Same old thing, new day;  Luc’s vent settings are still the same.  They tried to do a blood gas this AM but it clotted so they didn’t get a reading.  Rather then picking him again they are just going to do another one in the morning and then hopefully make a vent change then. 

I went to see him for his 9 pm care which turned out to be a lot of fun.  I got to wash him up a bit, behind his ears and in all of his little nooks and crannies.  I also got to dress him a cute little onsie.  It was very rewarding for me, I love it when I get to feel like Luc’s mamma.  The nurse said that he handled it so well we might be able to wash his hair tomorrow – what fun!  Luc weighed in at a hefty 5lbs 7 oz.  He is really getting up there and has the double chin to prove it. 

The family is all still up on the river.  I believe they spent the day at Stovin Island, jerks!  Brian and Sarah head back to Florida tomorrow and Brian and Ashley head back to Denver on Sunday.  I think they all had a great time and I really am glad that Beau was able to join them.  I can’t think of anyone else who deserves it more.   

I am doing okay here by myself, although I didn’t fall asleep until 2:00 am.  I was having hard time getting comfortable with the bed all to myself.

Luc made some real progress with the vent today.  His breath rate is down 2 levels and his pressure is down 1. They will do another blood gas in the morning to re-check his CO2 levels. If they remain stable, they will wean again tomorrow or the next day.  Slow and steady wins the race. 

He is still on the antibiotics, which is giving him pretty bad diarrhea.  The night nurse last night had to put Luc into an entirely new isolette due to a “diaper explosion”.  Poor little buddy – as a result of all of this he is beginning to have bit of skin break down on his rear end.  Luckily he is in the right place and they have started treating it with super-duper diaper ointment that only can be removed with mineral oil.  Hopefully it will do the trick. 

Tonight will be my first night alone since the baby was born.  I am actually looking forward to watching Project Runway without having to switch over to baseball during the commercials.  Ask me how I am doing with the solitude tomorrow…

Luc and I had a nice, but short kangaroo today.  He was happy to have his Mamma holding him for a bit but he got tired quickly.  He is still on the antibiotics and there is talk of putting in another PICC line simply because the full course of antibiotics is 14 days and IV lines tend to last a couple of days at the most. Also,  they don’t want to be picking at him all the time.  I hope they decide to do put it in sooner then later because I don’t like seeing Luc’s little veins so sore. 

Luc now weighs 3.5 lbs - YEAH!!  His breath rate on the vent was also turned down one setting so at least we are making some progress even if it is small.  Beau is leaving for the River tomorrow, I am happy that he will be getting away for awhile.  He deserves it! So, I will be holding down the fort here for the next couple of days.

Not much to report.  Luc had his head scan today which looks good and also had his 1st eye exam.  His eyes look good so far.  No signs of retinopathy yet so that is good.  He is scheduled to get another eye exam in 2 weeks and they are hoping to see that his retinas have matured a bit more.  They grade eye maturity on a scale of 1-3, 1 being extremely immature 3 being perfect and Luc is at a 2, so not bad. 

He is continuing to gain good weight and is still being treated with antibiotics for the mucus that they found in his lungs.  I didn’t get to kangaroo today because he has such a busy morning, I am thinking they are going to put us back on the every other day schedule until he is done with the antibiotics.  It is hard not to hold him but I want him to continue to improve, so I am going with what the doctors say.

Aside from his weight gain, it was a quiet day. Luc seemed to be resting comfortably. His vent settings have not changed, which is not a bad thing. As long as he continues to maintain, we are happy with that.

Kate had a great Kangaroo session today, which made mama quite happy. As show cased by the video, Luc seems to rest most comfortably when he has his binky in his mouth. I would never have thought that babies could suck on a binky while on a vent, but I guess this is just another part of the ongoing education.

Brian and Ashley came into town today. They hopped a red eye from Denver to Syracuse, then rented a car and drove to Boston. It was one long day for them, but we were happy to see them and introduce them to Luc. They were able to be there for one of his Cares. After going to the hospital, we enjoyed a wonderful Italian dinner in the North End. The two of them are only here until tomorrow. A short stay indeed, and we will be sad to see them go, but they’ve got some fun waiting for them up on the River.

It’s starting to set in that Kate and I are going to miss out on our vacation this summer. We were supposed to have been up on the water with everyone else this week. We’ve have been talking about dividing and conquering. I may try and head up there to be with the family for a couple of days later this week if I can swing it. Kate volunteered to stay back and hold down the fort with the understanding that I will do the same for her over Labor Day. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can clear the time off with work as I desperately need a swim and some time with family.