We're Home!!! (Updated 2:45 p.m.)

No photo, and I won't bother to go into much detail right now, but the great news is that we are home. Dr. Calhoon, one of Cooper's surgeons, came by to check on his progress around 9 a.m. this morning. We were on the way home at 10:30 a.m.

Mom, Dad, and Cubby are finally back in our own crib. It feels really good. Supermom and I were talking in the car about the last year in our lives. It was exactly one year ago today that we found out Cooper was on the way. It's been quite a year.

Thanks again to everyone for their thoughts and prayers. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. If you're traveling this week to be with loved ones please remember to buckle up and travel safe. Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

He Peed...And Smiled (Updated Friday, 11:30 am)

Supermom, a rocking chair, and Cubby bear in her lap. Things are slowly returning to normal.

We suspected that the first night after Cooper transferred to Intermediate care might be a little difficult. Not necessarily because his condition could or would worsen, but only because we wouldn't receive the immediate attention we had grown accustomed to in the P-ICU area. Let me explain.

The P-ICU layout provides a nurse stationed outside a pair of rooms (no more than two) with computers constantly monitoring vital signs. If an alarm sounds, they're very quick to react. Alarms can also sound for reasons that aren't critical. For example, there are sensors connected to Cubby to monitor his heart rate and breathing rate. If he starts thrashing around, this can throw off the sensors and sound an alarm.

Intermediate care doesn't provide for this type of monitoring, and the layout is much like any hospital floor one might encounter. A central nursing station, hallways in either direction. This doesn't mean that you're on your own, but it is a little less big-brotherly.

Because we suspected the night could become difficult for only one of us to handle, we agreed that we would both stay at the hospital. There is really one issue, and that is all of the wires connected to Cooper to monitor his vital signs. It is a bit of a challenge to move and position him for feedings, to hold, etc. As it turned out, the night wasn't so bad. Cooper slept quite a bit, and so did Supermom and yours truly.

A couple of things did happen that were great signs of his recovery. The first...he peed. Because of the drug cocktail he has been taking (and the catheter) he wasn't producing as much urine as they had hoped. They even had to re-insert the catheter before moving him from the P-ICU to the Intermediate area. Dad was in the room when it was inserted, and speaking for all men everywhere I just wanted to cry. Anyway, at some point late in the night/early in the morning Supermom was changing his diaper. Let's just say his bowels are returning to normal. Anyway, she put a little pressure in just the right spot and Old Faithful was a-flowin'. This was a good thing. I've never been so excited to see a baby pee all over himself.

The second sign came around 4 a.m. or so. I don't remember the exact time, because no human being functions very well at that hour. The overnight nurse had just finished recording his vital signs and he was awake. As were Supermom and dad. I remember going over to the bed and looking down to gauge his mood. And that's when he smiled at me. Not just a slight grin, but a full-gum, ear-to-ear smile. I called Supermom over to verify that I wasn't seeing things, and she agreed it was indeed a smile. This was a VERY good thing.

Things continue to progress very well. We might be able to go home tomorrow (Saturday), but his doctors will visit again tomorrow morning to make that determination.

Moving Day (Updated 4 p.m. Thursday)

Cubby is recovering well. He's also sleeping a lot, which makes dad a little jealous.

Good news. We've moved from the Pediatric ICU to the Intermediate care wing on the seventh floor. This is a big development in his recovery, and means that he's stable and on the road toward discharge from the hospital. We hope this may happen Saturday or Sunday. Saturday also just happens to be dad's birthday, and the only gift I'd like to receive is my healthy son in my home. Dad misses his Cubby bear, it hasn't been the same around the house the last two nights.

As an aside, Supermom stayed with him in the P-ICU room last night. I was tossing and turning in our bed, and realized that I couldn't sleep without the constant hummmmmm of the baby monitor. So I went in his room, flipped on the monitor, and went back to bed with silence coming from the receiver. It wasn't normal, but it was as close to normal as I could get at the time. And it worked.

His home for the next couple of days is next door to the room where we were taken the day before surgery. I can't help but think about everything that has happened in just the last week. Exactly seven days ago we were in the surgical clinic going over the procedure with the talented men that would be operating on our son. Three days ago we were being admitted into the hospital for open heart surgery on our son. Today we're in recovery and he appears to be himself more and more as the hours go by.

The Lord works in mysterious ways, indeed.

I can't even begin to thank our friends and family that have been so generous with their time, their prayers and well-wishes, and concern for our son. Many of those friends and family only know him through pictures, e-mail, and this blog. We look forward to a day very soon where he will get to meet (and thank) you all.