Seattle Children's Hospital Week 2

The highlight of this week is that Ethan turned 9 months old and we are out of the ICU!! Ethan's 9 month birthday was Saturday April 2nd. Dad drove up from Oregon and we watched general conference all together in the hospital room over the internet. We are grateful for technology! On Monday Ethan's BNP level was the lowest it has ever been in his life! It was 84 and a normal BNP is 99 and below. Just to give some perspective, when he was first in the hospital, his BNP got as high as 3,000. When Ethan was home he was in the 300s to 200s. When we were readmitted to the hospital in March, his BNP was 2,000. So 84 is incredible! The first time he has been in the "normal" heart function range! We stopped Milrinone on Tuesday. Ethan was also fitted for a helmet on Tuesday. We spent Wednesday in the ICU just chillin. On Thursday Ethan's BNP was a little higher at 114 but the doctors weren't too concerned so we transferred out of the ICU to the "floor." We're still here and things are great!

I love my family! Second time going outside and it was beautiful.

Watching General Conference in the hospital room.

Likes: shaking his head, reading books and flipping through pages so fast you can't read the page, smiling at everyone that walks past his hospital door, playing with all the hospital tubes and cords, eating his blood pressure cuff, reaching for the thermometer cord, pulling so hard on his pulseox cord you wonder how his toe isn't broken, splashing water in the bathtub, sitting up, rocking and lifting his little bum up while sitting, standing and he likes peakaboo! He also likes to arch his back while in bed and try to scoot everywhere on his back. He likes high fives and hitting balls together but he won't clap unless there is a ball in each hand.

Dislikes: when we take away or don't let him play with his hospital tubes and cords. He doesn't like weight shifting to correct his torticollis, echocardiograms up in his neck, getting his nasal cannula on or fixed, heel pokes for blood gas, or getting stickers removed from his face and chest. Sometimes he doesn't like being laid down either. And he doesn't like it when mommy leaves. Or when he falls over and can't get back up. :)

9 month old picture with Sid the sloth.

Getting his helmet fitted. 

Picture of his helmet fitting. Mom was trying to keep him from pulling it off while it set so she didn't get a picture with it on. :(

We really enjoy being out of the ICU and there are a few differences! Vital checks are every 4 hours instead of every 1-2 hours so Ethan doesn't get bugged as much. We can eat in the room so Mom doesn't have to leave Ethan for meals. There's also a shower in the room so Mom takes showers again (phew)! This is a teaching hospital so there are residents and nurses in training. It's a lot closer to the entrance in River. We have more control over Ethan's schedule. The crib is a lot smaller which means Ethan can reach the rails and pull himself up (OH MY GOODNESS!!). The view from the new room is of a loading dock instead of the pretty lake, mountain, and space needle. We miss that. :) The facilities here are a lot older because the building we were in before was only 4 years old and we're in the building next door. River 6 instead of Forest 6.

New room out of the ICU.

Dad trying to play peekaboo but Ethan is smart enough and can pull himself up to see daddy over the rail.

Daddy and Ethan <3

Mommy and Ethan <3

Mommy and Daddy's set up

Yesterday we had a beautiful experience. Mom and Dad haven't been able to go to church in a while because it's hard to leave Ethan, especially when nurses have 3-4 patients and can't be in the room with him 24/7. So yesterday 3 elders from the Ravenna Parks ward visited our rooms and administered the sacrament. The spirit was so strong as we reflected on our Savior and his infinite atonement. It was one of the most sacred sacrament meetings and it was only the 6 of us in our little hospital room. I'm grateful for the kindness of the Ravenna Parks ward who has reached out to help us during our hospital stay 3 hours away from home.