Big Day

Day 48

Weight: 2 pounds 9 ounces (We've gained a whole pound in 48 days!!!)

Samuel's x-ray this morning looked much better! Apparently pushing the tube further down helped Samuel's blood test come out better as well....so they went down on two of his ventilator settings. He didn't care for them messing with his ventilator...the monitor alarmed a lot today.
The doctors went up on his feeds once again. I believe tomorrow they may take out the last of his IV lines because he is getting all the nutrition he needs through the milk. Thank goodness. The risk of infection decreases dramatically when all of the lines are gone.
Samuel is on morphine for pain. He has gotten quite attached to it, so when the doctor decided to decrease it today, Samuel wasn't happy. He was wiggling all over the place, crying a lot, and just generally miserable. The reason they are weening his morphine is because it decreases his ability to breathe on his own......which we want him to do tomorrow!
The first dose of steroids was given this evening at 6. He will continue to get the steroids for the next couple of days. Dr. Arrington still plans to take Samuel off the ventilator tomorrow morning between 7 and noon. He is very optimistic but SOOO many nurses have warned me that a lot of babies come off the ventilator only to go back on after a while. I'm cautiously optimistic. Since Samuel has chronic lung disease, getting off the ventilator would be a TREMENDOUS help. I hope it works. I can't wait to see his face!!!!!!!!!
This evening I checked on Samuel before bed. His nurse had just changed his bedding and he was looking all snuggly. She had him in a sort of sling thing....he was strapped in really tight. When I looked at his face I thought, "Wow...he looks different for some reason..." and then I realized that his two feeding tubes were missing! The nurses accidentally pulled them out. They will have to be replaced tonight and Samuel will have to get an x-ray (one of his least favorite things.) I hate to be away from him when all of that is being done.
God and I have had a lot of conversations today. At least He knows what I'm thinking - I only wish I could read His mind too. :)

Tomorrow is the big day!