Maddie Marches Down Wilshire Blvd

Today I walked five miles and my daughter was transferred to a different hospital. I know you think both of those things are lies since I a) abhor exercise, and b) Maddie has been on the brink of transfer every day, but today both actually happened!

We started the day by attending the March for Babies in Griffith Park. Mike and I, along with 15 awesome friends and family members, walked five miles to raise money and awareness for the March of Dimes' fight against prematurity. I was the captain of our family team, "March for Maddie." We raised over $2,500 (and we're still going) and I was so, so proud to turn in all that money in Maddie's name. My friends in San Francisco raised an additional $1,800 in honor of Maddie. I have the best friends in the world. There aren't too many people that would hassle their families and coworkers for donations, not to mention getting up at the crack of dawn for a five mile walk in 90 degree heat!

Each family team had a quilt square to decorate and turn in. My brother was in charge of our square and this is what he came up with:

He drew that! He's available for your birthday parties and bar mitsvahs. All March for Maddie walkers also got a pin with Maddie's face on it. Free Maddie swag! Mike and I were sad that she wasn't at the walk, but we are looking forward to participating every year - next year she should even be able to walk a bit on her own!

After the walk and lunch with everyone, Mike and I headed back to the hospital. My mom had stayed with Maddie for the morning so we could participate, and she'd been told that the transfer to the Westwood hospital was officially happening. We didn't really believe it, since we'd been told that before. We were jerked around a bit today, too. First they told us that a NICU team would have to come get her. Then there wasn't a UCLA ambulence available. THEN we were told that our insurance wouldn't cover a private ambulence, which wasn't true. If you were following my status updates, you saw that even when Maddie and I were in the ambulence, I still didn't believe we were going to make it to Westwood! But we did. And here we are.

She is sharing a room. When we first got here her roommate was a two year old boy. He was moved to another room, and now her roommate is a little baby. He looks pretty fresh, although he couldn't be THAT new or he'd be in the NICU. I have a very interesting fold out chair that, if I didn't have my foam pad, would probably be unbearable. I will rate it in the morning. The only doctors to see her so far have been residents. Tomorrow her pediatrician (loooooove) will be by, as well as the ever-elusive Dr. Lung. We'll see if she gets her procedure tomorrow. I doubt it, but you never know.

Three of Maddie's NICU nurses have been by to see her and it was SO great to see them!!! Her overnight nurse has already offered to take over one of Maddie's nighttime feedings so I can get some sleep, which I thought was above and beyond. I might have to take her up on it!!! It's not every day you have someone who is willing to feed your child at 2:30 in the morning. Oh wait! I have one of those every day, his name is Mike.