Eye Opening Experience

This morning I think we both realized that the next 4-6 weeks our life consists of a dynamic schedule that we are just getting to know. It looks something like: wake up, spend time with Stella, both of us go to the hospital, come home, work/home life, then go independently go see Hunter while the other works/plays with Stella...of course this is subject to change as he "wakes up" but for now that's what we have fallen into.

This morning when we called into the PICU the nurse told us what every parent longs to hear "nothing is out of the ordinary". After we spent the morning with Stella at the Hunt Club (she loves to see the horsey's) and at the Starbucks we headed to Emanuel. When we got there we were excited for a progress check as the second they sewed him up (yesterday) they began to back down the paralytics which had rendered him absolutely motionless...we walked in and he was uncovered, his chest exposed and it still looked great, the wires were still draped all over him but Dr John had been there and remove a drain (one down, many to go)...he looked alive, his color was great and his legs and feet looked so skinny!!..the swelling was almost totally gone! He looked like a normal baby with a kick ass scar. Of course the breathing tube, feeding tube and Vegas Jr was still the monkey on his back but he is really starting to look like the kid we met on Monday. Megan and I both walked up to his bedside. I was on one side, Megan the other. Hunter just so happened to be facing more my direction. I leaned in very close (as infants can't see more than an inch or two away) and I started talking to him...his toes twitched, his fingers barely moved and then his eyes popped open! You can't imagine the adrenaline. I kept talking as he blinked about 25 times rapidly (he is still heavily sedated so it takes strength to keep his eyes open)...he just kept blinking as I talked...then Megan from the other side of his mini bed chimed in, 'Hi baby, it's mommy"...his head didn't move (as he couldn't move it if he wanted to) but his eyes stayed open and darted in her direction...he knew that voice, his mommy, the one voice he knew was there...it was incredibly touching. It was a moment that should have brought us to our knees but we have no more tears left...we were so excited, but it was more what we wanted and needed, it was more therapy than anything...incredible. "It" has begun.

As I write this Megan and Aunt Lindsay are with Hunter. I just received a text saying that 'Hunters eyes are open to Megan and she is pumping at his bedside and had produced twice as much milk sitting with him than she does at home (away from him)"...that kind of stuff blows me away. First of all I think breast feeding is one of the coolest things in the world from a nature stand point, but for Megan to naturally produce more milk while sitting next to her son in a hospital bed is mind blowing...

I am happy to have such a short post to Hunters blog tonight, it means that he is recovering according to plan and that he is progressing. We are starting to tell Stella more and more each day, we will soon take her to see her brother again but are mostly waiting for tubes, drains and machines to be removed...she is getting curious but her good nature and amazing sweetness is keeping her patient. Today was another good day. We feel lucky and blessed to be able to say that again....