I'm going home I've done my time

Thanks Aunt Dawn for the precious baby Rabbit.  He loves him.  He rubs his ears.  The voice that says the little prayer is simply adorable.  Wish I would have done a video of their first introduction.  His jaw hit the ground he was so amazed by the little voice. They were watching TV together in this picture.  He's sleeping now all cuddled up with him.  I know it was a gift from the heart!

We had another night of pretty decent sleep from 11pm-3am.  Then again from 6am-8:30.  But he's happy today!  He seems to be almost back to himself.

I HAVE noticed that since being on full feeds (since 6am and it's 9:30am now) that his heart rate is going back up.  So clearly they're linked.  Remember how I was concerned a few days ago about it going way down (down to the "normal" range for other kids his age).  Apparently, the relatively higher heart rate is due to feeds.  Interesting.

Also, we are venting his gtube into a diaper all night and it was full of what I guess is bile (due to it's color) and stomach acids.  I have no clue if this is a problem or not.   Or if it's a helpful symptom.

On the good news, he's had no more diarrhea since 11am sunday.  On the bad news, he's had no stool at all.  But more good news is that won't keep us here. 

So unless his labs from this morning are bad or something goes wrong in the next few hours, we should be able to go home tonight. 

Some diarrhea and a couple of retching episodes later ... but not enough to keep us here!! 

Dr. Cartaya came by to check on us.  We of course aren't on his service this time so he just came by as a friend.  He hugged us.  I double checked, "Even if they say you aren't available..."  and before I could finish he said, "Insist on it!"

While I loved this other team we're with...  They're amazing.  They're lovely, sweet, soft spoken ladies who are just so warm.  Great people to be friends with!  They're all too much like me.  I need someone who will stick up for us.  Who will fight for us.  Who will defend us.  Who will go to bat for us.  Who will tell us the straight up truth even if it's hard to hear.  That's Cartaya.  (Like he sent us to surgery last hospital stay when he knew Manny was fine but the xray was 'questionable'.  This team would have just waited, he fought for us to get out sooner.)

3:20 they said we can go home.  Just waiting for the papers.

Eventually got out of there.  You should have seen the baby's reaction to when I took off his hospital clothes and put on his regular clothes.  He "knew"!

He was THRILLED to see Daddy and the kids!  They heard his reaction all the way down the hallway.

Stopped by the pharmacy on the way home.  Then by Mom's who had cooked us dinner.  (Yum).

Home.  Homework.  Bedtime.

I find this part very challenging where the hospital world merges with my "real" world.  I come home to undone projects, housework, etc.  All the things that have been undone because I've been gone for a week.  Plus all the new meds routine, the new feeding routine, he's still sick, etc.  I feel like there needs to be 3 more of me.

And we hit the ground RUNNING tomorrow.  Driver's license renewal (happy birthday to me or I'm illegal).  Walmart, many doctor appointments.  Scheduling new ones.  aaaaugh.  Just thinking of it makes me want to just crawl into bed.  But I dare not.  I'm filthy from the hospital and I want to be clean first.

And just in case you think we're all set and don't need any prayers ... the baby has started to show a few of the early signs of the tube migrating again.  Praying it's just coincidence but I have a feeling it's not.  That thing needs to STAY PUT.  Or we're right back in the hospital.

Love to all,
Beth and the gang