Saturday - Feb. 21

As the doctor said - "Look Mom, no pacemaker!" Today the surgeons came by and took out Abby's pacemaker wires, and her chest is now accessory free! She still has her central line (on the inside of her left leg... which comes out tomorrow morning), her nasal cannula for oxygen (weaned today from 2 liters/minute down to 0.75 liters/minute) and of course - her feeding tube. Tomorrow they'll try again (they tried today to no avail) to give Abby an IV in her hand or foot - for an emergency. She isn't getting anything through IV anymore - but they like to be overly cautious when possible.

This weekend we're working on picking up the rate at which she is fed via the tube and lengthening the time between feeds. Right now she's getting 4 oz over 5 hours, then an hour off. They're working towards taking almost 12 hours off and letting her hopefully get hungry enough to take a bottle on Monday when Speech Therapy is back to work with us. For now we're trying a bunch of oral exercises that stimulate her sucking reflex, and we're giving her a pacifier dipped in sugar water (the nurses swear it's like crack for babies... Abby tends to Just Say No) to get her to suck. All in all, she's doing pretty well.

She's still very sleepy - but while she's awake, she loves to stare at her vitals monitor. It may have to do with the colors, lights and wavy lines - but I'm guessing she's just darn impressed by her killer stats. Her doctors say she read the book... great heart rate, perfect oxygenation, and a respiratory rate (breaths/minute) that is a third of what it used to be. Amazing what a perfect heart can do. :)

And now what you've all been waiting for: the results of my new chair/old chair comparison. Pros of the new chair include that it is wider (a bit less like sleeping in a coffin) and longer (I don't feel like the Jolly Green Giant with my feet hanging off the end.) Cons: it's pretty hard, and it's plastic/vinyl, and, well, it's a pull out chair. All in all - I won't be sad to leave it behind.