Puzzling...

Hey Buddy,

I just walked out of your room a few minutes ago, feeling an odd mixture of sad disappointment and happy satisfaction. You have been pretty out of it today even though you have had very little extra pain medication or sedation. I think you went from eighteen PRN's yesterday to three PRN's today, the last one at two-thirty this afternoon no less. And just in case you hadn't picked up already, PRN's are just the extra doses of medicine that you get when you get super excited or super sleepy. They are good things most of the time, and they are better things when you get less and less of them.

Today has been kind of a busy day for you. You have had lots of doctors swarming around again, trying their best to figure out how to put together the puzzle you have laid out for them. The pieces are all there now but its the wiggling and jiggling that they have to do to get them to fit together that we are watching these days. They were wiggling with your lungs but now it seems like they have those going the right way. Then it was your fluid levels but that tricky little guy has finally been turned the right direction and looks like it is locked in. Now they are dealing with the piece that represents your medicines and they are still turning that one a little bit here and there. They will get it soon though, I can tell they are close.

The next piece they are going to start working on is your little nose. That one has been on the radar for a while but it didn't have a place to go until they situated the pieces representing your heart and your lungs. Now that those are locked in the right place the doctors can move forward. They scheduled a surgery for you next week, Tuesday I believe. This one will be really minor and it will open up your left nostril so you can breathe better. They will go in and clean out some extra tissue and then place a little tube in (I think they call this one a shunt) to make sure it stays open. Should be a walk in the park for you after last Monday.

And do you know what it means when they get that piece in the right place? Oh buddy you guessed it, it means that we can get those tubes out of your mouth. WOO HOO. We may have a practice run with the breathing tube coming out later this week if your numbers cooperate but if all goes well with the surgery next week then you will get to take the breathing tube out and that other one that delivers mommy's milkshakes will be able to go through your nose. That means no more tubes in your mouth and you can finally do that thing you have been trying so hard to do for the last five months. Even I am excited for this one... you will get to SUCK YOUR THUMB! Its ok, you can be as excited as you want, it is going to be awesome.

So we have some big steps ahead of us little guy, but even though there are still a lot of pieces that have to be put in the right place so that we can all see the beautiful picture that is Connor there are more pieces in the right place than flying around loose now. The border has been put together and the center is starting to take shape. The "big picture" is starting to form and from where I am sitting it is quite a stunning view.

Now go get some more rest and keep getting better little man. Mommy and daddy will be thinking about you all night long.

We love you Connor.

- Mommy and Daddy

P.S. Mommy wanted to make sure and tell you "Happy Halloween Eve". She can explain later but you better get used to this one. :)