Sorry for the bigger gap in the posts. Not sorry for the reasons for the gap :). The last several hours have involved a room change, visits, and Peter's big eating/cuddle time.
Peter lost a lot of tubes today! Everything is gone except his central line for his antibiotic and other meds and his feeding tube is still in place but not in use. (Babies who have been this critically ill sometimes eat well at first but then tucker out and have to receive nourishment again. So far, so good for Peter though. He's been pretty assertive about wanting his food!)
While some of this was going on, big brother Joseph Michael got some well-deserved play time at the park with Granma Lin, Aunt Madison, Uncle Dalyn, and me. We had a great time. Joseph Michael has been amazing through all of this. It is so sweet to see him get so excited about his "babies" when Peter makes his noises.
Then Joseph Michael partied in Moberly with Dad for an O'Loughlin St. Patrick's Day celebration. I haven't heard all the details yet, but I'm sure they had a great time. While they feasted on all things green, Mom visited some friends--Jessica Knox and later Lauren Anderson and Kathryn Longhurst. Lauren and Kathryn brought by a bag of fun activities for our family to enjoy in the hospital, particularly some for Joseph Michael. They came just before the room change to pediatrics and were recruited to help out. They graciously helped push the wheelchair and carry our things up to this floor. You can always count on Relief Society sisters to serve when there's any need. Thanks!
So Peter is now snug in a cute red crib, complete with soccer blanket and mobile. He sure looks comfy! He is eating every 2-3 hours again--so exciting that he already has most of his appetite back! He can also wear **clothes again, so it will be fun to bring more of his things here to the hospital. He's here for at least 2 more weeks. Not sure of the game plan at this point, but we should meet tomorrow with the doctors on this floor and should hear more about tests with the neurologists and perhaps physical therapists. We, as well as all who have worked with Peter, are amazed at the progress that he has made in just 48 hours. Heavenly Father has blessed us so much with wonderful doctors, support from many, many loved ones, and the assurance of temple covenants we have made with Him. We are a blessed family.
**I was talking with Peter's nurse tonight about clothing for babies in the NICU, PICU, and regular pediatric floors. She has worked as a nurse for 30+ years and said that clothing for these babies can be an issue at this hospital (and I'm assuming at others as well). She said they have a lot of adorable preemie clothes but not very many things for full term babies like Peter. Most families, like us, aren't expecting a long term stay when their child is first admitted or tested. Apparently some families also do not have what they need as far as clothing for their infants when they do go home, so the nurses let them take clothing home with them. We are fortunate that Peter's drawer is nearly bursting with clothes, and we have a short drive home to get them, but others aren't so lucky.
I thought it would be helpful for others to know of this need. I would never have thought about taking extra clothing or things my babies had outgrown to a hospital. I know when Joseph Michael was in the NICU it brightened my day so much to have cute clothes to put him in at the hospital (we couldn't bring our own at that point of his stay). Peter also spent two days in big pink socks (the swelling made the socks we had too small; Granma Lin spared him with some cute blue slippers) because they didn't have any "boy" socks. So if you know of anyone with baby clothes they are giving away or donating, a local hospital might be a good option along with the more traditional routes like Goodwill.
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