kdiddy, the wrapper

After going a week without seeing the boy I was pretty stoked to finally get to visit. I'm not fully recovered from my cold but I'm definitely past the contagious stage. I never really bought the "I'm not contagious" argument so I did a bit of research and the skinny appears to be that the amount of the virus that you're shedding goes down dramatically as you become symptomatic...but you can still give someone a cold. So as a precaution Taryn and I wore a mask in addition to our isolation gown and gloves.

Calder is definitely making progress, which is so exciting. Only having the nasal cannula makes it much easier to take him out of the crib. Typical for Calder he does not see the new head gear as a step in the right direction. If he gets a free hand he rips his tubes out...the man wants to be free. So, I swaddled him tightly...and within four seconds he broke free and ripped off his nasal cannula. I thought fine, I didn't put that much effort into it, so I swaddled him again. This time it took him six seconds. Not one to be discouraged, I thought, "OK, kid, I'm smart, I've learned from my mistakes, you will not get free this time." I started from scratch, pulled the left side nice and tight, crammed his legs into his body and tucked the next piece, and then I brought the right side across and tucked it so tight I was concerned Calder might not be able to breathe correctly. Twelve seconds later I was not feeling very smart and Calder's hands were ripping his tubes out again. I asked a nurse to save my son from himself and went back to playing parent observer.

The doctor's gone down on his flow (we're no longer doing pressure, but oxygen volume) from seven liters an hour to six and a half. Calder's CO2 has gone back up to around 70 but according to the doctor it's to be expected because when Calder exhales the machine no longer assists the exhale but instead fights it. The flow from the nasal cannula is only one way. The plan now is back to testing Calder every Monday and Thursday and then making adjustments according to his progress. Hopefully the five-pound-phenom (huge, I know) keeps up the steady progress and comes home by Halloween! One can hope.