An octopus and a chicken

Josiah had a better night last night in terms of the amount of time he slept but he was fussy again this morning.  He was happy to see his grandparents and Grandpa F. rocked Josiah while he sat in his vibrating chair.

I met with a doctor from IGT (image guided therapy) in order to sign the consent forms for the planned procedure.  IGT was not happy with yesterday's plan so the plan actually changed three times.  In the end, Josiah did not have any procedure today other than an ultrasound to check that he doesn't have a clot in his left femoral area.  Thankfully that area is free of clots.  By Friday, they will decide whether or not he still needs to have a picc line.  If he does need it then it will go in his left femoral area.  I'll update you as I know more.

Josiah may be going up to the floor tomorrow (Thursday).  When I realized that, I decided I needed to do an errand that has been on my to-do list for a while.  I walked to MEC to buy a bag to replace my McMaster backpack that I inherited from my eldest brother when I started my undergrad at MAC (let's just say that was a few years ago)!  I was questioning my decision to leave Josiah until my walk home tonight during which I needed to clutch my backpack in front of me as the zippers would no longer be coaxed to work.  Perfect timing!  I am excited by my new Big Pod Sac and I am also happy about MEC prices.

It is Hallowe'en and SickKids had lots of costumes.  The children on the wards dress up and go from floor to floor to receive small toys.  Child Life brought by a new costume for Josiah so you'll see that he was dressed up as an octopus for part of the afternoon.  We also had a borrowed chicken outfit that Isaac agreed to try on tonight.  It would have been fun to see Isaac in person but I am thankful for technology.    

I took Josiah on two more stroller rides today, one with his costume on.  The photo at the top of this page is from his ride yesterday.  Josiah just became fussy if I stopped moving. 

I am so thankful for God's amazing timing.  I was not happy when I learned in August that Josiah would need to be on portagen and not breast milk until six weeks after his drainage tubes came out.  At the time, I envisioned being home and trying to feed two children (one with portagen that apparently tastes disgusting) as well as pumping milk every three hours.  Well, I'm so happy to say that he should be able to start my milk this Friday.  Thus, I have asked that he not start attempting oral feeds until Friday in order to give him the best possible chance to learn to take a bottle.  I would also love to try to breast feed Josiah but I'm not sure if they will let me as they will want his feeds concentrated and they may want to keep a close eye on his total fluid intake.

Although I'm still aware that going to 4D may be a challenge for various reasons, I also realized today that my previous experience on 4D is probably tainting my perspective.  In August we were there for six hours and he needed to go back to CCCU and be intubated.  In April when we were on 4D I was a mess much of the time with new baby hormones surging through my body along with little sleep, pain in various body parts, and the knowledge that I would be going home with a heart baby very soon.  We are in a very different situation now.  I am hoping that he goes to Step-down before his own room but the nurse told me that he wouldn't need to go to Step-down so I'll wait to hear what's decided.  It may depend on what bed is available. 

Thanks to NCR for a great meal last night and leftovers tonight!  I've missed thanking many sponsors of meals as I often eat them around 8:00 PM when the leftovers are in the fridge and there are no longer signs to say who served the meal. 

I was thinking about Romans 8:28 earlier today.  This is a popular verse: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (NKJV)."  I would like this to be my first thought when I get annoyed by something: God is going to bring good out of this.  What a wonderful, amazing truth to hold onto.  I don't think we can fully understand this truth on this side of heaven with our limited perspective.  It doesn't make sense when things are raw and painful and horrendous but at the same time it's so powerful to know it's true and to know that God wants to bring good and will bring good even out of the very bad. 

Good-night and thank you so much to everyone who is holding up our family in your prayers!

Blessings,

Elizabeth