Charlie Says…Love My Good-N-Plenty

Most of Charlie’s nurses in the NICU are young enough to be my children but every once in a while we get one of the old-timers who’ve been at Cedars for the past 25 years. I can always tell when we have an older nurse even before I lay eyes on them because I hear their Baby Boomer-era Charlie references. One nurse calls our son “Choo Choo Charlie” which always causes me to sing that ubiquitous jingle from my childhood:

Today one of the nurses kept saying “Sorry, Charlie!” for no apparent reason until I realized she was mimicking the old Starkist commercial in which Charlie the Tuna tries to show how classy he is in his suicidal quest to have the Starkist corporation kill him for their canned tuna. But they keep refusing him because they “don’t want tunas with good taste, they want tunas that taste good.” Oy, what kind of sick mind came up with that gem? Don Draper?

You can tell things are going well with Charlie this week since I’m focusing on such banalities. We’re finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and even the never-give-a-definitive-answer neonatologists are starting to talk about Charlie’s departure which, God-willing, will be in about a month or so. Maybe less if infections stay away and he continues to take bottles as well he did today. He went from 5 cc yesterday to a whopping 45 cc today and they were able to stop all of his other IV fluids except the antibiotics he’s still on. I realized today how much medical jargon I’ve picked up over the past 116 days when the nurse was testing some levels in Charlie’s blood and I heard myself asking, “Is that for the Amikacin or the Vancomycin? Are they compatible with his lipids and TPN?” As we get closer to leaving we’ll have a better idea of which medications we’ll have to keep giving Charlie, if he’ll need to come home with oxygen, and what treatments he’ll need to continue. A new world awaits us, with plenty of its own challenges, but unlike a few weeks ago when I was feeling fearful about ever leaving the safety of the NICU, now I can’t wait to get home.

We had such a great day with Charlie. This morning it was so quiet in his bay I made the comment, “boy, you can hear a pin drop in this place.” The NICU nurses, no strangers to the Evil Eye, reeled back in horror at my statement. Sure enough, within hours the bay seemed like a sweeps month episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.” One poor baby near Charlie was having major problems and apparently was so fragile he couldn’t be moved to an operating room. Suddenly the bay was filled with surgeons, nurses, screens, and equipment. Then, with great apologies, all of the parents were asked to leave, quite a rare occurrence. I went back tonight and I still couldn’t get in the bay, the surgery was still going on and they said it would last many more hours. The last time I saw such bustling and dour faces in that room was on April 27th when they were working on our son Oliver. My heart goes out to the family of this baby. I can so relate to what those parents are going through right now and I pray that the baby makes it. I know that Charlie, safely in his incubator (and about to go back to a crib) is sending his positive thoughts to his friend and neighbor.

Comments

[Jane]

I had forgotten all about the Charlie Tuna commercials. . .

I think about Charlie Miller every day though, and will celebrate roundly when he gets to go home!

[maggie may]

Have you seen the YouTube ' Ouch, Charlie '?
It is soo funny. I put it on my blog months and months ago.

Poor little mate of Charlie's. My heart goes out to his little self, fighting so hard.

[Heather P.]

Your family is in my nightly prayers. Those little cheeks are so squeezeable! He gets cuter with each post. G-d Bless!

[Cynthia Reich]

He's coming home soon! Now, don't start freaking over the responsibility of caring for your son without those wonderful baby-boomer nurses. Oy.

I am well beyond baby boomer age, so I know even better commercials. And I am willing to come over and oversee your every moment alone with Charlie. Of course, all my grandchildren are well beyond the neonatal stage, but I remember a thing or two.

Kendall & I will start our shift at our usual hour of one p.m. After an 8 hour nap, I will join you on your shift.

Oh well, dream on . . . .

Love,
Cynthia

[Maria Sosa]

Hope you've got that nursery ready, my friend!

[Pam G]

I noticed the Charlie Tuna commercial had a copyright date of 1973 on it and the candy commercial was even older. Thanks for the view of long-forgotten childhood commercials. My 64-yr.-old boss is always peppering our conversations with Baby Boomer TV references. He calls me "Choo-Choo Charlie" whenever I wear this pink and white striped summer blouse with black trim. He was calling it the "Mike N Ike shirt" until I said I think you mean "Good N Plenty."

I am beginning to understand how the rest of our younger staff feels when he talks like that. The folks in their early thirties never seem to remember that "Book 'Em Danno," means reserve the conference room for an important meeting. No wonder so many of our meetings get held in hallways and other random places because the conference room is booked first by someone else.

Well, I'm glad to hear everything is progressing and hope your Charlie will be home soon! You remain in our thoughts!

[Beth]

I'm so excited to hear how well Choo-Choo-Charlie is doing!!! Yay!!! 45 oz -- that's quite impressive. Before you know it, he'll be such a big guy! =)

Love the video clips, too... brought a smile to my face.

Please keep us posted on Charlie's neighbor... makes me sad hearing what distress he apparently is in.

[amba]

His resiliency is just unbelievable ... and so is yours. (Like you had a choice, right?? We find it when we have to.) What a relief! God bless you and Charlie!!! If he doesn't get home by your birthday, his homeday will be your new birthday.

[Mim Michelove]

Holy moly maloo. Charlie is doing great! He must be preparing for another growth spurt.
Good news.

[Marilyn Molnar]

Sign me up for a shift with Cynthia and Kendall .... I can't think of a sweeter or cuter baby whose diaper I would love to change. Remember, I'm a late sleeper, so I'll take a later in the day shift!

Keep on truckin', Charlie.

Love,
Marilyn

[Julie R.]

Danny,
It's nice to read good news. (Evil eye, be gone!) I'm really happy about Charlie's appetite and the doctor's more definite prognosis. I'm sorry about the new baby; I hope things turn out all right.

I vaguely remember the Good 'n' Plenty commercial, but I remember the Star Kist ads very well. Thanks for the memories.

Love,
Julie

[margalit]

Of course I'm an old fart and can remember way before choo choo charlie (was an engineer). I still love good n plenty's tho, and turned my son into a black licorice addict as well.

Said son has been in Children's Hospital Boston since Sunday with no end in sight. Tonight after we left his room and were waiting for the valet parking, we saw a large family in the lobby all sobbing the ugly red nose cry. They must have lost a child, and my thought was immediately of Charlie, even tho he's 3000 miles away. There is never a day when I don't think about him, and I'd volunteer to sit if I didn't live so far away.

[Lori Kirkland Baker]

Sigh.
I remember all those commercials.

I hope Charlie's roommate pulls through.
Our dear boy is looking fab -- nice color and plumping up beautifully!

[Chris]

My stomach went into a knot as you described the scene in NICU bay. Hoping and praying that Charlie's bay-mate makes it. Sweet babies.

I almost remember Choo-Choo Charlie. I'm reaching for the memory and it may or may not be there [sometimes I create the memory if I want it badly enough :-) Pathetic.]. I DO remember Charlie Tuna. Haven't seen that commercial in years!

Charlie looks great! We'll continue to send good thoughts and abundant prayers!

[quinn cummings]

Sweet handsome BIG boy.

(This is the part where I'd say something about coming home but you've made it all too clear that we're not exciting the Evil Eye these days.)

[Caren Jones]

Danny, I want you to know Im thinking of you and Charlie everyday. I can only imagine the roller coaster of emotions that you and Kendall face going to the nicu everyday. I havent written since their birth, but my thoughts are with you all. Love Caren

[Gina]

Greetings from Chicago. I had a hard time reading today's update to my husband without crying. I am so happy that Charlie is doing so well and I am so inspired by your family. I will continue to pray for all of you.

[V-Grrrl at Compost Studios]

Danny, if I've told you this story before, I apologize for repeating it, but when my son was a NICU baby, I became acquainted with the parents of the baby boy in the neighboring bay and we discovered we lived close to one another. The first year or so post-NICU, we were so overwhelmed by parenting, we barely saw each other at all, but as our boys became toddlers, we became friends. Fourteen years later, not only are we still friends, but our sons (tall, lanky teenagers now) are very close friends as well. They have never attended the same school and for three years didn't even live on the same continent but their friendship endured. They were part of our hospital's first NICU "graduating" class and the boys and their friendship were the the subject of a newspaper article years later. So your social butterfly Charlie may be making friends for life in the NICU.

[Rick]

Charlie the Tuna looms large in Thomas Pynchon's new novel, "Inherent Vice," according to the reviews.