1/19/14: So much to smile about

I'll start with a medical update. Things are still status quo in a good way. Baby Brady continues to do great whenever we monitor his heart rate. I'm still feeling well too. Definitely getting bigger and my back hurts sometimes from sitting in bed so much but really my biggest complaint about this hospital stay is that they don't have Bravo. My doctor, Dr. Gravett, was gone all week at a medical conference but he paid us a visit on Saturday. He really thinks I can make it to 34 weeks. Some of the doctors have told me that the conventional approach in my case is to induce at 34 weeks because the benefit of the baby growing more doesn't outweigh the increased risk of an infection. But Dr. Gravett told us that if we're both still doing as well as we are now at 34 weeks, he's inclined to let me keep going. I didn't push him on how much more because I don't want to get greedy but I know that if I can get to even 35 weeks, the likelihood of needing any time in the NICU is a lot less and it would be so amazing if we can avoid that altogether. But I need to keep reminding myself how incredible it is that we've even made it this far- almost 32 weeks! So back to taking it just one day at a time...

Friends and family continue to fill my days with reminders of how damn lucky we are. My mom and sister got here Saturday to be here for my shower. It seemed like we'd never make it to the day they were supposed to arrive but here we are! Its been so good to see them. My sister heads back tomorrow but my mom will be here all week which should provide for some more good Grandma Lee stories so stay tuned! Earlier in the week, I got to catch up on the phone with my college friend JJ. MVP visitor Kristin came and saw us twice for dinner and a showing of "What to expect when you're expecting" care of my friend Lanie. Since I'm such a slacker when it comes to my childbirth and preemie reading, I feel like I can count watching the movie as homework credits. SF friends Kris and Peter were here for the weekend and it was soooo great to see them. They humored me by being my captive audience in the hospital while I campaigned for them to move here! Kris is on board so I was really focusing my energy on Peter. I think I have more work to do. And my team at work, Whitney, Lisa & Kathleen have been so amazing. They come to visit me all the time so we can have work meetings but also they just cheer me up when they are here and have been so wonderful and understanding since this all happened. My new manager Susie joined for a meeting this week too. Pretty exciting to have a hospital offsite in your first week at a new job =).

In exciting news for Aaron, he got a night off and went to the Amazon holiday party with Kristin and got to see Vampire Weekend, one of his favorite bands! A well deserved break for my husband =).

I cried mixed tears of joy and sorrow today when Stephanie (Sophia's mom) came to visit me. She wanted to drop off a gift for my shower and I told her I would be mad if she tried to come up here after all she's been through at this hospital. Its already hard enough that she has to come back here for doctor's appointments. I even had Aaron go out front to intercept her so she wouldn't have to walk in, but before I knew it she was knocking on my door and walked in looking gorgeous and with a huge smile on her face. She told me about how she was coming from church where the priest talked about Sophia's story. She had no idea he was planning to do that and he didn't even know she was going to be there. Another example of how little miracle Sophia continues to be with us. We talked about Baby Brady, Ozzie the dog, an upcoming trip they are planning to Mexico to get away, how she's planning to go back to work, all the amazing ideas and plans she has to keep Sophia's memory and cause alive and well, and how she's embracing support groups and therapy to help get through all of this. It was just such a normal conversation we were having. Halfway through I just looked at her in amazement and tears started streaming down my face. Before I knew it Stephanie was hugging and consoling me. It was ridiculous! I had to get my act together and stop. So many of you have been surprised at how positive and optimistic we've been since we've been in the hospital. I'm surprised too because its not really in my nature but how can I not be when I have the most amazing example of strength and resilience right in front of me. Its because of Stephanie Rodousakis. Its also because of my friend Erin Quinn who was diagnosed with MS this year and has handled it with so much strength and grace. Because of my friend Emily Drake who suffered through the loss of 2 babies before being able to experience the joy of her adorable little girl Vivi. And because of my friend Mindy Sanders whose son battled a very aggressive form of cancer and now continues to beat the odds as a healthy cancer-free little boy. Its these amazing friends who are my heroes and have taught me how to be strong. I owe them so much.

I still have happy hangover from having my first journey off the 6th floor to go down to my shower. I have too many pictures and amazing details that need to be saved for a separate post but I will leave you all with a video of my journey down to the hospital cafeteria and a photo of post-shower football watching with my awesome shower hostesses, birthday boy Kevin Molloy and our out of towners!