Glow Par! Glow!

Yet another xray for Par! The intestine issue is still not resolved and so they have to wait on another xray tomorrow morning. This boy has had a lot of xrays--especially in the last few days--the good news is-- with so much radiation exposure, we won't have to buy him a nightlite for his room--heck, we won't even need a flashlight if the power goes out! (They say the exposure is fairly minimal, not to alarm anyone, but it's still a lot of xrays for a little boy). But this intestine thing is minor compared to the excitement of this morning--PAR IS ON THE CONVENTIONAL VENTILATOR!!! That's right--our boy is movin' on up! His transition wasn't seemless--it had some tweaking to do after he presented with an unacceptable blood gas right after the switch--but since the tweaking, he is doing well. I can't believe how big the room feels with all those other machines gone... Ba-bye oscillator!!!! Hello conventional ventilator! Par has become a professional contortionist over the past few days--every time we visit he is put in a new position--some he likes (he loves being on his back) and some not so much--(doesn't enjoy tummy unless he is asleep). He's been placed on his side a few times but tends to wiggle onto his back. He was really fussy this morning and we had a hard time calming him down, even with the "holding" technique (cupping his head and feet), but we decided to turn his music on to see if it would help (the same songs he listened to while in the womb--especially the last few weeks), and he immediately calmed down. I think especially in this somewhat strange environment of the NICU it is amazing what "familiar" sounds can do for a little baby. He seemed to feel right at home and was very peaceful as I went to pump. Rusty got to stay with him during that time and instead of going to sleep, he was wide awake, so Rusty just talked to him and they listened to his music and he really engaged his dad with his eyes and they spent some good quality father-son time together. Another adventure in motherhood today--I got to change his diaper for the first time! Now--please note--I have changed many diapers in my lifetime--of course, Sal's diapers (sorry Sal) and then my numerous younger cousins' diapers and the babes I babysat for--so this wasn't something totally new---but changing a fragile little boy's diaper--with wires and breathing tubes keeping him alive--it is a little intimidating to say the least. Plus, he is a wiggler! Not to mention,he absolutely hates it--thank goodness I couldn't hear his screaming--that would have really thrown me off my game. But I did change his diaper and as soon as I was finished he calmed down like it had never happened. I've been told I can change his diapers any time he's wet or poopy--is it wrong that this made me so happy today? Leaving him tonight was hard because he was awake and upset--but like before we had to tell him to buck up--tonight he is on his own. We reminded him where we are in case he needs to call us--but hopefully he'll fall back to sleep. It is just so hard knowing that he might easily scream for an hour and no one would know unless they got up to check on him...and I'm not positive he'll be checked on other than hourly--so I pray he'll sleep through the night. When we were leaving we ran into Josh and Tina and found out that Ella had a rough night--we ask our Lord to calm Tina & Josh's hearts and minds so they may sleep peacefully tonight and we ask Him to comfort Ella and to continue to heal her precious body from head to toe. We know that NOTHING is hidden from God--nothing in all of creation--so we ask that Tina & Josh will be comforted knowing that their baby girl is being held in the palm of His hand. We also continue to pray for Jonathan as he is still on ECMO and his surgery is still postponed. We just ask that he get to that "stable point" so he can have his repair and start the recovery. We ask for God's perfect timing and for patience in waiting for God's timing. Please continue to pray for peace for Jonathan's parents as I'm sure they are feeling very frustrated and powerless. And one more prayer request...we found out that Par might have a change of address--because he has done well, they told us they may have to move him out of his room onto the floor of the NICU (like where Ella is now) because there is a new CDH baby coming on Wednesday. We are praying for this little baby--that the timing of his birth coincide with Dr. Kays' schedule and that the mother have an easy delivery--and for the baby to have a quick and easy stay in the NICU. We thank everyone for their prayers for our little Par. Much Love, Liz, Rusty & Par the Glow Worm