Wots of snuggles

Elijah's post-surgery check-up went great today. Dr. G thought he looked amazing! I mentioned the blood pressure concerns and he took me seriously (LOVE him). Even after the nurse had checked his BP in both his arm and his leg (by my request), Dr. G checked it again himself. There was still a discrepancy, but he felt ok with it. He confirmed that the pressures in his arm are the most important, and Dan and I both felt good hearing that from him. We talked about this on the way home...there is just something about hearing comforting words from Elijah's very own doctor. It means so much more than hearing it from anyone else. We adore Dr. G.



An aside: Elijah has been asking more than usual lately for snuggles. "MOM! Pweeeeease come snuggle wif me! Please wub mine hair!" I NEVER NEVER EVER turn down this request.



Elijah's xray looked great today. His new valve function looks great and he has no fluid retention, which is all awesome news. His incision also looks perfect. We are cutting his Lasix dose in half and continuing with the Enalapril until we see Dr. G again, which will be in four weeks. I asked about sending Elijah to daycare and he said it is ideal to hold off for one month from the date of surgery. We will do our best to make sure this happens.

I haven't mentioned since surgery how grateful we are for Dr. K, Elijah's pulmonologist. His PLAN, the one that kept E from getting post-extubation croup, was a total success. I will never forget walking into Elijah's room after extubation and seeing a completely croup-free boy and being totally blown away. I looked back and forth between the nurse and the respiratory therapist like, REALLY?!?!!? A huge blessing is knowing one of Dr. K's awesome nurses, so I asked her what the best way to thank him would be. She suggested leaving a nice voicemail on his pager, so I plan to do that this week. Hopefully I can hold the tears back. He is one of the most amazing doctors we have ever met. His dedication and love for his job is inspiring. There are not many people like him!

And we still have to think of ways to thank our beloved Dr. G and Dr. M.

Despite the good appointment today, Dan and I are feeling a bit more down than usual. This has been such a life-changing experience and we aren't quite sure how to handle it all yet. We continue to pray for peace and normalcy. Thanks for all of your good thoughts and prayers. We appreciate you all so much.