Got to give credit where it's due....

I just have to say that I'm very proud of Mike! He is acclimating to Daddyhood very well. He has been consistently taking part in all responsibilities from dirty diapers to feeds to bath time and even pitching in on laundrey! It's a huge comfort seeing him jump right in there after closely observing a new task even when nurses are peering over his shoulder and making him nervous. They seem to get as big a kick out of it as I do! lol! He even voluntarily changes diapers when his sees that it needs doin' before the scheduled changes. He's becoming a pro at bottle feeding too. Wek eats just as good for Daddy now as he does for Momma. A feat not even achieved by his best nurses! Kudos Daddy! Great job!

Wek is still on oxygen, although no one seems to know why......very curious.

Thanks for the prayers for todays OT visit. It worked! She was more personable today and treated me like I had a brain. She asked me questions about how he was doing and listened to what I had to say. She also answered my questions kindly and didn't even stay to "observe him feeding". Yes, I feel like we're a zoo exhibit sometimes. I'm glad we didn't have to "perform" for her today. Much less nerve wracking that way! Whew!

His feeding is getting better, BTW. Yesterday evening we noticed he started getting excited about eating for the first time! Yea! He is eating in a more timely manner and is gaining strength, stamina, and coordination. He even took a whole bottle for his nurse last night at one feed. He hasn't done that for a nurse in a while.

His PT came in today and said he's already doing better on some of his tests than he did for her two days ago. She had given us some exercises to try and I guess we've been doing them right! She showed us a few more things today to add to it. Wesley's physical therapy is a learing experience for Momma and Daddy too. ;) He's doing well with it and I can already see a big improvemnt in his motor skills, mobility, and coordination just from his session with her today! It's amazing how that works! He also seeemed very relaxed when she was through, not tired, just relaxed.

All in all, a pretty good day! Thanks everybody for the thoughts, prayers, and support!!

PS. I do get all your posts and comments here and/or on fb. Even though I don't always respond, I do enjoy and appreciate them very much!!!

Testing...

Well......

Not much change today still not able to take all his bottles on his own yet. An OT (occupational therapist) came to see him yesterday. She's supposed to assess his feeding and make suggestions to help improve his technique and stamina. He didn't eat really well for her when she feed him yesterday. He seemed confused by her. She was supposed to watch me feed him today but she came n before i got here and watched the nurse feed him. He didn't finish for her either. Sometimes I worry they're not giving him much of a chance. Maybe tomorrow when the OT comes back we can get some more answers. I just wonder who of us ever has perfect form while eating. :/

He was also seen by a physical therapist yesterday. I really liked her and she was impressed with his upper body strength. He needs some extra help with his leg muscles and she is supposed to teach us some exercises to do with him. She will also come to work with him 2-3 times a week til we leave.

He's still on oxygen today. Haven't seen the RT (respiratory therapist) yet today. Don't know if they're ready to try him off the oxygen yet. His breathing has been a little rapid today. His last feed didn't go as well as they have beven. Could b because he was awake and hungry for an hour before his scheduled feeding time and wore himself out huntin the bottle and playing with Daddy. Yes, Mike is back! Hooray!

Please keep praying for us. For our patience, Wesley's health and strength, and that he & Momma can perform well for the OT tomorrow......no pressure.

Hooray!

The surgeon removed his central line about an hour ago and he was quite a trooper! Another step n the right direction!

A step up....

Well they moved us to pod 4 at shift change last night. Our transition was a little rocky but the room is nice. The Dr gave him a diuretic last night to clear out any extra fluid he might b retaining. He thought perhaps that's why he's been having so much trouble breathing. His breathing is much better today and he was able to take his last 3 bottles all by himself! The second one he even took n record time-18 min! They say, if he keeps it up, tomorrow they may try only having him on oxygen while he eats. He isn't receiving any more nutrition thru his central line now and should have it removed today or tomorrow. So it looks like our back slide may finally b over. Thanks for the prayers everybody!

Quick report

Still needin help with his oxygen and feeding but they're increasing his volume every feed now which is every 3 hrs. This way he'll get the increases behind him later today and then his body can focus on building stamina. He's been handling the feeds well otherwise with regular dirty diapers and no spit up which are very good signs. We continue to receive exceptional care physically and emotionally from our Drs and nurses. Wek remains a celebrity as Drs and nurses from all over the hospital visit him regularly even when he's not under there care. I think there are some who have never had him as their "assignment" but have heard about him and come to see him frequently. Mommy has even started reaping the benefits of Wek's fame receiving much appreciated vip perks! Everyone here is making our stay as pleasant as visiting family! Thank you Winnie Palmer Drs, staff, pod 2 nurses, and everyone else here for loving us!

testing.......testing......1........2........

Let's see if i can do this.....from my phone. Sorry folks Mommy's not the computer whiz Daddy is and I'd much rather b holding Wek than the laptop trying to learn how to blog. So I'll try it from my phone and maybe I can do both. He had a tough day yesterday and long story short he's back on oxygen and the feeding tube. They're still increasing his feeds. They increase by 3cc's every 6 hrs now and he's at 36. His goal is 57. They ran a bunch of tests yesterday and everything came back clear so it seems that his little body is just wearing out trying to keep up with the increases. Apparently it's quite a drain on his entire digestive system learning how to process all that on top of trying to heal. He's feeling a little better today but he's still pretty tuckered out. He still gets to try the bottle but if he can't finish they just help him out by putting it through the tube so he can conserve his energy. Gotta go change a diaper!