Couch Potato

Sorry I didn't write anything last night. Daddy fell asleep on the couch around 8pm and mommy and I followed his lead shortly after. I've been more apnic than usual, and I don't sleep very well when I don't breathe, so I've been more tired than usual. I've just been laying around all day sleeping and eating....too bad I don't have my own TV!!!!

The doctor came and visited me at 2am this morning because of my frequent apnic spells. I was trying to be a very good boy, because I had one of my favorite nurses, Lisa, working with me. Lisa didn't feel very well so she wore a mask. I wanted her to be able to rest, but instead I made her work hard. She looked silly in the yellow mask, but it matched her smock pretty good. Lisa likes to make sure things match....especially my bedding. And she's really good at knowing boys' colors....she is fully aware that this boy does not do pink! Oh yeah, back to the doctor.....he told Lisa to draw some extra blood this morning to see if maybe I have an infection. I think I may have told you before, but I'll tell you again....sometimes frequent apnic spells can be a warning sign for infections.

Daddy, mommy, and I were all awake at 4am. Mommy and daddy both set their phone alarms so that daddy could get up for work. I did my part by making my Ventilator Alarm and O2 Saturation Alarm go off at 4am too, but daddy said that I make them go off so frequently that he's become immune to their noise. Hmmm....I need to get this tube out so I can cry and scream....that will wake daddy up for sure! Needless to say, daddy got to work on time, and mommy stayed up to help Lisa change me and draw labs.

My labs show that my Ph and Co2 are back to my normal, which are pretty good. My Ph is 7.33 and my Co2 was 60.....those are my usual numbers for good days....but no one can explain my apnic spells. My white blood cell count was a tiny bit elevated, but not enough to scream "infection". I guess I'll have to wait until my "doctor de jour" comes in to talk to mommy.

I'm doing pretty good right now. I'm still having apnic spells, but like usual, when mommy and daddy are awake, they start talking to me so I come out of the apnic spell. Most of the time it works. So mommy has been watching the numbers and when I start to dip she gives me a pep talk to get me back up. This way the nurses don't have to come into the room every 5 minutes.

Not that I would mind some of my nurses being in my room all the time. I do have my favorites:) So far I'm batting 3 for 3. I got to have Sheila yesterday during the day and then I had Lisa last night, and now I have Jen. Jen is cool....she's going to move to Africa to work with the little kids who are orphaned there. But she promised me she wouldn't leave until I'm out of the hospital. I wonder if she'll get to ride an elephant when she lives in Africa. I'd ask to go with her, but she's going to live there for 2 whole years....I think I would miss my mommy and daddy too much!!

Let's see...I'm still eating really good...but I lost an oz. so I'm back to 2 lbs 1 oz. It's because I have too many dirty diapers, but apparently that's normal for me:) Daddy changed his second poopy diaper yesterday.....he's so funny because he looks almost as scared changing my poopy diapers, as when my O2 saturation drops really low. Mommy thinks it's so cute that a tiny diaper and a tiny poopy can scare a big man so much!

It's official, mommy and daddy are going to move into a house in June and then I'll move in when I get discharged from the hospital. Before I come home, mommy and Grandma Hewlitt are going to paint two rooms. My room, because I need some boy color...and mommy and daddy's room....because it's pink. Grandma Hewlitt and mommy were laughing because they can't see daddy sleeping in a pink room. Mommy's thinking shades of blue for my room and a green color for their room. My furniture is going to be white and I'm going to have lots of animals in my room....like Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My! Actually, so far it will be mostly Giraffes, Elephants, and Monkeys. I told Jen, my nurse, she can come and live in my room, in the house, and pretend she's in Africa:) She said it wasn't the same. *sighs*

Mommy thought about painting a mural on the walls, but instead she's going to just paint little pictures, that way my room will be done in time for me to move home. Besides, she doesn't know what my favorite things are yet, because I can't talk, and she doesn't want to paint the wrong things. Maybe when I get older, she'll let me paint on the walls. Auntie Ocho got to do that, so I'm going to ask if I can too!

Daddy is excited because I already have my own tool bench. Grandma and Grandpa Orr bought me a tool bench, complete with all the tools I will ever need. Daddy said he will set his tool bench up right next to mine so we can build together. Grandpa Bob and Grandpa Orr want to come over and build too. Mommy told me to watch out though, because both grandpas and daddy are sometimes clumsy and cut themselves...she doesn't want me to get hurt using tools. Daddy told mommy not to worry because he's going to buy me a bubble to live in. He said that when I'm in the bubble I will just bounce off of everything, and never get hurt. Daddy is so silly:) Mommy said she was going to put daddy in a bubble!

I was talking to Grandma Hewlitt, (I like to call her Grandma Domo), and mommy yesterday about my soon to be new little cousin. She doesn't have a name yet, but her mommy and daddy (Auntie Sue and Uncle Reid) are thinking hard about what to call her. Grandma Domo said she went to a baby shower for my Auntie Sue in Kansas City last weekend. I think it is kind of weird because the baby shower was for Auntie Sue, but Auntie Sue's mommy got me lots of presents too. Auntie Sue's mommy is Jan and she is so nice....when I get bigger, I'm going to have her cut my hair...because Jan cuts hair awsome! She lives in Kansas City and her son, Steve, lives in KC too. Auntie Sue lives in Texas like the rest of my Auntie and Uncles.

Mommy told me that I will eventually get to meet all my Aunties and Uncles, plus Jan and Steve, and even Auntie Maggies parents sometime in the future. Mommy said that our family has really cool In-Laws so we like to hang out with them. So Jan and Steve live in KC and Auntie Maggies parents live in El Paso. Daddy said that Auntie Maggie's daddy showed Maggie how to shoot guns and maybe will teach me too. Daddy thinks it's awesome that Auntie Maggie used to win contests for shooting guns.

Anyway, I decided since Jan was so nice to me when it was really a shower for Auntie Sue, that when I get out of the hospital I'm going to get a job. I'll be three months old by then, so I could do some kind of work to earn money. When I earn the money I'm going to buy my little "girly-girl" cousin some "HELLO KITTY" stuff for her room. I hear that's her favorite stuff. How does she know what her favorite stuff is when she's not even born yet? Here I am, 3.5 weeks old and I'm still clueless!!! Mommy says it's okay that I'm clueless....the only thing I need to do right now is concentrate on breathing and getting better. I think I'll talk to mommy about some kind of an incentive program. If she gives me a quarter for every day that I breathe on my own....I should be able to buy lots and lots of "HELLO KITTY" stuff when I get out. Wow, I am so smart...I'm ging to have to talk to mommy about that!!

The doctor wants to talk to me now so I better go. Have a good day!!!