The Journey to Love

Chapter 10

NICU Day 24: Amanda and Diana are Twenty-four Days Old... Today is a shift day and a new doctor is stopping by.

The girls will be seeing Gastroenterology (which is for their digestive system), and the doctor's name is Dr. Allison Holt. Then, the girls have Maggie and Hannah caring for them today.

Yesterday, was a calm day. Vic and Lucas were both off, so, they all hung out at the hospital for most of the day. The girls are doing amazing with eating, and working on their temperature.

This morning, they woke up and did their normal routine. Which is they get up around six-thirty to seven, eat, shower, Andy pumps, and leave for the hospital around eight. When they get there, they do the baby's checks and hang out.

Around nine-thirty, Dr. Lori stops by with Dr. Holt. Conversation... Dr. Lori: Guys, this is Dr. Holt and she's in Gastroenterology. Andy: Okay. Dr. Holt: I'm in charge of the digestive system. Those organs are the mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. Andy: Okay. Dr. Holt: To check the functions of those organs, I'm going to order an ultrasound for the gallbladder, liver, kidneys, bladder, and pancreas. Then tons of blood work, CT, and some other tests. I'll come back with the results this evening. Andy: Thank you. Dr. Holt: You're welcome. (Dr. Holt leaves the room.) Dr. Lori: How are you guys this morning? Andy: Pretty good. Dr. Lori: How are the girls this morning? Maggie: They're doing everything well. This means they're taking their food well, oxygenating well, and keeping their temperature up. Dr. Lori: Keep doing what you're doing, because you're doing amazing. Maggie: Thank you. (Dr. Lori leaves. After she leaves, Maggie takes blood from the girls. After she takes the blood, Andy and Jamie go and get some coffee.) Jamie: How are the girls? Andy: Good. They're striving. How is Ezra? Jamie: He's strong and we're starting to move out of the incubator. Andy: That's amazing.

They hang out and talk. After thirty minutes while Andy's at coffee, she gets a text that Diana is going in for the CT. So, they go to Jamie's room. After thirty minutes Andy goes back to her girl's room. When she got there, Amanda was gone.

Robert: Don't worry. It's her turn for the CT scan. They're doing the CT scan, and ultrasound at the same time. Andy: Okay. (Lucas comes into the room.) Lucas: Where's Amanda? Andy: CT and ultrasound. They're seeing Gastroenterology today. Lucas: I'd like to propose tomorrow after the shift. Andy: Okay. Then we're going out to dinner that evening. Lucas: You should bring Jamie and Ryan since you've canceled so much. (Maggie comes into the room.) Andy: Hey. I was wondering if we could pick up the girls and hold them. Maggie: Sure. I'll show you how, and it's time to change them. You and Robert get to do it. Andy: Okay. (Maggie shows Andy and Robert how to change, swaddle, and pick them up. When they do that, they feel like parents for a couple of minutes. They just hold their girls for over an hour.) Lucas: I love it when I see you hold the girls. (Dr. Holt comes into the room with Dr. Lori.) Dr. Holt: Everything looks normal, and that's amazing. You guys are very lucky. Andy: Thank you. Dr. Holt: You're welcome. I'll do another exam a few days before discharge, and a couple months after. Andy: Okay. (Dr. Holt leaves.) Dr. Lori: That's good news. Tomorrow, Dr. Pardo will be back to ultrasound Amanda's heart. The thing is I've still noticed the murmur. So, she needs another echo. Andy: Okay.: End of Conversation After that, Dr. Lori leaves.

When Andy leaves, they all hang out. They hold the babies for a while and put them up. When they put the babies up, and hang out. They play cards, drink coffee, and stare at the babies. They just hang out as a family and enjoy the time together. Around six that evening, Lucas leaves. Then around seven, Andy and Robert leave.