Day 8 and 9

Burke says hi to everyone at home! (okay he was really reaching for the camera, but a shout out to his friends and family was cuter!) He also keeps reminding us about his last IV left in his foot. (Just so we won't forget!)

Yesterday, Burke was moved to the third floor surgical unit. We have our own room and we can close the door and Burke can actually sleep in the dark and quiet. This floor is quite busy though so it is not terribly quite, but more quiet than the PICU for sure. We are glad Burke has moved from the PICU to the "floor" as the staff calls it, but there is a different feel on this floor compared with the PICU. This is so bad to say but I kind of miss the PICU. The nurses there are amazing. Some more than others, but for the most part those nurses and nurse practitioners are just awesome! In the PICU you don't have your own room there are just curtains to divide the patients and there is generally one nurse per patient. When the patient becomes more stable then one nurse will oversee two patients. I think we miss the one on one attention the most. If we think he need anything, the nurse is right there doing what needs to be done. Now, on the "floor", one nurse has maybe three or four patients and they are not right here to make sure Burke is perfectly okay. Yesterday, I took the change harder than today. I don't like change, and coming to the floor was a definite change. But today is better. It is a good reality check for me. I loved getting the one on one attention I know Burke needed while he was in the PICU, but they moved him to the floor for a reason, because he doesn't need to be checked all the time. And the nurses here are just outside our room and they have monitors at their desks that show each of their patients' monitors. The difference is that they are not in our room 24/7 checking on every move that Burke makes. It is different and I know he is where he needs to be, but I know with out a doubt in my mind that the PICU is a special place. The atmosphere is unique and the people who care for my child and all the other children in there are gifted and special. I will never forget how those people have touched me.

These nurses on the "floor" are special and great too, but I don't feel as connected with them as I did when we were in the PICU. We haven't overcome the major challenges and obstacles that we had to hurdle across while in the PICU, and I know that brings people together. Heavenly Father is teaching us something when we go through our challenges. It brings us to our knees more. It bonds people and helps us rely on others for help, strength and support when we are challenged. And ultimately it brings us closer to one another and closer to Him. I am so grateful for all that we have gone through. Though I am not pleased that Burke has to be the one experiencing the pain, our trial with our dear heart baby is something we need to go through right now in our lives.

Burke is doing well. He had a great day yesterday and we even went on two wagon rides!! He LOVED getting out. We went into the playroom for the first time and he just came alive. It was great to see him want to play again.Today, Wednesday, was also a good day and pretty uneventful. Burke woke up this morning pretty crankey and we were thinking that he might be coming down with a little cold. He sounds congested and was acting very miserable. But when they gave him his pain medicine a little while later he went right back to sleep and slept all morning long. He had a lung profusion test done today (which I don't really know what that entails), and we will know more about how his lungs looked when the doctors come around tomorrow morning. They will look at his chest x-ray that was also done this morning and make sure he is okay to be discharged. If everything comes out good on those two tests then we might be headed home tomorrow! Can you believe it!! And only the ones who have read this whole post will know that, so thanks for reading, you guys get the golden star! We might be coming home as soon as tomorrow!!! We will know tomorrow for sure when we get to go home. YIPPEE!

After the lung test Burke slept all afternoon too. He is finally in a quiet room and is quite enjoying it, as are we. They took out his feeding tube tonight and I know he loves having that out! We also went to the playroom again today and he stood up for the first time since before his surgery! I was so happy. But about 30 sec. after he stood up, he let out this HUGE gassy bubble and he pretty much had the hugest blow out ever! Yep, so the playroom did it to him today. We didn't stay long, and I didn't get a picture of him standing up or sitting and playing in the playroom, but for the short time we were there he was loving it!Here is tired brother at the end of the day! Put me to sleep momma!