Day 37: Paxton's first powwow with the Chief

Paxton was awake all morning anxiously awaiting his first visit with Chief, Scott's father. Unfortunately, when he arrived the audiology department had just sent down a technician to perform a hearing test. Some of you may be wondering how this is done since Paxton cannot raise his hand when he hears a beep. Well, the hearing test is known as the BAER (brainstem auditory evoked response). This test measures the electrical activity of the auditory pathways in the brain by placing electrodes on the head and ears and evaluating the response to sound. It is similar to how an electrocardiogram (ECG) measures the electrical activity of the heart. After multiple attempts, the technician decided to give up and just repeat the test next week. The test was unsuccessful due to a lot of artifact the machine was picking up from all of the equipment and monitors that Paxton was hooked up to. Paxton was such a champ through it all. His nurse and the technician kept commenting on how awesome he did, especially since he was awake for the test. Better luck next time.
After waiting so patiently, Chief finally got to meet his grandson for the first time. Paxton fit perfectly in his arms and enjoyed every minute of his stay. Once again, it was another touching moment. Hopefully, there will be more powwows to come.
Later in the day, Paxton had an occupational therapy (OT) appointment. He did very well and passed with flying colors. The last thing that Susanne and the therapist worked on with Paxton was tummy time. After trying to encourage him to lift his head a couple times from that position, they left him laying chest to chest on Susanne for cuddle time. It was easy to see how tired he was after the session because he slept for the rest of the afternoon well into the evening. Getting to hold Paxton for hours and watching him sleep are some of the sweetest moments for Susanne.
The nurse switched his NJ-tube to a NG-tube, which will prepare his system to start the bolus feedings. Everyday now feels like Paxton is getting closer and closer to going home. Hooray!
Paxton had a busy evening even though he couldn't stay awake for most of it. Moppy came to visit for a little while and brought him a book of poems, songs, and lullabies written by Julie Andrews. Also, some of the Padilla's closest friends, Aunt Colleen (Leenie) and Uncle Chris, came to meet Paxton for the first time. They are part of the original Paxton fan club and were in the waiting room when he was delivered. Both Colleen and Chris got to hold Paxton and they seemed like such naturals. Colleen spend time looking at all of his precious fingers and toes. She even looked at his cutest little nose, but she still couldn't find his eyebrows. Later in the evening, she read him the "Barnyard Dance" which was the book that they gave Paxton before he was born. No one can wait for Paxton to participate in breaking it down Barnyard style.
Right before Susanne left for the evening, the nurse informed her that Paxton was going to be switched over to breast milk. If Paxton tolerates the breast milk and his stool continues to show up negative for the microscopic blood for three days, then he will be able to stay on it long term. Please say a special prayer that his system can handle it.

P.S. For all of you out there wondering, Susanne and Scott are the official authors and photographers of "Paxton's Big Adventure: To the NICU...and beyond!" Writing in the third person makes it easier for us to write without saying "I" or "We" and then having to specify who the "I" or "We" is. Thank you to everyone for all of the continued support and all of your uplifting comments. Keep them coming.