Cock-a-doodle doo!

Morning rounds seemed to have come quick today. I felt like I just put
my head down to rest and then was all of a sudden opening my eyes to a
room full of people (which I still haven't gotten use to but no one
seems to mind my bed head and sleeping mask!) I have to say that last
night was the longest stretch of sleep I have gotten since at least
before I was admitted to antepartum last December! I didn't even wake
up to pump and I don't even feel bad about it ;) I think tonight Ben
might take a turn at the hospital and I will stay at home with the
littles.

Dr. B is on again today, he is the chief intensivist that was here
when Evan was initially admitted on Tuesday. His closing remarks to
the rounding team was that Evan is in a much better state but is still
critically sick and "you better watch him like a hawk and dot your I's
and cross your T's." We have another great RN today who is doing just
that.

It's hard for me to believe when they say he looks good because to me
he looks so bad. He is about the size of a 3 month old due to the
swelling and inflammation, when just a few days ago he was the size of
a newborn. Every part of him seems to be stretched out to the max, I
can't wait for him to get some relief from this for sure. He is very
stimulated, but not in a good way, from all that is going on around
him. He let's us know by pulling away when we should stop touching or
doing range of motion excercises with him. His surgeon was here this
morning as well and was happy with the appearance of his stomas. A
friend from back home who is also a pediatrician resident here had a
good explanation for me after Dr. Z left, he really is practicing the
"art of medicine." All of the things he was much more concerned with
before have altered some and it's not this or that but it is the big
picture. This is harder for parents to grasp because we don't have
goals that we can focus on. I thought we were watching his lactate
labs for improvement and then Dr. Z says he doesn't care about that or
the bladder pressure I kept hearing about or the redness on his belly,
but rather a culmination of everything combined with his experience
and I sure a bit of "gut feeling." I trust his instinct though as I
feel he did a great job of deciphering the appropriate time to get
Evan into surgery and I trust that he could do that again is it came
to it.

Here is a pic of one of my favorite practices here- the positioning
aids! I love that instead of using a sponge or wedge to prop his vent
or one of Evan's limbs they instead use various stuffed animals. The
rooster was the first to appear in his bed and he also now has a puppy
dog and a lovey brought from home as well.