Home again

David was finally released on Monday morning at 930. On his arrival home, he was greeted by two very loving sisters who were thrilled to have him back, and he too seemed very happy to be home. It was (and continues to be) a long hard road, but he is forging his way ahead. Monday was rough in terms of eating - obviously, it continues to be painful for him to take the bottle, so his consumption is very limited. He continues to need fairly substantial pain medication, which he does not love to take. Progress is being made though, little by little his appetite increases.

On Tuesday he did better, taking several ounces at several sittings, and a whopping 7.5 this evening. Pray that his little belly would be yearning for more, and that his little mouth would feel good enough to take it.

Day three

Our persistent little man continues to show his persistence. He continues improving and healing. After a better night's sleep, he awoke at about 545 this morning. Always active, he played fairly well, curiously touching or pulling on everything within arm's reach, including his IV. As a result of the pulling, the IV had to come out at about 9 this morning, which gave some extra incentive to get him drinking. We spent the better part of the day with a cranky kid that was determined not to eat or drink as long as we kept him in the hospital. We tried moving around the building, making games of it, popsicles, even trying to feed him at the park across the street, but nothing got him eating (though he did enjoy the swings thoroughly)

At around 6, he made his first real progress of the day drinking five ounces. He fought sleep for another hour or so before taking about 3 ounces. After an hour nap on a full belly, he wrestled me (not the fun kind) for a while before deciding he wasn't going to win, then took another four ounces and went to sleep fat and happy. One more of those bottles in the morning should be enough to get him sprung.

Nana and the girls picked Grandma Nancy up at the airport tonight. Rebekah talked to them before the girls went to bed, and it sounded like a real party. We look forward to getting home to all of them. We pray for a good appetite and decreased pain tomorrow so that can happen.

Day two

Day two saw David continue to heal and be less agitated in general. He is still experiencing alot of pain, but is doing his best to work with it. In the afternoon, he switched from IV pain medication to oral. He doesn't really care for the taste or the syringe it comes in, but it seems to do the trick in easing the pain and helping him sleep. He had a great nap on Jason's lap (about 4 hours) in the afternoon. Mom and dad also got a little rest and refreshment. I was able to go home and take a shower, while Rebekah took some time to go for a run near our old neighborhood.

The girls and their Nana came up to the hospital to visit and bring cinnamon rolls to their folks and the nurses. It was fun to spend some time sharing a late breakfast with them, and they were thrilled to see their brother.

The hope for tomorrow is that David will take some liquids. He has had several sips of broth, and a few spoonsful of crushed popsicle, but really nothing of substance. Tonight the nurse told us that they expect him to take about 8 ounces before they will send us home. For those of you who have been reading a while, you know this is a kid who has gone on more than one hunger strike in the past. Pray that the stubbornness would wane, the pain be relieved, and that he would take the nutrition that he needs to heal and grow, and more immediately, to go home. Pray for rest for Rebekah and I, and that we would both have patience in our interactions with one another, David, and the staff here.

First night recap

All told it was a good first night. As the anesthesia wore off, David began breathing more clearly and quickly. After it really left his system, the nurses were more willing to give him enough pain medicine to control his pain. Prior to about 530am, he was awaking in an agitated state frequently. The surgeon came in this morning at about 530 and took a look at David's mouth, and said that everything looked good. After the surgeon left, David really settled in and was able to sleep soundly. At the time of this post (10am) he's still sleeping. We may or may not be able to leave today, it really depends on how we feel and how David is eating. He is still receiving IV fluids and medication, so until he is able to take what he needs by mouth, we will need to stick around. Pray that we'll have wisdom and patience for the right timing.

What a day. We woke up early so that we could be to the hospital by 6am. Even on the way here, we were uncertain as to whether the surgery would actually take place today, as the anesthesiologist had some concerns over David‘s lungs. Rebekah had taken David to get a chest x-ray last week to make sure that the pneumonia had cleared adequately. The doctor took a look at those and still wasn‘t sure, so told us last night to come in today and he would make a decision when we got here. We were thankful when the decision was made to proceed.
David went in for surgery at about 745. We had been told that he would be in there for about three hours. After about two hours, the nurse came out and assured us that all was well. The three hour mark came and went, then four. We were getting a little concerned, but at about 1230 the surgeon came out and let us know that in spite of the doubts he had, he was able to close the entire hole in David’s mouth. Again we were very thankful.
Recovery went as well as could be expected. David was groggy and cranky (to his credit, not nearly as bad as I was when I came out of surgery). He continues to show the fighter that he is each time that he wakes, which encourages us to believe that he will keep fighting through this and heal up well and quickly.
We did have a scare after we got up to the room. David holds his breath when he gets upset. He woke to find mucus and blood in his airway, enough to upset anyone, but this time he wasn’t able to clear the airway or start breathing again for several moments. He was finally able to get started again with some strong encouragement, but not before causing quite a bit of excitement for the nurses, respiratory therapist, and mom and dad. Pray for a restful evening for the little guy.
The surgeon said that we may be able to take him home as early as tomorrow. We’ll try to keep posting to keep everyone up to date.

The conclusion (for now)

So I finally realized that there are those out there who are still waiting for the conclusion to the story (knowing that there will never really be one). We made it back to the US on November 16, 2007 with David. The next couple of months were to be trying - he was a sick kiddo. We spent every night waking with him, be it bronchiolitis, pneumonia, common colds or night terrors. He had surgery to insert ear tubes, as well as a night in the hospital with IV antibiotics and parenteral nutrition. The first week of January we finally had our first full nights of sleep - a real blessing. Although he had some initial difficulty warming to Jason, particularly on our return, over the past couple of weeks David has really warmed to his father. Pray that this will continue. We received word that David has put on more than 3.5 pounds and more than an inch since he has been in the States. This puts him back on the growth charts and returns him to eligibility to have his cleft palate repaired, so the surgery will be performed January 25, 2008.

Jason's back continues to improve, though it is a slow process. Pray for patience and persistence in that.

We thank you for your continued prayers and support.

A few pictures of the days

David's old bed

David & Rebekah outside the orphanage