Monday Evening - A Josiah Update

(Note spotted @ 2:30 PM March 19th)
... not the kinda thing you'd hope to find in a hospital!!

(Josiah @ 10:30 AM Friday March 16th)
... praying for Christmas to come early?

(Josiah @ 3:15 PM Thursday March 15th)
... Josiah's buds got his back

(Josiah @ 3:30 PM Sunday March 18th)
... has the making of being a future monk ...

Josiah & Mommy @ 10:15 AM Monday March 19th)
... Josiah's very first doggy - and moose and turtle and rabbit - pile!!!

Hidey-Ho there folks.

Marie's feeling a lot better today. Thanks for the prayers. She slept probably 13 hours yesterday (starting at 4 PM). The sadness is still there, especially since Josiah didn't have a restful day today. Earlier the nurses and Marie felt that a cuddle would be good for Josiah, but he fussed an extreme amount and 'brady-ed' again, ending the brief cuddle session. He's been poked and prodded a little more than usual, had his NG tube (that's the one that goes down his nose) replaced with someone more long-term and comfortable (but the in-putting process is far from comfortable!), had an x-ray of his breathing tube and lungs, had the depth of his breathing tube adjusted (it was just a little too deep - could have been contributing to his annoyance of late), been adjusting to his 'protein shakes' (weight gain powder that is supplimenting his milk) which can be slightly irritable to adjust to, and as a result of all this disturbance he's been needing suctioning a little more than usual.

So yeah, that's the day of our boy. Really feeling him for today. As Marie was lamenting over dinner earlier she just wishes that she could tell him why everything is happening and why today was so difficult for him. Marie - as usual and really, would you expect any less? - finds most of her day is at Josiah's side. We both battle with that 'fix it!' mentality that comes over us as parents whenever we see Josiah fussing. As a guy it's really hard to just 'be' who I have to be these days because so much of a guy's 'being' is tied to what he does and man, I'm not doing a whole these days! As much as I enjoy hanging with Marie and Josiah in the NICU, when the guy sleeps it feels like I'm left without anything to do and - wow! - do I get squirrelly just sitting around, not too mention get really sleepy from being so idle. So I pass the time by reading and working on some nearly impossible puzzles that my bro & sis brought out for me ;)

Oh, as you know Marie isn't in the lounge or on the computer that much and she knows that a bunch of you have left emails and comments for her. She really wants to read them all and write back, but when you have to divide up your day with Josiah time, eating, and sleeping, are any of us surprised that she opts to be with Josiah?! Marie really appreciates all the encouragement and kindness everyone is sending our way and we'll slowly but surely read the notes together and respond. Thanks for your patience and understanding!

And that should be it for now. I'll be heading back into Abbotsford tomorrow morning and will be back in Van late Wednesday night. By the way, in addition to the Variety Club paying for the rest of Marie's stay at Easter Seals, the Red Cross also hands out Safeway cards to families who are here long term. We are being so blessed!

May God be with you all.
- Andrew, Marie, & Josiah