Big Day!

Yesterday Olivia was formally discharged from SCBU and came in to the ward with Suzanne. I tink this is the first picture with all 3 of us in it; Suzanne's hand is on Olivia, who is in the sort of plastic tub which is her bed in hospital. quite a big day for her as a baby and for us as parents, as we'll be more and more responsible for her care now. So its exciting and scary at the same time. Here's an excerpt of an email Suzanne sent which gives a good idea (also helps me type less so I can get off to the hospital and help out!):

Hi All,

Well, Bob and I are just waiting around for the big event right now. When they finish the paperwork or whatever it is they're doing, Olivia will be coming in with us, by my bed. As usual, though, it always takes longer than expected and we're just waiting around a little impatiently. I'm trying to rest, and Bob is trying to set up the phone service by my bedside since we expect I'll be here alot more than before with Olivia staying here. I'm a bit nervous. I was a teary wreck this morning anticipating sleepless nights and having to do it all myself (since Bob won't be here), but it sounds as though the support should actually be quite good. They don't want me to become a wreck any more than I do. It sounds like a whole team of people will descend on me once Olivia is in here. It sounds like they expect us to be in here for up to another couple of weeks, anyway. sigh. and she'll almost certainly still have a feeding tube when we go home. sigh.

She's here! She just arrived. and she's sound asleep. Of course, that's pretty much what she does anyway between 'feeds' - which is good, her energy should go in to making her grow at this point, not to showing off her pretty eyes.
Now that she's safely here, Bob has just ridden off to buy me a hand pump for expressing. Today, the midwife really recommended I give it a try. Maybe I'll try it and be perfectly content with it, so I'll give it a go. If nothing else, it may save alot of time.

I really hope tonight goes well. Apparently, the 'girls' (midwives or nurses) take one of the night feedings, so that I can have a 6 hour block of time to try to sleep.

After her first bath the other day, I noticed that she has Bob's cowlick. It's on the same side and everything :) Her hair mostly looks straight, but at times seems a little wavy. I heard a midwife saying that if your baby has dark eyebrows and dark hair the hair will probably stay dark, but if the eyebrows and lashes are light (as hers are) all the dark hair may fall out and be replaced by blonde. We'll see!