Day 26: Hurry Up and Wait

Today's routine was a bit different than usual. Scott and Susanne deliberately waited to go in to visit with Paxton until later in the afternoon to ensure that Scott would get a chance to hold him.
The morning moved along fairly slowly and then was brightened by a visit from Julie. She delivered some food from one of Susanne's friends from work and stuck around for a while to offer some very welcome words of encouragement.
After Julie left, Susanne called to check on Paxton. She was told by the nurse that it was okay to come and visit him earlier than planned because they were unable to insert a new PICC line last night, negating the 24 hour waiting period. This was great news and motivated Scott to rush through bathing Maverick (see previously posted picture of the pouty lipped dog) and throwing a pizza together for lunch before loading up the car and heading to the NICU.
Upon arrival, Paxton's favorite nurse had just begun his hands-on care by taking his temperature. This left the diaper change for Susanne to do. Due to another dose of Lasix, Paxton's diaper was really wet. The good news was that it meant the drug was doing it's job of relieving the fluid build-up in his system. The bad news was that he kept soaking through his diapers rather frequently. Scott couldn't wait to get to hold him, so as soon as the diaper change was complete it was kangaroo time. Scott got into the reclining kangaroo chair and unbuttoned his shirt so that he could hold his baby against his skin for the first time. He sat holding Paxton for almost 3 hours and loved every minute.
Tonight's bedtime story was called, "How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms?" and Susanne read it beautifully, as always.
Tomorrow is the day everyone's been waiting for. Paxton has his first open heart surgery. Scott and Susanne have tried very hard to stay in good spirits and keep positive attitudes. Still, tomorrow is the scariest day that either of them has ever had to face. It will be a long day of waiting and wondering. Thankfully, the amazing people in Pennsylvania with whom Scott works, have provided a basket full of items to help pass the time in the waiting room. It is this kind of thoughtfulness from their friends and family that has made this whole situation a little more bearable. They appreciate all of the support more than they could ever express. Scott will be bringing his laptop with him to the hospital so that he can update this blog as events unfold to keep everyone informed as best he can.


"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
Hebrews 11:1