A Great Day

When I arrived at the hospital this morning, this is what our son looked like. I was actually thrilled. He has pink fingers, toes, and lips (I'm used to dusky); he was extubated (I'm used to a week or more of torture to get him extubated); he was on two liters of oxygen (he started out with four post-extubation); he had made efforts to sit up (and stand! Not yet, Ayden!); he had begun drinking water, and he was on different pain meds and had been weaned off other meds as well. It was already a good morning.

We call this pacifier "Faux Frank." He's not the original.

As the morning progressed, he wanted to sit up more and more, even if it meant falling asleep that way. He would complain the moment we tried to put him back on the pillows, so we often took turns holding him upright. Eventually we just added an extra pillow. He was crying (good for the lungs and blood pressure!), burping (get that gas out of his belly!), coughing (empty those lungs!), peeing (kidneys are working!), drinking (get those bowels moving), and sitting up (especially helpful for chest tube output and overcoming soreness)... all amazing things for healing. Ayden had a good morning.

By early afternoon, Ayden was waking up more often, taking notice of more people and things, and communicating his desires (watching Thomas the Train, drinking "more more" juice, etc.) and his dislikes (moving the pulse ox, not giving him more juice, messing with his lines and chest tubes, etc.). The doctors gave the go ahead for Ayden to eat or drink anything he wanted, and an order was put in for his formula, something we will tackle tomorrow. He had a line removed, a dressing changed, his IV fluids decreased, another pain med change, and he gave his "G," Grandad, and Daddy high fives... a good afternoon.

When I talked to Bryan this evening, Ayden had consumed more than half of his usual amount of fluids, and he had, at one point, entertained the nurses by dancing and singing to one of his favorite songs, "Determinate." They moved him to a different room in the PCCU, and he is no longer a one-on-one; instead, he shares Nurse Cari with another patient. He seems to have finally found a time to rest, so Bryan has gone to bed as well.

Today was a good day.

The major concern Bryan and I share is that Ayden is still having issues with his heart rate and P-wave. In other words, his rhythms aren't quite right, and some of his heart still needs to wake up a little. The clinical fellow messed with the pacemaker some this evening and determined that Ayden still needed it. No one medical is overly concerned yet, and the issue is not uncommon post-Fontan. I know that we would all just feel a lot better if he could overcome the problem ASAP. We are so greedy after a good day, aren't we?

Thank you for your prayers. We have felt encouraged and loved and supported. We have all been given tremendous Strength. Today wasn't a good day. It was a great one.