Ok, time for an update, but it is a long one :) It has been a very long week. We got used to just coasting along in the step down nursery, so it was an adjustment to be beack in the critical care section again.

Friday I got a call saying "he's fine but don't be concerned when you come in" ha ha! I was at a cardiology conference, but left after lunch. Zach had some more low heart rate events, enough to start concerning the doctors (& nurses). He had one of his "primary" nurses that day, so at least she knew his baseline. I got there & he was hooked up to a 12-lead EKG to check his heart rhythm, they had done a bedside EEG & were doing an official EEG to rule out seizures, they did a head ultrasound to check for bleeding, & a cardiac echo to see if his PDA had reopened. They also wanted to do a lumbar puncture but didn't have a good enough reason to do it to convince me that it would be necessary.

All of his cultures have been negative for infection & all of the tests have been normal. So, on Saturday they decided to take out the breathing tube as he was doing fine breathing without much help from the ventilator. Phil & I were both there. He did somewhat ok & then had really low heart rates again (I saw the number 12 on the monitor). They had to give him atropine & a special breathing treatment after the breathing tube came out as he kept having that low heart rate. One of the Nurse Practitioners came back from a delivery saying "I heard that they were coding a baby in here" she was talking about Zach! The attending doctor said "well, if you didn't know the history of this baby you would have coded him, but he is fine now" yikes!

So fast forward to today, Zach is back to normal although he might still be seeing some pink elephants. He was on pretty high doses of morphine & versed. They stopped the morphine drip yesterday & came off of the versed today. It was probably good that he had the versed yesterday as it made him pretty mellow & not care that he wasn't getting to eat. He started pooping today, so they started him on Pedialyte today & will progress to plain breast milk tonight. He only gets 5 cc at a time (he was taking 110 cc of breast milk before surgery), I did hear he wasn't very happy last night. Bless his Primary nurse Christie!

His other primary nurses Marjan (his first girlfriend) & Michelle have already warned him not to pull these shenanigans again, hopefully he will listen! He was charming the pants off of everyone this afternoon, he was totally checking everyone out & being his nosy self. He loves to know what is going on!

I don't know if it was the surgery or the meds, but my little man started socially smiling & cooing! It is amazing to see & hear. He is right on developmentally for his 5 weeks adjusted age. They will slowly increase his feedings to make sure that all is well inside & when he is on full feeds & gaining weight he can come home!!!! Probably by next week!!!! I am so happy, so thankful & so blessed. I remember the days when I didn't know if my baby would ever come home. He is an amazing little guy & he has had amazing people getting him to where we are now.

The staff in the ISCC at UCSD have been wonderful. They have taken amazing care of Zach & of us. They have been there with a shoulder for me to cry on many times & have cried with me at times. The right people have been in the right place at the right time. I am so thrilled that they get to see how amazing Zach is doing, because without them he would not be here, they have given us our son.

P.S. His primary nurses are sooooo happy he doesn't have a poop bag falling off 3 times a shift anymore ;) I am happy he doesn't smell like Grandpa Jerry anymore!