Memorial Day Weekend

Jeff was able to come up for Memorial Day weekend. He flew in Thursday night and was able to stay until Monday night.  So Wednesday night, I gave Sydney a little bath to get ready for Daddy!  Because of her PICC line, she can't have a "real" bath, she has to have a washcloth bath.  She is not too fond of them right now and as I was washing her, she got a little cold and curled up in a cute ball!

Here is a picture of Sydney waiting for her Dad to come on Thursday...(one of my favorites of her!)

I picked up Jeff and we went to do Sydney's7pm cares.  Jeff changed her diaper for the first time and was finally able to hold her now that she is off the ventillator.

Jeff's first Snuggles!

Since Jeff was on "vacation" we decided to take a drive on Sunday up Ogden Canyon.  It was a nice relaxing drive.  We took a few pictures of the scenery.

Susan came up from Circleville on Sunday afternoon.  She got to hold Sydney for the first time!  Sydney loved her Aunt Susan!  Susan had brought her girls up on the trip, but they were too young to come into the NICU. 

Her girls were kinda funny...they came up with a plan for this summer - They decided that they would go down to Texas and Grandma Phil would watch them (since they are too old to have a "babysitter").  Their Mom would stay in Utah and watch Sydney in the hospital, and I could go to Texas with them and take them swimming in my pool.  I told them that I really couldn't leave Sydney right now.  Her littlest just shrugged her shoulders and said, "Ok, but we will sure miss you when we swim in your pool!"  Gotta love the honesty in kids!

While Jeff was here we were able to go to lunch on 2 separate days with some family members.  Friday we had a nice lunch with Jeff's Aunt Pat & Uncle Ted Bair and on Saturday we got togther with his cousin Lisa Robinson and her daughter Trisha.  Lisa and Jeff haven't seen each other in about 20 yrs or so, so it was a nice little reunion.

Like all vacations, this one had to come to an end! :(  It seemed to fly by again.  I had 4 wonderful days with Jeff and Sydney.  Monday was my brother, Aaron's, birthday.  All the kids - Susan, Jill, and Aaron - had lunch together with their families (minus Gary & Jason, Rebecca & Noah, and Sydney)  It was nice and chaotic - thank heavens for loud resturants!

Jeff & I left the resturant and headed back up to the hospital so Jeff could get in last snuggles and say goodbye.  I hate this part of his trip!  Her cares were at 2pm and the NICU closes down for shift change at 2:30.  We had a wonderful nurse who closed the curtain around us and let us stay for as long as we wanted so that Jeff could have as much time with Sydney and me as he could.  I was wary of this nurse when I first met her a few days before.  I came in and she was "hurting" my girl - taking blood for labs, regardless that it was a necessary hurt and Sydney slept through it without being too traumatized - I had decided that I didn't like her.  I ended up having her for 3 days straight and when she had her day off and came back on shift again they assigned her to Sydney.  I really ended up loving her as a nurse.  She listened to me and took my advice when it came to bundling Sydney.  (Sydney hates having her hands/arms pinned down.  She likes to be able to put them by her head if she wants or down by her side.  I have seen her wiggle out of whatever the nurse did to her or scream and fight until she got her hands free.  When I see her get fussy, I look for her hands pull them out of whatever position they are in and "free" them for her and she instantly is a happy baby again! - what a personality!)  She really bent over backwards to help her patients and their parents.  When 2:35pm came, I asked her to help us put Sydney back into her bed, she asked me when Jeff's flight was and then told us that we could stay and keep her out for as long as we wanted and as long as Sydney tolerated it.  It was wonderful of her to help us get as much time together as we could.  Gotta love thoe NICU nurses!

So of course we ended up doing the crying my eyes out routine as I dropped him off at the airport.  So hard to say goodbye!

Luckily when I got back "home" to my brother's house - we had a little private birthday party for my brother.  It was a wonderful distraction to Jeff going home!  Aaron's daughter - the nontalker - surprised us all when she wished her Dad a "happy birthday dad!"  I think it is only a matter of weeks...days...no, hours before she figures out the whole talking thing, and then they will be asking themselves, "why were we so anxious to have her talk, now we can't get her to be quiet!"