Today is a big day for Becky. Her abdominal surgery is scheduled for 2:30pm.

This morning, I found her resting peacefully, tucked on her side, lullabies playing soothingly over the speaker. They have cranked the heat in her room to keep her comfortable. I am fairly certain that I could grow tomatoes in here.

Becky hasn’t been able to eat since 2:30pm yesterday so last night was a bit rough for her. They are giving her IV fluids with electrolytes and sugars. This keeps her hydrated and helps take the edge off. The night nurse told me that she held Becky for 45 minutes in the middle of the night to soothe her. Have I mentioned that NICU nurses are real life super heroes?

I gave Becky her bath. Bath times are normally reserved for Fridays and Mondays. Not wanting to deprive her this luxury, we changed her schedule. The nurse offered to video a portion of the process. My sister was on speaker phone gabbing away while I washed Becky (blessedly no sound was captured). Just like at the beauty parlor.

The bath settled her down and helped her sleep.

Sam came for a visit and to spend some time with Becky. Apparently, newborns are particularly sensitive to the sound of their father’s voice. Infants mostly hear higher pitched female voices in the NICU so they take notice of the deeper sound of their father’s voice. Becky responded to Sam by wailing for a solid five minutes. And then she settled into his arms for a long nap. I finally felt comfortable leaving well after 10:00pm to grab dinner with Mom.

Sam brought us a special gift from Johnny. Apparently, he thought we needed some flowers and he must have known that the Dollar Store artificial variety are all the rage in the NICU (and the only ones allowed).

I’d say our preparations are all done. Now we wait for the surgery.

It’s just about game time, Becky!