WOW! Another Post!

Hey everyone! I am so sorry that we haven't been very good at this lately. It is amazing how quickly the days go by lately, although I will not complain, it is a blessing and helps make Dawson's hospital stay a little bearable.

Dawson is doing so well! He is so cute and sooo sweet! I had a hard time leaving him yesterday because he just looks so darn good! I think the hardest part about leaving him is driving past the hospital and seeing the window that is right by his bed. Knowing that my little baby is lying in there and I am driving away, sometimes it almost kills me. In fact yesterday as we were leaving town and I looked up on the mountain and could see the hospital I totally broke down. It will be so good to get him home!

Yesterday morning I sat with him for a while in the morning. When I got there he was wide awake. I got him out and we played. It was a lot of fun. Everytime I kissed his little cheeks he turned his head and tried to suck on mine. It was so much fun! He only takes a binki from me and seems to want it everytime I am there. He did really well with it which is good because he has to suck to eat and we will have to teach him how to do that when he comes home. The really good part of all that is that I guess he is getting a little better with things because I called the nurse later and she said that he was doing great and had, in fact, sucked on his binki since I left and if it fell out he would wake up and cry until someone would put it back in. What a good boy!

I am still planning on taking him home next weekend. It all kinda hinges on how well he does getting off of the ventilator. I think if we all pray really hard for him over the next couple of days, it won't be a problem for him. Then we are out of there. The only thing keeping him there outside of the surgery is feedings. They have been feeding him continuously and they are trying to ween him down to eating every 3 hours. They take the total volume and divide it by three hours and give it to him on a pump over that length. Now they are trying to give him the full 3 hour volume over 2 hours and will probably move to 1 hr. 45 min. today. He seems to be handling it well. The best case would be if they had him weened down to 30 min. feedings, however, if they do not I am completely capable of weening him down by myself at home, and I will gladly do it!

So that is the skinny for today. I hope you all have a great Christmas. We look forward to our first little Christmas at home. Jake is beside himself with excitement about Santa this year and it is so much fun!

I forgot to take the camera to the hospital. I will try to scan in a picture of Santa and Dawson soon.

We love you all!! Merry Christmas!

Love, The Lindstroms