Separation

Baby Jesh continues to do great, and "outperform" on his recovery above what was expected of him! He's now off of all painkillers except an occasional Tylenol. This is great news because babies are typically on pain killers long enough that their little bodies become addicted, meaning they have to wean them off of it even when the pain is gone. Little Jesh has handled the entire ordeal with such a show of strength that he came off of all narcotics much earlier than anticipated and now only gets fussy when he's hungry or when his bandages are changed. We're hoping that tomorrow the Doctor will allow him to start on diluted breast milk (50% dilution). They'll work on feeding him only through a bottle this week to try and get him home sooner, then let us work on the transition to feeding from Mommy when we get him home. But, at least he'll be getting all those good nutrients and immune system boosters that they just can't duplicate in formula. They won't be giving him "full servings" of milk for a couple of days at least. For now, it'll be just enough to "jump start" his digestive system after being empty for so long, so they can test out the colostomy with smaller amounts of food.

While Jesh's recovery is going so well, the day ended in tears as I came home to be with the kids for the week and Melissa returned to Spokane alone. Our kids need us, and it was so very evident today, especially after bringing them home and getting them ready for bed. They'll have to wait a little longer for Mom to come home, but they both spent the evening lovingly mauling Dad right up until bedtime. They ask about Baby Jesh and pray for him, and it's very hard to keep dry eyes when they ask why they can't be with him. Leah follows Aaron's lead more, but Aaron truly is concerned about it all despite our talks, and I wonder what he's thinking when he scrunches up his face to consider what I tell him. The hospital said that when Jesh gets his IV's and nasogastric tube out (the one going in the nose down to the stomach), the kids can see him in a viewing room through glass. This will likely be right prior to being discharged, as they won't remove those things until he is ready to leave anyway, but we're hoping it might happen sooner to give our kids that opportunity.

All next week, Mom will be visiting Jeshua during the days and Dad will drive there at night after the kids go to bed, while somebody from our ward stays at home for a couple of hours in Dad's absence (thank you so much for those who volunteered - it means SO MUCH that I'll be able to be with Jesh and Melissa for at least a short while each evening!). We love our family and our ward family so much and can't wait for you all to meet Baby Jeshua!