Another good day

Brian went back to work today and since he works in Durham, he dropped me off this morning at the hospital. It was awesome to spend the entire day with Lawson. He was doing so well, that his nurse, Kelly, let me help wash his hair! We used a little 'scrub brush' dipped in soapy water and then rinsed with a wet cloth. It was the first thing he's gotten cleaned since his birth! She said that if things keep going this well, he can get a real bath soon. She also said he's ready for us to start bringing him some blankets.

The UAC, Umbilical Arterial Catheter, has been in since birth and is used to take regular blood samples. It goes in through the umbilical cord into an artery and gives an easy blood sample without sticking him. Since his umbilical cord is doing what it's supposed to do, which is dry up and fall off, it was time to remove his UAC today. It is both good and bad. Good because now he has one less 'tube' coming out of his body. Bad because now when they need a blood sample, they have to prick his heel.

He's still on the conventional ventilator. It is set to 20 breaths per minute. He has been breathing around 45 - 55 breaths per minute. What's great about that is that every number over 20 is a breath that he's taking on his own!!!

Other exiting news, that only a child's mother can appreciate . . . he had his first poop!! And I got to change it! :) According to the neonatologist, the stomach and it's functions are pretty low on the totem pole for oxygenation, meaning that his body has a way of getting oxygen to the 'important' organs, like the brain and heart first. Now that he's breathing much better, we're moving toward removing the breathing tube and possibly beginning to give him breastmilk through the feeding tube, so we needed to clear out the meconium that's been sitting in his intestines for 10 days. Unfortunately, in order to get things moving, he had to have a little help with a glycerine 'chip'. Poor guy!

We're all excited about tomorrow. Brian is going to work early so he can leave early. I'm going to stay home with Lacey and grandma. Then we're all going to the hospital for 'Family Craft Night' at the NICU. When I explained it all to Lacey this evening, she was running around the kitchen yelling, "Yeah!!! I get to make a craft!!! I love CRAFTS!!!" She'll be able to play and have fun making crafts in the waiting room with grandma and other NICU siblings while we visit with Lawson. What a perfect day!