We Are Finally Here!

As most of you know we arrived safely in Boston, Joel actually beat Caleb and I here by three hours. Caleb and I got to ride on a jet which was really nice but I think I will stick with full size planes!

Arriving was awesome! Every nurse in the NICU knows what EA is and there are special nurses who have been especially trained to take care of these babies before, during, and after the repair surgery. It is so funny how Calebs spirit captivates the people he encounters. After 2 minutes with the charge nurse who is also on the EA team, Caleb had her wrapped around his fingers and she immediately sighed up to be his primary nurse which I was excited by even after we gave her the third degree and Joel kept giving her instructions on how to treat Caleb at on point when she was suctioning Caleb, Joel tells her to "STOP, he needs a break." She was so nice and said "dad why don't you show me how you guys do it." She was so open to learning about Caleb and really wanted to do things our way. The nurse was so funny one of the fellows and surgery residents wanted to do all this stuff to Caleb and she told them NO, I could not believe it. She said he had had a long day and needed to rest so the only thing that would get down right then was the blood draw, which she got on the first try, the placement of his continious suction which is not a salem sump and works a hundred times better, and his MRSA screening. Later he had some xrays done, both chest and stomach.

Everyone was so surprised how well we knew Calebs history and how familiar we were with the procedures Caleb is about to undergo. They commended us on being able to take care of Caleb so well at home and were shocked that he had never developed pneumonia because it is very commom with all those secretions.

So today is a busy day we have to see cardiology, we will get to meet DRS Foker and Jennings, and he is having something that is like an upper GI but isnt an upper GI. I forgot what it is called.

The nest news was that his suction cath went down 13 cms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is AWESOME. When he left the NICU at CHKD it only went down 11! So their has been growth.

I have lots of pictures but cannot post them until I find the ubs cable which is some where in all our stuff!

Joel and I are doing very well. Calebs seems unphased! Tomorrow is the big day!

More to come later after all the testing is done

Ernestine, Joel, and Caleb