live in a cave, Brent and Megalicious are getting hitched. Even though he's a diehard CU fan (whatever that means), I'm way stoked. Believe me, I've tried to warn him about the Wortmans, but I guess Megan is just too good a catch :)

Yes, Mandy, subjected these poor people with these shirts, which read, "Boys stay away, I'm engaged" and "Girls stay away, I'm engaged." On the back, you'll find, "He proposed" and "She said yes" respectively. Yes, I was subjected to wearing one of these way back in 1983 when I proposed to Sarah... ok, it was really 1999, but do any of you remember when we weren't married? And for you single guys out there, the greatest pick up line on the planet is not a line at all, but one of these shirts. Girls will flock to you and want to hear your romantic proposal story and how much in love you are. Costanza's fake ring has nothing on this.