Sat. May 21st Update

Ronny and I headed up to the "Hill" to visit Aaron tonight. We arrived just before "cares" so we were able to chat with the nurse practitioner and meet tonight's nurse. The nurse had a nursing student there training and told us that Aaron is such a unique case they feel like he is a good baby to train new recruits on. Really they just go over all his stats and monitors and explain all the lines he has in. It was actually interesting to listen to her train as we felt like we were learning and "training" too.

We were a little late then getting started and then after we changed his diaper and took his temperature the all too familiar knock at the window came. This means a new arrival is about to come in and everyone gets kicked out in preparation to stabilize the new infant.

Here's the good stuff though.... While I was sitting there waiting to change his diaper I noticed that two of Aaron's umbilical lines were gone and two pic-lines were now there. One in his leg and one in his arm. I also noticed that his feeding tube that usually just lies next to his head to allow air out of his stomach was hanging on the side of the isolette with milk in it! I leaned over and asked if they had started to feed him and they said they had just started that afternoon. So we were told yesterday the pic-lines wouldn't go in until Sunday and that they for sure wouldn't start feeding him until next week! Apparently he's doing well enough to move forward on both. Here's the really crazy news though... the neonatologist on today is considering taking Aaron off his respirator as early as tomorrow morning. We were stunned and asked if he was really ready. I think there is going to be a bit more discussion on that decision, at least we hope so. Part of me is saying "whoa, too much too fast, slow down" and the other part of me is cheering his progress on. This roller coaster seems to be picking up a lot of speed lately!!!