The day after.....

Things are still looking good for Alex. He is still our little firecracker! He kept the nurse on her toes last night. She said that he was "doing aerobics" all night! He does this funny thing of lifting his legs straight in the air and then slams them down, and I mean he slams them down! He's got a lot of AB strength in that fat little tummy of his. It's a totally normal thing that he has done since not long after birth. So, since he was so active, they sedated him a little bit more. He always seems to require more sedation than they think he will.
This morning we are still waiting to get the breathing tube out. He has to do a spontaneous trial to show that he can breath all on his own, and still keep his oxygen and lab values where they should be. Well, on his first try he did great! The nurse then decided to pull out the big IV that is in his neck. Well, he was not one bit happy about that. He cried (no sound came out because of the breathing tube in his throat), and his oxygen levels dropped some. So if she would've sent labs at that point, it would've shown that he wasn't ready. So she decided to put him back on the ventilator and let him rest a little bit, and then try again. So as we speak, he is doing his next spontaneous trial, then at noon they will send more labs, and if they come back looking good, they will pull the tube. We are praying that this can happen. As soon as the breathing tube is out, WE GET TO HOLD HIM!!!
He is such a trooper! They put a tube through his nose, down into his tummy to suction out some of his stomach juices. He has pretty bad reflux, and last night with all of his aerobics, she thought maybe that was bothering him. They have not drained a lot out of there, and that tube will come out with the breathing tube. His chest tube is draining very little fluid and what is coming out is clearing up. So that is a great sign. We are so very blessed. He is once again proving that Heavenly Father works miracles. Thank you for all of your well wishes and prayers. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to check on us. Your support means so much to our family!
I also just want to mention that my grandma (dad's mom) passed away last night after a long and valiant battle with dementia. She will be missed greatly by our family. She is in a much happier place now, and I know that she is with the other angels that are watching over Alex and our family. Please remember my grandpa in your prayers especially. He was so devoted to my grandma, and although he knows she is now at peace, he will miss her so dearly.
Thank you again to all of you who have supported us, and continue to check up on us. I cannot express in words how much your love means to us! May God bless you for your kindness that you have shown! We will update in a little while and let you know how little Alex is doing. It might be a while, because if I get to hold him, I'm not letting go!!


Here is Alex, hangin' out with IPOD. He was kind of mad after removing the line and everything, so we turned on a little music to soothe the savage beast! He seemed to enjoy it. I'm sure it's nice to listen to something other than the beeping and clicking of the machines!