We've Moved...

...out of the ICU! At about 2 am (thankfully Russell was staying overnight with Isaac), we were moved up into the regular ward. We have a fairly spacious, private room (one of the benefits of being in isolation) that has a window! There are no windows in ICU, so it's thrilling to see daylight streaming in our room now.

Isaac is still being weaned from his sedation meds, so he is awake, but not really "there". I'm finding it hard to watch - his eyes are open, but he's not really seeing us, and he's not responding to our attempts to talk to him. He's twitching and shaking a lot (reminds me of someone with Parkinson's), and makes strange noises every once in a while. He only moves his left arm, and not really deliberately. He's quite weak, as well - not even able to hold his head up. It's a lot like having a 24 pound newborn! I know it will take time, but I miss my smiling, chattering, active little boy.

So far, Isaac's breathing sounds good, so we are so thankful for that! One of the concerns the doctor had this morning is that he doesn't seem to respond to pain stimuli. They aren't certain if it's because he's still partially sedated, or if something is going on neurologically. He is also still battling a fever, so they are doing more cultures to see if there is an infection somewhere. His bowels are also still backed up and his stomach is very swollen. This can cause a host of other problems if it isn't remedied soon. I can hardly believe I'm actually asking people to pray that my son will be able to have a bowel movement... but that's where we're at right now! :)

Since we arrived at Children's Hospital last Wednesday, Russell and I have been staying at the Easter Seals house. It is just 2 blocks away, and only costs $36 a night. It's old and dirty, but we're just thankful to have somewhere affordable to stay! Now that Isaac is in the regular ward, one of us will be staying in his room each night, and one will be getting a better sleep at Easter Seals :).

Oh... I nearly forgot to mention....we got to actually hold our boy yesterday! My mom, Russell and I all took turns, and it was so nice to feel Isaac in our arms again. I know some of you were praying for that specifically, so thank you! We have been so blessed by the prayers, meals and visitors we have received. Right now, some of our friends are helping us out in another very practical way - they're at our house unpacking boxes for us! We are very grateful for the love being showered on us by family and friends.