WOW

The day started out like any other. Krista and I are attempting to get into a routine, and get everything lined up for the house closing tomorrow. We had positive reports from the nurses, and did not get to the hospital until noon.

When we reached Kelsons isolette, I immediately noticed something was different...his mouth was wide open and the breathing tube was GONE. About 30 min prior to our arrival, the doctors had taken the intubation tube out, and put Kelson on the special nasal cannula that controls his breathing through his nose. He looked great! I then noticed he was swaddled in a blanket, which meant the chest tube had been removed as well! Needless to say, we were completely blown away at the changes, and the nurses loved seeing our shock and surprise. Kelson decided he wanted one more tube gone, and proceeded to pull out his feeding tube on his own. It is now in his nose as well.

Obviously this was all great news. The doctors are not saying Kelson won't need a chest tube again, but for now his chest x-rays look good. Since the chest tube is out, that means we can resume holding Kelson. We still can't pick him up, but it only takes one nurse to get him out of bed, so we can hold more often. We are not sure if all the big changes are a result of the new drug, or just coincidental, but either way it is good.

Krista got to hold Kelson for his 3 PM feeding. He can't have a bottle until he is off the ventilator completely, but loves sucking on his pacifier. While Krista was holding him, we got one more big change. The isolette was removed, and a crib wheeled into place. Since Kelson can maintain his own temperature, and can be swaddled, he was promoted to a crib. I held Kelson for a short while after his feeding, and then the nurse put him in the new bed. He also got to put on his very first clothes.

Tomorrow we are heading in early with the hopes of giving Kelson his first real bath. After we spend the morning with him, we will head to Bloomington to finally close on the new house. If all goes well we will be moving in Saturday. If anyone is bored Saturday morning, we might be able to put you to use hauling furniture and boxes!

I'm sure there will be some more bumps in the road, but it was great to see such exciting changes today. If all continues to go well, we might be able to start seeing a light at the end of the tunnel!