1 Month, 1 Week, 1 Day

So, Rose and I continue to be amazed at how well Jude has progressed since surgery on Monday. Having become accustomed to a roller coaster of emotions over the first month, my gut tells me I need to be cautiously optimistic and brace myself for the possibility of something bad to happen. But for 5 days since Jude's surgery, nothing notably bad has happened. No catastrophic events. No major setbacks. Just good, steady progress. We'll take it. Thank you, God. :)

So what was new today?

• Jude's tube feeding went well today. While he's being given very, very small continuous feeds, his hourly rate was increased from 1 mL to 2 mL/hour this morning, and he seemed to tolerate that well. He spit up once today, but otherwise he held his food down and had smaller amounts of residual, partially digested milk sitting in his stomach at the times he was checked for that today. Please pray with us that Jude's bowel function continues to improve without major problems and that he'll be able to gradually take more and more milk as time passes.
• Aside from a few tantrums that signaled discomfort (or maybe just normal baby fussiness), Jude was very comfortable today. His pain from surgery has presumably continued to recede and his pain management has apparently gotten better with each passing day. By the time Rose and I left the NICU at 6:45 pm, the only PRN medicine that he had received beyond his normal drips was one bolus of Ativan to help him chill out around midday. That's great! Please pray with us that Jude will continue to remain comfortable as he heals. Also, please begin praying with us in advance that the long, slow process of weaning Jude off all his pain medications will go well when the time begins to do that.
• Rose got to hold her little man again today! Jude was having a good day, so his nurse and several helpers moved Jude into Rose's lap so she could hold him while seated in a chair. It was so sweet for her to hold her baby boy for the second time! Jude handled being held very well: He was sacked out the whole time. :)
• And finally, perhaps the most exciting news of the day (drum roll, please): Jude's blood gases were awesome today, and he was weaned on the vent to the point that his doctors began talking about extubation! Praise God! So far, they haven't taken him off the ventilator yet, as they resolved that they want to get one of the vent settings just a little lower first. The fact that we're already talking about extubation so soon after surgery is amazing and feels like such a victory, especially since Jude has been on mechanical ventilation for so long. Also, since Jude has been oxygenating so well, his doctors have deferred on an echocardiogram for a little while longer since there isn't an urgent need to do it at the moment. He will get more, but it might be next week before he receives his next one to check his heart function and pulmonary hypertension. Please pray with us that Jude's respiratory and cardiovascular function will continue to improve so he can come off mechanical ventilation soon!

God has continued to work healing in Jude in amazing ways, and he has been doing so well this week since his surgery. We don't know what His plans are for Jude, but we are so thankful for the miraculous healing and other wonderful works He has wrought since our little man was born. We hope and pray that our Lord will allow continued progress so that Jude can now get back on his feet with the fewest setbacks possible.

Rose and I are so happy and thankful that Jude is doing well at the moment, but our hearts are heavy for those families who have lost children in similar situations and others who are presently struggling as their children are currently in tenuous, life-threatening situations. Tonight, we are thinking about and praying for baby Killian, who is currently battling CDH at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Tennessee. You can read more of his story here: http://killiankayne.blogspot.com/.

Good night!

    And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
(1 John 5:14)