Settling in, meeting Aunt Megan, and new therapies (Nov. 24)
Having Lucas home continues to be great. He’s eating and 
sleeping and wiggling all around. A new friend from “Preemies Today”, the local support network for parents of premature babies, brought us a digital infant scale so now we can weigh Lucas whenever we want. He hit the 8 1/2 pound mark meaning he’s gained as much as a half a pound since coming home. You can really notice his chunky thighs, which used to be about the size of his ankles but now look like tree trunks in comparison.
His breathing has also been very stable, in part because we’re figuring out how often we need to do the trach suctioning routine, and in part large part because Lucas is a superstar. So much so that yesterday we turned off the machines and put on his cordless, hose-less “nose” so we could role around on the floor. It was fantastic, and Lucas was wide-eyed.
Lucas met his aunt Megan on Monday, and after having known her just a few hours he quickly took to snuggling with her. Being a growing baby is hard work, but it’s not all bad – imagine if we all could snuggle with people right after we meet!
And while Lucas is thriving in his home environment, where he can get a lot more peace and quiet than the hospital, he’s still getting some professional attention. Yesterday he had a session with a craneosacral therapist here at the house, and this morning his new physical therapist came to meet him. We love to hold Lucas and heap him with love, and we’re confident that this is contributing to his increasing strength, but we’re also hoping that these healers and therapists can help Lucas make his body move in all the ways he wants it to. One of the benefits of both therapies is body awareness – knowing that the tasty wrists Lucas loves sucking on are connected to his arms, connected to his shoulders, connected to his chest, connected to his head…
.
Comments (2)
Victory
November 25th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Dear Lucas Camilo,
As a small part of your far flung web of supporters and admirers, I want to first say we are all grateful for your continued progress on your path of healing and growth. You are a constant inspirtation.
We are also grateful that you showed the intuitive wisdom to choose the warm-hearted tribe of Stansburys and Hansons for your family.
The poem which follows is by Rafael Jesús González. In English first and then en Español.
GRACE
Thanks & blessing be
to the Sun & the Earth
for this bread & this wine,
this fruit, this meat, this salt,
this food;
thanks be & blessing to them
who prepare it, who serve it;
thanks & blessing to them
who share it
(& also the absent & the dead.)
Thanks & blessing to them who bring it
(may they not want),
to them who plant & tend it,
harvest & gather it
(may they not want);
thanks & blessing to them who work
& blessing to them who cannot;
may they not want – for their hunger
sours the wine
& robs the salt of its taste.
Thanks be for the sustenance & strength
for our dance & the work of justice, of peace.
© Rafael Jesús González 2009
—————————–
En Español…
GRACIAS
Gracias y benditos sean
el Sol y la Tierra
por este pan y este vino,
esta fruta, esta carne, esta sal,
este alimento;
gracias y bendiciones
a quienes lo preparan, lo sirven;
gracias y bendiciones
a quienes lo comparten
(y también a los ausentes y a los difuntos.)
Gracias y bendiciones a quienes lo traen
(que no les falte),
a quienes lo siembran y cultivan,
lo cosechan y lo recogen
(que no les falte);
gracias y bendiciones a los que trabajan
y bendiciones a los que no puedan;
que no les falte — su hambre
hace agrio el vino
y le roba el gusto a la sal.
Gracias por el sustento y la fuerza
para nuestro bailar y nuestra labor
por la justicia y la paz.
© Rafael Jesús González 2009
Susan Planck
November 25th, 2009 at 1:24 am
Wonderful, wonderful reports on you two and Lucas! Everything is new to me. I should have been inquiring! Chip saw the Post article, and that is how we got reconnected.
Lucas is a beautiful baby, and you two are very wonderful parents. Thanks for sharing your story. We, too, will now be thinking of him and you.
Love, Susan
Leave a reply