How to distract yourself while your baby takes care of some unfinished business...

Tip #1- make sure you have your premature baby during the Olympics. Boy did we time that one just right! It's amazing how much quicker those 12 minute pumping sessions go when you're catching up on the latest from Beijing. In fact...I think that Steph medaled in the 2x 12 min freestyle pumping event- way to make your country proud and keep your daughter full!! I'm not going to make any big political comment on anything that happened during the games or recap any of the great athletic achievements... there are plenty of blogs out there taking care of that for me. For some...the Olympics have been the crowning achievement of a lifetime of hard work- for us, it's been the perfect mind candy during the most singular time in our lives! We are sitting here watching the closing ceremonies, musing that the next time we watch the Olympics, we'll have a little 4 year old running around... now that will be a medal-worthy achievement....

Tip #2- Keep yourself busy with projects and new hobbies. As mentioned before, Stephanie has taken on pumping. (I could make all sorts of fun jokes and comments... but I forget that not everyone is as knee-deep in this fun as we are, and we still live in a slightly puritan society, where even some mothers are uncomfortable with this topic. Some life events blow normal taboos out of the water :) )Every sport has it's gear, and we've geared Steph up with a Medela Pump-in-Style hospital grade pump (we ain't messin' around...), which comes with a stylish Metro Bag... smart purchase all across the board.

I have taken on a complimentary hobby: bottle-washing. The other day I calculated that I have washed those bottles about 150 times...give or take. I do have to say, with no small bit of pride, I do have quite the technique figured out. Smartest gear purchase on my end: a functional drying rack for the bottles, with a bottle scrubber. I've really maximized my efficiency, and minimized washing time, while ensuring a higher level of cleanliness... nothing but the best for our girl!

We have also teamed up to get some serious picture taking and scrapbooking done. I think that the nurses have finally just gotten used to the fact that Avery is going to have a full-blown photo-shoot every time we come to visit. Everyone's favorite comment: Yeah, we did that too for our first baby...you'll see, each child gets fewer and fewer pictures taken. My response in my head each time: Speak for yourselves, rookies! Anyone who has been on vacation with me knows that it's gonna take more than a few more kids and years to keep me from taking picutres. Steph has taken it upon herself to get some serious scrapbooking done. She just got a few pages done of us for our anniversary and will get going on Avery's scrapbook soon. We have also had some awesome NICU nurses help us out with some great scrapbook memories to get us started!Together...we will immortalize the moments of our lives...

Tip #3: take up an impossible sleep schedule. When you don't sleep much... you end up sleeping a lot! Crazy as that sounds... you either understand what that means or you haven't lived it yet. Chances are, we will all have a time in our lives when that will be true. Somehow, we are living in a time warp, where minutes seem like days, days are measured in ounces gained or lost, time is passed by savoring the moment and hastening each second by... and whatever is left in between is spent napping :) Time flies when you're half-awake!

Tip #4: Pretend like the bun is still in the oven, and do the "normal" things. Everyone keeps asking us well-meaning questions like "Have you chosen a pediatrician?" or "Where are you registered"... We just politely smile and realize that WE are the sane ones...and you all have gone crazy :) Just kidding of course! We didn't exactly expect the baby to come until October, so we're kinda playing catch-up on all that fun stuff. Steph and I went to Babies R Us this week and registered... We got most of the basics registered for, but ended up in frustration, not knowing which brands or sizes or whatever. We're hoping for a lot of good suggestions, lots of gift cards and diapers... and my secret plan is to simply bribe one of our NICU nurses to come home with us and I think that will pretty much cover those bases!

We went home for the first time in what seemed like forever, and our big accomplishment- besides doing the laundry- was getting Avery's crib set up. It did my male ego some good to get that set up... and it made us laugh as we placed a doll the size of Avery in the corner of the crib. We might as well have saved the money and just let her sleep in my sock drawer! Some things we do for our babies... some things are for us silly parents!

Tip #5: Surround yourself with amazing people. I don't want to name names...but I have learned that you never go through anything alone...ever. There are people who have accomodated us physically, so unselfishly and lovingly. There are people who traveled long distances to make sure we were loved and supported through our tough times. We have made friends who have gone through similar circumstances and have shared emails and stories with us that give us hope. We share loads with friends going through their own times of trial. Some listen to our cares and worries... some are our hands and hearts caring for our angel... some help us see in ourselves what we don't when we see our weary reflections in the mirror. A few give of their time... a few of their creative talents... not one small effort goes unnoticed. We could never do it without you. We've made it this far hand in hand...carried in His hand... we can make it because we're not alone...