Our Little Rangers

Today was a bit of a milestone for me and Ryan. I returned to work after spending some quality time with Ryan this morning. He had a good night. His feeds were increased to 13mls every 3 hours. His sodium has been slightly low due to his diuretics therefore the doctor added sodium to his feeds. He HATES having his temperature taken and then I make him even madder when I change his diaper. It was too cute this morning. Once we were done with his temp/diaper change and was resituated in his bed his nurse tucked him back in his snuggly. She no more got one foot out the door when Ryan peaked through his barely opened eyelid and seemed to look from left to right to make sure we were finished. Once he was sure his eyes popped right open and he decided that he would be social! His nurse came back and was talking to the doctor and as soon as he heard her voice he closed his eyes as tight as he could get them. I laughed and called him a lil stinker and his nurse came over and I told her what he did. She started talking to him and when he realized that she wasn’t going to mess with him any longer that he would open his eyes and be social with her also. It just amazes me at how smart he can be at times!

He has been doing well on the vent. They restarted his updrafts and initiated chest physiotherapy today. He scared his Momma good for the third time today! After work his had a few heart rate drops while I was touching him. I heard the alarm and looked over my shoulder to see his heart rate in the 30’s. I’ve never seen his heart rate this low. Needless-to-say my heart rate may have hit 200+!! He felt like his lungs may have been gunky and they were. The updrafts work to thin the mucus that is in his lungs (while he was on the oscillator they were unable to give updrafts). Chest physiotherapy uses gentle taps to the outer chest/back to help loosen the same gunk that builds up on the lining of the lungs. When this gunk is loosened it has to be suctioned from his lungs to prevent pneumonia. His body is doing exactly what it should during both these therapies. The thing that keeps you on your toes is that the tub can become clogged if a bit of gunk gets on the end and it causes his sats to drop and his heart rate may drop also. When suctioned the vagus nerve is stimulated and it causes a brief drop in heart rate. This is a normal response I’m used to seeing it all the time in the unit on adults but it’s hard watching your son’s heart rate dip to the 30’s!!

Ryan spent some quality time with Gammie today during lunch. Mom was able to change her first diaper and take his temperature!! I wish I could have seen the smile on her face!! Last night her special anniversary present arrived in the mail!! Mom and dad spent 30 years together and the 19^th would have been their 30^th wedding anniversary. We wanted to do something extra special for her.

She has worn dad’s wedding band on her neck since his passing. Dean found a wonder shop called Things Remembered. They customize everything from jewelry to classes and even picture frames. I had an idea to put an engraved saying with dad’s wedding band and dean found this wonderful pendant that held our birthstones with an engraved pendant behind it.

It turned out amazing! There are 8 stones and 8 in our immediate family who was touched by my father. The 8 of us as it stands now is Dad, Mom, Dean, Myself, Alesha, My step-son Justin, My angel Jackson, and our newest addition Ryan. It had the perfect number of stones! Mom was smiling from ear to ear and one of the first things she told me this morning was how perfect the pendant fit with dad’s ring. I’m so glad we were able to find a way to complete mom’s special necklace!!

                Thirty Years Together....Together Forever in Paradise

We love you Gammie and Papa!!!