Baby update

Shortly after he was born, Elijah started showing signs of Rh-isoimmunization. Don't ask me what that really means. I'm still a little fuzzy on it, but this link describes it pretty well. There had actually been some concern during the pregnancy, but my mom's Rh levels stayed normal enough that they weren't too worried about it.

Worst case scenario, at this point, is that he'd end up in the hospital somewhat indefinitely (probably only a few days) so that they could check his Rh levels every day. If they got high enough he'd need blood transfusions. But assuming there weren't any negative reactions to them, he'd be fine. However, one of the problems is that he is very jaundiced as a result of the isoimmunization, and this keeps him exhausted. He has difficulty staying awake, even long enough to nurse, which means that his system hasn't been able to flush things out. Right now he's spending a lot of time one of these little blue tables, and looks like a little alien baby.
Dani, although slightly distressed by the sight of her mommy in the hospital, has responded very well to the new baby. She is particularly fascinated by his feet and repeatedly uncovers them to marvel at "Jah's" toes.
Another important update, his name is no longer Elijah James, but Elijah Patrick. There was some hesitancy on choosing this as his middle name since it was Gabriel's middle name, but in the end we all agreed that it was a fitting way to honor the member of our family who we never got to know.I will keep you all posted on Elijah's condition. Most likely, nothing will come of it and he will be home from the hospital within a few days. My mom is doing very well and has been discharged, but given a room in the hospital so that she could stay with Elijah. I think the most difficult about all this is that he needs to spend as much time as possible on that little blue table, so he can't be held nearly as much as people would like. I'm just really hoping he'll be out of the hospital by the time I get out there next Friday.