Rooming In

After 73 days, the Allen family will finally spend a night *alone* together.  Marni and I are now at the hospital, in a room down the hall from the nicu, where we will spend the night together with the little ones.  We wheeled Lucas and Olivia down the hall with the nurse, everything prepared for the night ahead.  A few mintues after the nurse closed the door and left--after we untangled all the wires and got the monitors and cribs in a good position--I realized we were finally alone with the kids.  So wonderful.

It is common nicu practice for parents to room in with the kids a couple days before they come home.  The point is to give us an opportunity to have a night responsible for everything, though with the comfort of the doctors and nurses down the hall.  The next suggestion, all in the nicu repeat, is for mom and dad to have a day off the next day, to rest and have a date night before the kids come home.  We are excited for all of it.

Yes, this does mean we are still possible for Thursday departure.  As the attending said today, if all the stars and moons align, Thursday is the day.  Olivia is still insisting on taking things right down to the wire, but we wouldn't have her any other way.  And, in true nicu fashion, we will not know that Thursday is the day until Thursday morning.  We will find out then if Thursday is to be the day, or some day after that.

As we continue to embrace today and the present moment, we look forward to the night ahead.  It would be kind of fun to give updates after every feed, but something tells me we'll be a bit too exhausted and ecstatic for that.  Instead, we will continue to enjoy the moments ahead, and smile to tell about them tomorrow.