Monkeys

It's been two months since he was born, if you are counting by weeks, and at the moment, I am. The three of us have been doing this for 56 days now, which is hard to believe. It's does not seem like it's been that long, and it feels like forever. He's 34 weeks today, and the book does not have much to say about his development that is relevant. If he were inside, his vernix would be getting thicker, but Finn will have to develop his own protective coating against the world. His lanugo is almost completely gone, so that does go along with the book. Inside, he'd be doing pretty much what he is doing now: growing.

He's 2160 grams (4.76 pounds), and he's back on the short list for Special Care. Once a bed opens up, he's outta the NICU. We're happy he's doing well, but we are used to the NICU, and we like Children's better than Abbott. Abbott is a grown-up hospital, which means no monkeys. I don't know why designers think we outgrow our need for monkeys, but I don't know that we do. Children's has animals decorating it and bright colors on the walls and floors. Abbott is an Institution, and beige prevails, with taupe, eggshell, and ecru accents. Any colors present are muted, matte tones. We toured the Special Care Nursery last weekend, and it seemed dingy by contrast. Abbott is also a much larger hospital, so it's not as convenient to navigate. It's directly across the street, but it's just not the same. It's actually part of Children's and is staffed by Children's people. While a transfer is one step closer to home, and will cost less, our experience with the NICU has been good, and we'll miss it.