Tuesday Afternoon, April 24, 2012, Welcome to the outside world, Finnegan

The nurse came back to get me and I sat near Christine's head. A sheet was up above her belly and her arms were stretched out Jesus style. Yikes! A few minutes later we heard a cry, I told Christine I loved her and she did good. A nurse brought me into the baby's temporary room just outside the OR. I saw my child for the first time! A neonatologist stood with me, watching over things, or rather watching up at things. She's just a bit on the short side. I asked if the baby a boy or a girl and she said "I don't know" and asked someone else, "is it a boy or a girl?. "It's a boy!" I have a son! They had him in a bag to keep his body warm, and he peed! I went back into the OR to tell Christine "we have a son!" and went back in with Finnegan... still feeling as if I'd ball and maybe rejoice at the same time. He looked so fragile

His APGAR scores were 7 and 8, which blew away everyone in the room. Those are scores healthy full term babies receive, not pre-term babies like Finnegan. See http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003402.htm or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apgar_score to read what an APGAR score is. He was also breathing on his own! They gave him oxygen, but he didn't need a ventilator or surfactant. That kind of news certainly helped, but I was scared something might go wrong anyways.

Finnegan, just a few minutes after birth. He weighed 1 pound 11 and 3/4 ounces, measured 12 and 3/4 inches when he came out to the world at 12:06 PM on Tuesday, April 24, 2012.

They moved Finnegan to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) by a very confusing, zigzagging, long path. Once there they started putting him in his new bed.

Finnegan posing as the newest kid on the block in his NICU neighborhood

Finnegan with his hands how he held them in most ultrasounds. He also might have been trying to remove his face mask... He wasn't fond of that and his monitors being attached to him.

The medical director sat on the couch in Finnegan's room with me to talk about what they were going to get him set up and to explain a few of the consents they would need to care for Finnegan. I authorized a PICC line (to come later), donor breast milk until Christine starts producing, and something else I can't remember right now.The doctor left the room and Finnegan's first nurse and nurse probationer stayed behind to insert UAC and UVC lines into his belly button which is a sterile procedure. I'm not sure how some people can wear face masks for hours. After 5 minutes I wanted mine off!

After that was done and Finnegan was settling into his new digs, I went back up to Christine in the OR recovery room. Christine was recovering well, but in a bit of pain. She was getting some pain meds to help. She was the most calm I've ever seen her. She says that's because she's a momma now ;). Her nurse and I brought her down to see Finnegan. They were terribly busy with other births so no one else was available to help right away. Turns out I remembered the wrong room number and the wrong neighborhood. We asked for directions ;)

Christine sees Finnegan for the first time ever!

Our first family photo with Finnegan.

My parents and siblings came down to meet Finnegan and visit with Christine. I'm afraid I don't have any pictures of the visit, but something amazing happened at dinner with them. Danny called Finnegan his nephew! For those of you who don't know, Danny has a rule - He will not acknowledge any person as a family member until they are potty trained. I called him on it and he seemed genuinely stumped. We all laughed. I got the butterflies several times and began to get anxious. I left Finnegan in good hands, but I couldn't help but think of what might be happening without me there. After that, I checked in on Finn and then sat with Christine for a while before coming back down to the NICU to stay the night with Finnegan. And that's what I'm about to do now. Good night!

Oh... well, I do have a video... It turns out Finnegan likes to ride bicycles!