I Love My Family: Aug 25, 2012

Tim starts work in a week. I am obviously freaking out. He would be but he’s one cool cucumber. I suspect he is on the inside. I don’t know how other families do this. We couldn’t have been more lucky. We live 20 minutes from the best hospital in the country (sorry Dr Erin & all her friends). Tim has had the last two months off school. We’ve been able to be at the hospital all the time. We sleep at home, one of us is here around 8 am, the other one plays with Poppy. After her nap we switch and the other one stays with Oliver until its time to drive home or risk being too tired to be safe. I can’t imagine what is going through his mind having to go back. I still don’t have the mental energy to make even reasonably pleasant small talk with anyone, forget planning lessons and being fully engaged with other peoples kids while mine is in the hospital. And he teaches an autism class, far more complicated than the art I teach. But he’s going to do it, and he’s going to do it well, because he loves his job and he is the most caring person I know. On top of being the worlds best dad and husband, he is also the worlds best teacher. I’m lucky to know him, forget be loved by him.

Anyway, back to where I was going with this. My amazing mom is going to take Poppy three days a week when Tim goes back so I can be here with Oliver. She and my dad have completely put their lives on hold for us. I don’t think they’ve done anything social since Ollie was born. My Mom takes Poppy on adventures at least once or twice a week so we can do things we’d normally let each other do but can’t now. Tim going to the gym, me getting my nails done (thanks Gin!), sitting with Oliver together. She watches Oliver once a week so we can give Poppy some two parent time. She and my dad take Poppy for sleepovers at the drop of a hat. She runs her own small business and has been completely selfless in telling clients she can’t make it just to make our lives easier. My dad, who will not walk to the corner store, walks to the hospital on his lunch every day to make sure we get lunch. He sits with Oliver, because I’m crazy and don’t like him to be alone, and even gives us money to buy the food! He’s always got toys for Poppy in his pockets in case their visits overlap. I don’t know how we’d get through this without them. When Poppy was born I called my mom to apologize for every single thing I’d ever done because I finally got what being a mom meant. People have said so many nice things about me as a mother, every good thing I’ve ever done I learned from my parents. They are who I want to be when I grow up. There have been a million nice people doing a million nice things for us this summer (Tim’s dad drives down on his lunch from Thornhill to spend 20 minutes with Oliver and then eats a personal pizza in the car on his way back! And that’s just one example…), and I hope you all know how much you’re appreciated, but I wanted to take this opportunity to thank my parents for keeping us from drowning this summer. Love you Mommy and Daddy.

Oliver is still being a superhero. He’s still on room air and working hard on those bottles. He has to take all his food by mouth and gain weight to get to come home. Today he’s taken 20-35 mls of the 70 he’s been offered. Fingers crossed he can keep this up although it’s Oliver, and it’s CDH, so I’m not ruling out a few bumps in the road. Xo

So small!

Cuddling his giraffe from Nana

Oh hey, hello.