07/02/2007

So, life is pretty cool. Tonight, at Bible study, some of the youth group kids brought Erik and I some gifts. Last week was Cornerstone, and Erik and I were pretty bummed about not going. We had talked about it, and thought about going for a day, but in the end we chose to be with Emery instead. It just doesn't quite feel right doing those things while he's in the hospital. So anyway, we were completely flabbergasted with what we got. They got Emery a tapestry for his room, they got us an autographed CD, Emery got his picture autographed by Josh Garrels (Erik and I both love him!) and they actually got Josh Garrels on video saying hi to us and praying/wishing Emery well.






I was overwhelemed. And that's not the best part. They actually managed to get us tickets to a David Crowder concert in 2 weeks! Can you believe this? I don't know if Erik and I will be able to go, but the generosity and kindness is overwhelming. I'm not kidding when I say I have 50 kids, and I love each and every one of you. Today was a funny day. I knew it was blood gas today, and last week his blood gases were up a bit so I was worried about them today and decided not to call after they were drawn but rather just call after rounds to see what was done. The hope was wean Emery's flow of oxygen today from 4 liters to 3 liters. Well, I asked the nurse what his blood gases were, and she said that I should remember that Emery's blood gases aren't always great but they were good for him. Immediately I got worried, so I asked what they were. His CO2 was 54 and AFTER they weaned him to 3 liters of oxygen it was 44! Who is she trying to kid? Again, she must not have looked back over his recods. Emery's CO2s usually were in the 60s to 70s sometimes even in the 80s and 90s. So, yes, they went down on his flow from 4 liters to 3 liters. He is also taking 40 mL by bottle now, though still only being fed twice a day. He doesn't quite have the stamina to do much more than that, and he thinks that time with me is cuddle time so we'll see how he does. Grandma is coming tomorrow and I said she could feed him a bottle. I have no idea if letting everyone feed him is going to make it worse for me to feed him or not. We still don't know if he will require a PEG tube or not. Oh, and Emery weighs 12 pounds! He's huge and cuddly and giggly and the nurses and nursing assistants love him. One of the NAs wants to put him in a dress. I said go for it, just don't tell Erik. It's just one more thing to blackmail him with when he gets older. Now, a wierd perspective moment. I live in a hospital. At home, I work for a hospital, and hospital life here isn't much different than hospital life there. Before the cafeteria is open, there is a crowd of people waiting to enter. It's the same at both hospitals. What is also the same is that the only people waiting for the cafeteria to open are employees. Family members rarely, if ever, are in the cafeteria that early. They usually meander down after the patients are comfortable or on their way to their clinics or whatnot. So, what's funny is that I am down waiting for the cafeteria to open every morning with the employees and I usually get very funny looks because I'm in my pajamas (which consist of leggings and T-shirts). The same people see me every day, with the employees, but I'm obviously NOT an employee. I'm also rarely wearing makeup. Now, what's funny, is that I'm also getting ready to start my work day. I work IN the hospital, but I don't work FOR this hospital. This week, I'm going to wear my work badge and see if it messes with anyone.