baby steps

calvin is slowly being weaned off of his nitric oxide (to help him oxygenate better) and his ventilator settings. we keep saying that initially we resisted intubation and now we are resisting extubation. not because we don't want him back, but because we don't want any major set backs along the way. it looks like cal is going to have a cat scan tomorrow to better check his heart and lung anatomy. also, they will be repeating the heart ultrasound to definitively verify that he is not suffering from any cardiac failure that may have contributed to his precipitous fall from health. as each hour passes it is looking more and more like tuesday may be the day the ventilator is removed. of course, there is no predicting how the next 12-18 hours will go but by tomorrow he should off nitric oxide altogether and his ventilator settings should be pretty close to what is needed for extubation (fingers crossed).

we've had many visitors over the weekend. while this is a very good thing it is also a little tough. everyone wants to be close to him which can sometimes interfere with what the nurses/doctors are trying to do. everyones' instinct is to engage a baby and make them smile...it's really hard to leave a baby alone. it is a good problem to have for sure.

mostly, we are trying to remain patient. it is looking like there is a good chance that calvin is at the hospital through next weekend. we were able to watch the opening ceremonies at home...it would be fitting to watch the closing ceremonies there as well...the flame in the olympic cauldron representing our family's competition against this illness. while most years i'm sad to see the flame go out...this time, i would be ecstatic.