So tired

We decided yesterday, in talking with a nurse, that we should spread our feeding of Nathaniel a little further out ... every 3 1/2 or 4 hours instead of every 3. This sounded fine to us, but the little guy doesn't seem to agree. He was up most of last night and still seems alert as can be, while Amanda and I are feeling like we're at rock bottom.

The docs and nurses here want to keep close track of his input and output. To do that, they're weighing every diaper, and we're feeding from a bottle and recording, to the "cc" exactly how much he takes out of the bottle (notice I didn't say how much he swallows; that's because it's impossible to measure how much gets drooled out or spit up).

Anyway, with his little meals slightly spread out, he's drinking down like he's never had food in his life. He opens his mouth like a baby bird waiting for food, then he chugs away until there's nothing less.

That's when the trouble arrives. After his past few meals, he's had the hiccups. "What to Expect in the First Year" says not to worry, as the hiccups don't hurt infants. "What to Expect" doesn't take into account those infants who have stitches up their sternum. Nathaniel hiccups and cries like mad. They really make him uncomfortable.

And it doesn't help that he's still on a little bit of oxygen, and those tubes around his nose are starting to drive him crazy. An X-ray yesterday showed there's still some fluid in his lungs that's making it difficult to go off the oxygen and get the numbers they're looking for. Today, he's due for an echo-cardiogram to ensure his heart is recovering properly.

So, there's my update. Sorry for the stream-of-consciousness style, but the lack of sleep is hitting me pretty hard.