One week old!

Kelson continues to beat the odds, as he is now one week old! When we tucked him in last night, all of his bloodwork and stats were in a good range. I am thrilled to report that 24 hours later they have remained the same. The medical staff has found the correct balance of medications, so we are breathing a sigh of relief for now. His sodium was slightly elevated this morning, so they had to lower the hood on his isolate, and increase the humidity. Luckily, this is a minor issue. They also started giving him water through a feeding tube, to help hydrate him, and see how his stomach handles having something in it. He seems to be handling the water well, and we are hopeful to start on milk soon. We also had a good report from his EKG, and it appears the blood clot is resolved. They are still classifying Kelson as "Critically Stable", but he seems to be getting stronger by the moment. After some careful thinking, we decided it was time for Claire to meet her little brother. The visiting age is 3+, but they bent the rule a bit for us (she will be 3 in June). Krista and I have been preparing her by showing her pictures, and honestly answering her questions. When she arrived at the hospital, Krista took her to the gift shop to buy him a one-week birthday present. She picked out a blue Teddy bear. We asked the nurses to cover Kelson with a blanket, so all Claire would see was his face. Krista and I took Claire back to his isolate. She was definitely excited to see him, and wasn't scared at all. Marge, Kirk, and my parents all came back to pose for some pictures, and tell him Happy Birthday. I'm really glad we decided to let Claire see him. We want to set an example of always being honest with our children, and not sheltering them from the truth. We celebrated the birthday in style, compliments of Paul Leahey. Paul brought lunch from Biaggis for the entire family, and had a cake made, celebrating the joyous occasion. After lunch, Krista had her one-week follow up appointment with Dr. Austman in Gibson City. Her mom and Claire went with her, while I stayed back with Kelson. Krista was also able to stop by Gibson Hospital, to thank the nurses who helped deliver Kelson. While she was out, I had a surprise visit from Jennifer Ewing. Jennifer is on the National Junior Angus Board, and brought us a food basket from the entire NJAA board. It continues to amaze me how many people all over the country have been pouring out their love and support. At 3 PM, I was able to assist the nurse with the diaper change, and get a little hands on time. Krista and I also assisted with bath time tonight at 8:30. I washed his hair, and Krista changed the diaper and cleaned his mouth. We certainly enjoy and look forward to these little moments. I am looking forward to gettimg a solid night of rest, and we are praying for another strong day tomorrow. Happy one-week birthday Kelson Ray!! We look forward to many more celebrations!!