First visit to the PICU

We just got back from the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) where Hunter is recovering. It was not nearly has hard as we anticipated. His bodily swelling was not noticeable but will get worse as the days go on, which is normal when being fed major meds and fluids. He has a breathing tube, a feeding tube, tape on his face to keep both in, you can see the patch that is over the whole in his chest...that is covered by a rag so we don't see it but there is a little dried blood around his face etc from the surgery...he has IV's in his arms, legs and drains all over..it's hard to tell what is what...the machines are crazy, lights, bubbles, noises, numbers, like Vegas at night only not as fun. You can see his little heart beating under the rag, it's kind of re-assuring to see this and to know that his heart is on the road to functioning properly. While his chest is open he has two nurses round the clock, when they close him up he will have 1 nurse with two other patients. Dr. King who is the captain of this ship was in the PICU monitoring Hunter and taking notes and making adjustments, the guy is amazingly brilliant. We can't really touch Hunter, we can place a hand or finger on him and maybe kiss him but no "petting" motions as they don't want to stimulate him while his blood pressure is gaining strength and he is on heavy paralytics which keep him paralyzed while his chest is open...he can't even blink. They have him in a "cross like" position, for lack of a better term, where he looks to be velcro'd down...it's not as bad as it sounds. Anyway, his color looks good, he looks peaceful and he is "resting" as his body gets used to it's new parts. We are very excited to know that we are passed this major hurdle and look forward to the next which is the closing of his chest and he'll take up residence a few "doors down" in the next "level" down in the PICU....thank you all again for all that you are doing, we appreciate the out pouring of love, support and prayers that our friends, family and community have shown us...it's been incredible. The details will be fewer and farther between so the updates will be less frequent...Thank you again, it warms our hearts to know we have such support for a kid that we hardly know.