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Archive for March, 2008
It’s LOVE!
29
Mar
Getting ready for the big moment
29
Mar
Not sure if phone pics get on the blog. But these flowers are what we see all day. Thank you.
Jenn is off the IV and getting into a wheelchair to go see a certain someone…
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Grace’s Dad (The Milkman) Made Mommy Cry
29
Mar
Grace – 3 hours shy of a day old from Brad Topliff on Vimeo.
In my new job as the Milkman I get to see some incredible things when I make my rounds, delivering 2 or 3 milliliters of milk to NICU. This particular thing made Grace’s mom grab for the Kleenex. Don’t watch without a box next to you.
Jenn’s New Favorite Picture
28
Mar
New favorite pictures are likely to happen often. She is wearing her new ducky hat purchased as soon as we heard she was days away. This way she looks a little different than all her tiny little neighbors. A girl has to look good. She is currently sleeping on her stomach, I think it’s because it easier for her and more like her old apartment.
Watch til the end…she’s cute
28
Mar
The first face-to-face
28
Mar
The Topliff Girls Meet from Brad Topliff on Vimeo.
Need I say more?
OK, maybe I need to say more….
My girls are AWESOME!
On the one hand we have Jenn, who despite a terrifying ordeal in Labor and Delivery (I will write more about that later) managed to deliver a healthy baby girl AND get some colostrum for Gracie out of her pre-term ducts. This is a really big deal because when they start feeding her she will get some much needed nutrients and immune system goodness from it. A lot of mothers can have trouble with this at first but Jenn apparently has a secrete weapon.
Grace, on the other hand, has been breathing on her own since being suddenly evicted from her previous residence. She seems perfectly capable of finishing up her own pregnancy, thank you very much, allowing her mom to get healthy enough for midnight feedings and guilt trips.
More coming. Love all the comments.
Brad and Jenn and Grace
We have a healthy baby Grace!!!!
28
Mar
Weighing in at just under 3lbs, meet Grace White Topliff!
Mom and daughter are both doing really well. It was a tough night that ended in a fast C section but all is well and Grace is breathing on her own. They call it “breathing room air” and they repeat it to each other enough to assume it is a REALLY big deal.
More to come. Mom and daughter have not properly met yet.
I’m guessing lots of posts to come.
Love to all,
Brad, Jenn and Grace
It’s a chicken!
27
Mar
The tests came back protein level “chicken”, which means its on! The best news of the day is that because Grace is no longer in the breech position, we can attempt a vaginal delivery. As of this morning, we thought it was an automatic C Section and that was something we were dealing with. It still may go that way, but Jenn gets to give it the old college try. She is very excited and nervous. Scared has officially left the building as the waiting game ended. We are in the absolute best place in Northern California for this and we are getting the best care. Grace will also get the best care when she arrives.
Currently, we are beginning the labor inducing process, which can take awhile. Sometime between now and let’s say 36 hours, my whole world will be R-O-C-K-E-D!
I know you are all praying and wishing us luck and the best. Keep it up. We have a bit to go yet.
Love you all.
Brad (and Jenn (and the imminently arriving Grace))
Goals Schmoals
27
Mar
If you know my wife, there are couple things that permeate everything she does:
- Her projects take A LOT of effort, often by many people who did not previously know they were going to get involved.
- She is really bad at waiting for things, once she knows what she is going to do…I call this personality “Instant Gratification Jenn”.
- Everything she works on turns out beautifully.
So here is where we are…
Just after I posted the last update, we had a visit from our favorite preeminent perinatologist and sailor Michael Katz (below).
This man loves my wife!
In his assessment, that decision is coming soon. We will know more as the days/hours progress, but it looks like between now and next Wednesday our lives will be full of Grace. At 30 weeks and a day, Grace is well past the point of huge concern (It seems that everyone has a premie story that turns out better than well and we do appreciate the stories). That said, she will likely need lots of special attention and she will be in the NICU at CMPC until at least the 35 week point (which is true of any birth) but probably a little longer.
We are of course very emotional about this. You can pick any combination of scared, relieved, excited and nervous and you will understand how our hours are passed. For the time being, nothing has changed but our expectations of the next few days.
I will keep up the updating, all you have to do is keep up the reading. Those of you getting emails, remember that you only get those emails at the end of the day. You may find things out faster by checking the blog on your own steam.
We love you all.
Brad (and Jenn (and Grace coming soon))