MONDAY - 11/24

A.M. - He's having a good morning. His temperature is staying down, so they are still moving forward with the shunt surgery tomorrow.

Mom is out having a well-deserved hair and nail appointment for the first time in 3 weeks. She'll stop by her office after that to check on a couple of things. In the meantime, Liz and I are holding down the fort and making sure we remember everything we're told so we can relay the info to Mom.

Speech therapy came by and got him upright in the bed and had him eating ice chips, a cherry popsicle, and part of a cracker. He wasn't vocalizing all that much but the important thing is that he can swallow. Michelle, the therapist (who is a member of the Thursday morning Breakfast Club that Mom attends) said that they'll likely adjust the constant flow of the nasal-gastric feed to a bolus, or periodic feed with a push. When they do that his stomach will go from a constantly semi-full state to a more natural state of shrinking and re-filling. She also said that on Friday she'll have food brought in and if Dad does well with that then they can start sending trays at mealtimes.

Michelle asked Dad how many children he has. He held his right hand out, and then slowly curled his thumb back in, leaving his fingers extended. He does, in fact, have 4 children.

Then physical therapy came by and Dad gave them a thumbs up as they entered the room. They showed us some exercises they want us to do with his arms and legs. His joints are getting so stiff - this is a necessary precursor to actual rehab. They got him sitting up on the side of the bed and even got him to kick his left foot out several times.

Let me revise my earlier comment about Dad having a good morning. After all that I'd have to say he's had a great morning! All of his numbers look good - everything from blood pressure and heart rate to the cranial pressure. He's in a deep sleep now. Poor guy is tuckered out!

Sarah called to report it's also a good day at her house. This morning Jackson, my 21 month old grandson, said, "Bathroom, Mommy," and then went in and did some business. Good job, Jackson! He has a drive to do everything Samantha does, including wearing Pull-ups. Great!