Today, we went to Michael's on a mission: to find an imprinting kit. The idea was to make 3D imprints of the boys' hands and feet so we could remember how small they are. After deciding on which kit to use, we picked out shadow boxes to put the finished product into, then had to find a container that was just the right size in which to put the plaster of paris. That was the hard part - the kit comes with this goofy-looking heart-shaped mold with frilly edges that wasn't working for me at all. So we roamed around the store for nearly an hour, and finally found something that was the right size: a plastic container with removable round containers inside it for bead storage! Score!!
After dragging Amy around Michael's for over an hour, she was pretty ravenous, so we stopped at Jimmy John's for lunch. Those people are waaaay tooooo happy about their sandwich-making jobs! I'm thrilled they've found such fulfillment in throwing together lunchmeats and veggies, but wow - I've seen less exuberant game show contestants!
We spent the rest of the afternoon with the boys - Aidan has earned a new nickname. Sprinkler. I was holding him on my chest, felt him move, and thought, "Wow, your leg is really warm." That wasn't his leg. Daddy had to change his pants before he could go to dinner because he smelled like he'd had a wee widdle accident... Having realized that the boys haven't yet sampled any ethnic cuisine, we decided on Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine, which turns out is right down the street from the Guest House. Wow! Talk about excellent Thai food!! That's one thing we definitely miss about living on the coast: variety. Something of a back-handed blessing to be in the midst of a "big city" every weekend, enjoying the foods that we took for granted living in Seattle.
After dinner, we returned to the NICU for our big adventure: baby imprints. The thought was to make imprints of their little hands and feet. The reality turned out to be much more complicated than it sounded (and it already sounded pretty challenging). The "EZ Gel" that you use to make the impression (and then pour the plaster of paris into as a "mold") only gives you about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes to get the impression before it sets. Thus, you have to have the child ready to impress (haha) as you're mixing up the Gel. Further, the child must stay "still" for at least a minute in the Gel while it sets. Now, we were going to do their hands AND feet in this stuff - we quickly realized that this was going to be somewhere just short of impossible. To get them to hold ONE appendage still for a minute was going to be challenging - to have them hold all 4 still for a minute (while one person is holding all 4 in this Gel)... well, you can imagine the calamity that would have been. The nurses would have been finding Gel in crevasses and corners for days! It would have been like trying to play a game of Twister with a cat, a dog, and 2 fish. Not happening. So we took the somewhat easier way out: footprints and handprints. Even this took a bit of doing, with no small amount of help and expertise from the nurse. In the end, we had our 4 hands and 4 feet printed nicely on bond paper, and an armful of shadowboxes and an imprinting kit to struggle with when the boys get just a bit bigger (and probably home).
Aidan managed to dodge a rectal bullet when we got back as well. He hadn't pooped since yesterday afternoon, and the glycerin suppository was within spitting distance of his butt. (Ok, really it was in the lockbox in their room, but that doesn't sound nearly as threatening.) When we walked into the room, something smelled most foul, and Jacob looked like he was ready to faint, throw up, or jump out of their shared isolette the minute the little door popped open. Turns out, Aidan liberated his sphincter! Twice, even! We should invest in Pampers.
After dragging Amy around Michael's for over an hour, she was pretty ravenous, so we stopped at Jimmy John's for lunch. Those people are waaaay tooooo happy about their sandwich-making jobs! I'm thrilled they've found such fulfillment in throwing together lunchmeats and veggies, but wow - I've seen less exuberant game show contestants!
We spent the rest of the afternoon with the boys - Aidan has earned a new nickname. Sprinkler. I was holding him on my chest, felt him move, and thought, "Wow, your leg is really warm." That wasn't his leg. Daddy had to change his pants before he could go to dinner because he smelled like he'd had a wee widdle accident... Having realized that the boys haven't yet sampled any ethnic cuisine, we decided on Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine, which turns out is right down the street from the Guest House. Wow! Talk about excellent Thai food!! That's one thing we definitely miss about living on the coast: variety. Something of a back-handed blessing to be in the midst of a "big city" every weekend, enjoying the foods that we took for granted living in Seattle.
After dinner, we returned to the NICU for our big adventure: baby imprints. The thought was to make imprints of their little hands and feet. The reality turned out to be much more complicated than it sounded (and it already sounded pretty challenging). The "EZ Gel" that you use to make the impression (and then pour the plaster of paris into as a "mold") only gives you about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes to get the impression before it sets. Thus, you have to have the child ready to impress (haha) as you're mixing up the Gel. Further, the child must stay "still" for at least a minute in the Gel while it sets. Now, we were going to do their hands AND feet in this stuff - we quickly realized that this was going to be somewhere just short of impossible. To get them to hold ONE appendage still for a minute was going to be challenging - to have them hold all 4 still for a minute (while one person is holding all 4 in this Gel)... well, you can imagine the calamity that would have been. The nurses would have been finding Gel in crevasses and corners for days! It would have been like trying to play a game of Twister with a cat, a dog, and 2 fish. Not happening. So we took the somewhat easier way out: footprints and handprints. Even this took a bit of doing, with no small amount of help and expertise from the nurse. In the end, we had our 4 hands and 4 feet printed nicely on bond paper, and an armful of shadowboxes and an imprinting kit to struggle with when the boys get just a bit bigger (and probably home).
Aidan managed to dodge a rectal bullet when we got back as well. He hadn't pooped since yesterday afternoon, and the glycerin suppository was within spitting distance of his butt. (Ok, really it was in the lockbox in their room, but that doesn't sound nearly as threatening.) When we walked into the room, something smelled most foul, and Jacob looked like he was ready to faint, throw up, or jump out of their shared isolette the minute the little door popped open. Turns out, Aidan liberated his sphincter! Twice, even! We should invest in Pampers.
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| Anne Geddes, eat your heart out! (Aidan) |
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| Zzzzz.... (Jacob) |
I've done the imprint kits with Aunt Madeleine. The keys are two patient people, a sleeping baby and one sandwich bag of molding gel at a time. One person holds the baby and positions the chosen limb. The other forms the gel around the limb, using his hands to cup around the tiny foot and be sure to get good coverage with no holes until the gel hardens. Then you can mix up another bag for the next limb while the baby continues to sleep.
ReplyDeleteIf it turns out there is a hole, keep it in the sandwich bag and use a tiny container to hold the mold and keep topping off the mold until no more plaster runs out the hole. If the hole is small enough, this will work eventually. (Um, do not tape the bag around the mold as this will affect the shape of the foot. Trust me. I got one squashed plaster foot that did not look human at all and had to remold that one later.) To avoid tiny plaster holes on the surface of the plaster foot, be sure to tap away all bubbles after you fill the mold.
It's really not that bad after you figure out the first one and you'll love the results! Good luck!
I found a kid proof washable stamp pad very handy.... About every month or so for the first year I stamped nathans hand and feet on paper. Saves good for his book also. MAkes for cute grandparent cards too.
ReplyDeleteWish I could see the boys :-)
Jill
You guys have more fortitude than i think i do -- those imprint kits are enough of a PITA even with older kids who want to participate & can cooperate. Brave Mommy & Daddy! ...Or is that brave & crazy? ;)
ReplyDeleteAlso, poor Jacob! He's all "My brother is trying to knock me out, won't someone please rescue me?!"