We sleep... we eat... we poop. (Then we sleep some more.)

Finally free from the tyranny of the NICU doctors, Oliver now spends the majority of his days lounging in his co-sleeper in the middle of our living room, the center of attention for his recently re-energized family. Bundled like an early Christmas present, the only visible remnant of his exceptional start in life is the Respironics SmartMonitor2 that stands on the ready to alert us when his heart rate drops or his breathing stops. So far, the only alerts (which sound like fire alarms) have been to tell us that the sticky electrode sensors have been pulled loose. (Duct tape solved that problem!)

The cats are confused but generally unmoved. Black Kitty seems relieved that the new arrival remains largely stationary and appears to be a fellow pacifist. White Kitty wonders why the other cats fail to grasp the obvious: this little creature is actually a puppy brought in to replace them. LaFarge is resigned to living out his remaining days in solitude, on a pillow in the corner, snoring.

...

In my quiet moments -- and contrary to conventional wisdom, there have been many these last few days -- I catch a momentary glimpse of what it must be like to have a "normal" baby. Our stay in the hospital was an experience impossible to forget and, yet, it has already begun to fade into long-term memory. In the future, with a healthy and happy Oliver to entertain/distract us, the recollection of our experience at NYU will serve merely as a source of strength when we face our next "insurmountable" challenge.

...

It is late in morning on lazy fall Saturday and Mom and Oliver are snuggling on the couch, making up for lost time. Oliver grunts; Mom giggles. Oliver [how do I explain this? - he sounds like a baby goat]; Mom coos. They have what my friend Ed calls the primordial bond between mother and child.


I sit here at the computer, pecking away at the keyboard, pausing to smile or to sigh or to rub my stinging eyes. Occasionally my eyes lose focus as I stare into the blinking green lights of the SmartMonitor2 and wonder what twist of fate grants me the pleasure of having this wonderful wife and this perfect child.