Shout-Outs

Peter, Mark and I wanted to take this opportunity to express our undying gratitude to some of those who made Peter's homecoming possible. Roughly in order of appearance, they are:

• Dr. Tom Hannam - the man (um, besides Mark, that is) who got us pregnant. You can check out Dr. Hannam's blog at http://www.fertility.ca/ (way to snag the URL ...). The thing that sticks out about Dr. Hannam's approach to patient care is that he and his team use email to communicate with patients (and he's always got his blackberry). Let me say that again: He is a doctor who responds to email from patients. Wow.
• Dr. Ori Nevo - words cannot express how thankful we are to Dr. Nevo, who was on-hand when things went sour with my pregnancy. Dr. Nevo was the first of many I credit with saving Peter's life, and I would recommend him to anyone seeking an obstetrician who will be there when it counts, both to give you the information you need to make a decision and to use his mad skills to do what must be done.
• Sue, Selina (sp?), and the High Risk Prenatal nursing team of Sunnybrook-at-Women's - these women know how to keep a lady pregnant (and also when it's time to get a baby safely out). They are also sincere and tireless in their efforts to treat not only the whole person, but the whole family. The six weeks I spent on "3 East" were immeasurably improved by their competence and their kindness.
• Dr. Habas - the High Risk Prenatal fellow for most of the time that I was a resident of 3 East. Can't go into the reasons why Dr. Habas is a cut above the rest without giving away far too much information for a public blog, but suffice to say his hands-on approach to patient care provided reassurance when I most needed it. He is a doctor who cares.
• The doctors and nurses of the Sunnybrook NICU who were on-hand in the delivery room to resuscitate Peter. I was in too much shock to have learned your names. Thank you.
• The Sunnybrook NICU nursing staff - We are so, so grateful for the kind, patient, and (yes, I believe it's true) loving care that you provided Peter. There are a few with whom our close interactions stand out in memory: Corinna (Peter's nurse that very first night as well as many days thereafter), Rita (came to my room to help me with the breast pump even though this was clearly not in your job description), Susan (always loved the way you talked to Peter), Nicole (gave me my first cuddle with my main man), Faith (was kind of scared of you, but learned to rely on your worlds of experience ... you even successfully predicted exactly when Peter would come home to us). Also one very special nurse whose identity remains a mystery: when I was wheeled into the NICU from the recovery room on the day Peter was born, I was encouraged to reach into the isolet and touch Peter's hand. A nurse said, "He knows who mom is - look at that heart rate drop!". My memory of the event is a blur, but I will always be very grateful to the unidentified nurse.
• Dr. Adrian Ziino - the attending neonatologist during Peter's first week of life. Dr. Ziino came to my room on 3 East to give me a run-down of Peter's condition, and was as encouraging as a neonatologist (a rather dour sort by reputation) can be.
• The nurse practitioners of the Sunnybrook NICU - Wendy, Amanda, Lee. These ladies are unbelievable helpers, who spotted and attended to Peter's medical issues with alarming efficiency, and were always available to answer all of our (very, very numerous ... okay, incessant) questions. I am humbled by your commitment to your profession.
• The doctors and nurses of the St. Joe's NICU - thank you for putting up with all of our anxieties. Also, special thanks to a few nurses who really made us feel like Peter was in good hands when we went home for the night: Beata, Manju, Maggie, Jennifer.
• Team Bring Peter Home - we have a truly dedicated group of friends and family, who busily went about the work of setting up our home for its most important resident so that we could spend all our waking hours at the hospital. Many thanks to: Joe and Esti (for picking up and disposing of all the old furniture in the room-formerly-known-as-guest), Mom and Liane (for a weekend spent painting said room to Peter's taste), Amber and Pasc (for IKEA runs, Toys 'r Us runs, general field-marshalling abilities, and our wonderful homecoming surprise), Jon and Mark (for putting together Peter's accoutrements, including a giant chest of drawers that I know must have taken forever and caused great frustration, although they didn't let on), Annie and Sana (for clothing young Peter according to the fashions of the moment), and Chris and Michelle (for still more Toys 'r Us runs, and for a freezer full of delicious, delicious food).

Finally, Peter would like to send a shout-out to all the brothers from other mothers still chillin' at the NICU. And I would like to send a shout-out to all the mothers of those brothers. And in particular, to Kathryn (a.k.a. Sebastian's mom) - unbelievably, you made the NICU a fun place to hang out. I'm forever in your debt.