Tik-toc-tik-toc-tik-toc

So, before I get going here, sorry Lions fans.  Oh my.
Next, if you can't look at a sweet little face like this, stop reading, as you'll see plenty of it through this blog.  That's my girl!!

We're even catching nurses from other parts of the NICU popping over just to peek at our little blessing!  Good thing she looks like her mom!!

So, all along, I've tried to tell myself (and Shawna) that if we have a girl I won't give her the "princess treatment" and I've already put my foot down (in my head) to not allow myself to do that.  For example:

-her first car will NOT be a lamborguini (sorry on the spelling)...just a corvette.

-I will NOT pay for a destination wedding in Fiji or any other foreign, exotic island...just Hawaii.

-I will NOT buy 4-6 American Girl dolls for her...only 3.

-I will NOT take her on shopping sprees to the Michigan City Outlets...just the Tanger's in Wayland.

See...I can hold firm and give her equal treatment.  No problem.

Sorry Myles and Peyton, but lil sis may get different treatment than you do....not better, just different, and the sooner you can accept that, the better life will be for you.  Chad and I never fully bought into that and that is why we've suffered for so many years....Kurt, you too?

Speaking of the boys, they've already been awesome as they react to their new baby sister via facetime at both sets of grandparents houses.  They ask to see Baby Kierstyn right away and give some really funny, big brotherly reactions to how "cute" she is and giggle at her.  They even went shopping today with Grandma Janet and picked out a purple (GO CATS...yeah boys...by the way, Northwestern football is 10-2...I think that is a better record than a team over on the east side of the state) outfit and a few toys for Kierstyn.  They're going to be great big bros.  They've also been able to have some fun with the grandparents for (hopefully, well in terms of it being due to us being in Philly) the last time.

On Grandma Sue's 60th birthday, Tuesday, they spent some time at the Old People's Dormitory of Holland, officially known as The Warm Friend, with Great Grandma Dirkse watching the trains that are set up.  They showed us their new Bubble Guppies (???) or Aqua somethings they got at Meijer today during their soccer game at Papa John and Grandma Janet's house...I think they're surviving just fine.  Here comes Detox December.  

Well, back to some details with Kierstyn and Shawna.  Shawna was in some serious pain the day after surgery as initial meds and pain killers wore off and the cramping from breast feeding set in....not to mention the second major surgery on her abs in less than 3 months.  She made it through that day with flying colors and the "You can either throw in the towel or use it to wipe the sweat off of your face" speech from me...just kidding.  One of her/our saving graces was one of the fabulous nurses that we had (we had her after the initial surgery in August as well), Jill.  She is one of the most happy-go-lucky, funny, positive, caring, empathetic people we've experienced in our time in Philly.  She was always so open to how Shawna was feeling and bent over backwards to be creative with pain meds when Shawna was in some serious pain (I got the feeling she broke a few rules, too, to make sure Shawna was feeling okay).  We can't thank her enough.  Each day since has been better and Shawna was officially discharged today!!!  She spent most of the day crib-side with Kierstyn, although she was quite the popular girl today.  She had a hearing test....

look at those cords for her little headphones....no Beats by Dre, but the little babies version.

Then, she had an MRI that lasted a few hours to assess her brain/ventricles and her spine.  Results of that will help determine whether shunts are needed but we won't know on those until tomorrow (well, today, as I see it's now past midnight).  She also got her first pieces of equipment to help correct some ambulatory issues that she'll have.  The people in pediatrics made some custom bright orange and green splints for her legs....oh yeah.  We won't have her casted to correct her bi-lateral club feet until we get back to Michigan (see pics).

That will be quite a process but we'll make our way through the process...I've thought maybe her theme song should be "We Be Clubbin'" by Ice Cube!!  

She's been nursing from Shawna likes she's never ate before (well, she really hasn't) and that has been huge.  They've stopped doing ultrasounds on her bladder as she seems to be successfully and fully emptying her bladder on her own, not that she'll have control over it, which is a big deal for spina bifida babies!!  So, all in all, we're getting great reports on her progress on her way to discharge.  We've experienced some awesome nurses, as well, in the NICU.  The people, once again, continue to make our experience at CHOP the best that the circumstances could allow for.  

We've been asked many times when we'll be discharged and our best answer is..."yes."  So, we have no idea.  We still need to take an infant CPR course but will complete that today (Friday), Kierstyn has passed everything that we've received results for, and it looks like the path is getting shorter as we are encouraged to overhear some nurses talk about in the next few days while a few others have made comments about "by Christmas" or "in the next 5 weeks" to which I though Shawna was going to deck the doctor with an upper cut (that doc had NO idea this was a 37 week mom/baby...total assessing the situation, not the patient).  So, we don't know and are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.  What we do know is it will be a bittersweet departure, whenever that does happen, as we've met so many unbelievable people throughout this journey, that do amazing things.  Just a quick example for those of you who have followed the blog, I mentioned a LONG time ago a couple from West Virginia who we were staying at the Holiday Inn in Chestnut Hill with who's daughter was going to be born with only 1 functioning lung and it was only functioning at 25% and was given a 5% chance of survival...guess who's in the NICU room/area right next to us...them, and when I asked the mother today how the daughter was doing (she was born a month or so ago) her eyes lit up and she gave me a two thumbs up....ARE YOU KIDDING ME...?  The medical personnel at CHOP do amazing things and we feel so blessed to be under their care.  Just to give you a quick pic of the NICU room that Kierstyn is in, and you can't see it all, as their are chairs/lazyboy style for us....

The amount of cords and monitor on or by Kierstyn are VERY precautionary, as they're just monitoring her lungs and heart but are really of little concern.  I think the nurses that have been assigned to her are on quite a bit of a break to what they're used to (although they do have to deal with Shawna and I).  I think Kierstyn may be the healthiest baby in the NICU as there are some pretty nasty situations that we're witnessing.  I'm amazed by the spunkiness, laughter, smiles, positive attitudes of the nurses in the NICU as they, day after day, deal with very dreary issues and life and death situations that don't always turn out well.  Unbelievable.  

We have had heavy hearts, ourselves, though, in the past few days for one of my players at Hope, Steve Wittenbach, as his mother lost her lengthy battle with cancer on Sunday.  The funeral for Deborah was today.  Please keep the Wittenbach's in your thoughts and prayers.  Amazingly, I am so fortunate to have the chance to be around unbelievable young men at Hope.  When I called Steve Sunday evening, his first question to me right away was asking how Shawna was doing.  Really, from a 22 year old kid who just lost his mother, he was showing concern for my wife.  Thanks, Witt.  You're the man.  Hang in there!!

Another shout out needs to go to the Penn Basketball coaching staff.  They've opened up their doors to me to come to any and all practices that I can as their gym is just a two minute walk from CHOP.  Each time I go, they all call me by name, ask how Shawna is doing, and have shown great support and compassion to me.  This is D1 basketball we're talking about.  They've got much bigger fish to fry than to go above and beyond to accommodate a small D111 school's assistant coach, but they have.  Go Quakers!!  I have the utmost respect for them and the type of program they run.  I'll never, in all of my coaching days in the future, forget their welcoming of me as they know what the real priorities are.  

Well, time for bed.  I'm hoping Shawna is catching some crib-side sleep at CHOP with Kierstyn as I made it back to the PRMH to get some laundry and school work done.  Still loving Philly but hoping to be home ASAP!  The clock is ticking....tik, toc, tik, toc.  

YOU KNOW....CHOOSING JOY

-Jeff