Sunday (Week 3)

It's been a pretty chill day here with Andrew. They tried melatonin with him last night and he did sleep better, though not great. Still, every little bit helps. We are trying to figure out food between using his g-tube and eating by mouth that will agree with him best. His white blood count was back up this morning, so they swabbed his nose to check for viruses - all came back negative. So the next step was getting blood cultures and starting some IV antibiotics while we wait for results.  The IV sedation medication is now off - hopefully for good this time. We were hoping the WBC would just keep trending down, but we are thankful for good care for our boy in what is a small hiccup considering Andrew's history. 

In many other ways, Andrew is doing very well. His morning chest X-rays continue to be good. He's coughing well on his own now. He's down to 1 liter of oxygen. He got a bed bath this afternoon, so he even smells better ; ) Thanks to the iPad, he's pretty well entertained considering the confinement to a hospital room. And the staff here are not only excellent clinicians, they are genuinely caring. All things a parent appreciates in this situation.

On this Sunday, it was impossible not to notice how beautiful it was. Even here at the hospital, starting week 3, it is a beautiful day. God is giving us rest (when we send each other out for it) and encouragement through all of you and the care we are experiencing here at the hospital as well as the Ronald McDonald House. We are so bombarded with the bad things going on in the world. Certainly it's good to be informed, but I would like to give attention to the many people who are choosing to make sacrifices in their lives to provided care for the families here. We are thankful!