Wink from Heaven: Moved out of the ICU!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Moved out of the ICU!

Today Caleb was moved from the ICU to the floor! We are so thankful for the wonderful doctors and nurses in the PICU for taking such good care of us. Today we had a few ups and downs
Ups:
I can use my cell phone now!
I can eat in our room!
I can snuggle Caleb much easier because he doesn't have as many lines
Caleb has had dangerously low potassium levels, but the levels went up today!
My brother in law and his wife came to visit and I got to meet my little niece for the very first time!

Downs:
Caleb's lungs are pretty diminished and he had to go on the ventilator earlier than usual
He had numerous episodes of severe agitation and posturing that needed medicine to calm him
Caleb is hooked up to an EEG so that neurology can closely monitor his seizure activity

The plan for tomorrow:
Check for a Bladder infection
A possible CT scan to see if Caleb's shunt is still in tact
Closely monitor his little lungs
Lots of snuggling (if Caleb will promise not to let his diapers leak on me any more :)

7 comments:

Janene Baadsgaard said...: Yeah!!!!!; June 1, 2011 at 6:03 AM
Junior said...: so glad he has improved enough to move out of ICU. Prayers that those little lungs will open up and he will feel better. big hugs and lots of love; June 1, 2011 at 7:50 AM
Unknown said...: Yay! That is wonderful news April!; June 1, 2011 at 9:07 AM
Colleen said...: I hope he comes home very soon. I love that you are staying so positive!; June 1, 2011 at 10:05 AM
The Kings said...: Awesome news!!!! Hope you get home soon. Don't you just 'love' when they leak on you - better number 1s than number 2s though :) Give him a kiss from us. xxx; June 1, 2011 at 6:04 PM
shirlgirl said...: Nice to hear that Caleb is out of ICU. Let's hope that he improves daily so you can bring him home.; June 2, 2011 at 6:34 AM
Becky said...: I actually called the PICU yesterday and they told me you were DISCHARGED!!! :( I'm still happy he's doing better. Anxious to hear what they find today. Keep us posted! Wish I could come snuggle him. xoxo; June 2, 2011 at 9:27 AM

Prayer for Caleb

(written by Caleb's Grandma in her weekly column -2008-)

In my family we have a secret code to communicate our love for each other when we are out in public. We wink. When one of us is about to perform or speak, we look for a family member’s face in the crowd. Then we wink at each other. Closing one eye and winking is our secret code for saying, “I love you. You can do it. You’re wonderful.”

About three years ago, my grandson Caleb was born into our family. He must have known before birth that he would never be able to speak to us because he was born with one eyelid permanently closed. So, he is always “winking” at us, always communicating, “I love you. You can do it. You’re wonderful.”

Caleb has one eye lid permanently closed because he is missing one of his eyes . . . and he is also missing his brain. All the doctors said he would die soon after birth. They were wrong. Caleb is three years old. He is a medical miracle. The doctors say he can’t see, hear, speak, think or move. Those who know and love Caleb understand he has his own unique way of experiencing the world and communicating his love to those around him.

After Caleb was born the hospice people told us to buy a burial plot and continually warned us of his imminent death. We soon learned you can not live well in a state of fear and sadness. We decided we could spend Caleb’s entire life anxious and scared he might die at any moment, or we could celebrate each day we were blessed to have him with us. In the beginning, my daughter April celebrated Caleb’s birthday every week instead of every year with balloons and cupcakes because we simply did not know how long we would have him with us. We stopped the cupcakes after we gained ten pounds, but the celebrating goes on.

We all prayed for a miracle when we first learned about Caleb’s condition. We got one. Caleb’s birth, life and mission have had a deep and lasting impact on our lives. His spirit, eternal identity and most of all the loving, individual relationship he has with each of us is truly a miracle. Because of Caleb we know that each of us has a divine purpose and that the physical body is a sacred gift we should never take for granted. We better understand the worth of a soul and the resiliency of the human spirit.

Caleb’s five year old brother Matthew said, “Grandma. The doctors said Caleb was going to die, but he didn’t. That’s the first miracle I ever saw!”

Sometimes Caleb’s baby brother Mitchell pulls out his feeding tube while they hold hands riding together in their double stroller. Sometimes the only intervention that can get Caleb’s heart rate up is when his older brothers Josh and Matty crawl in his crib, hug him and sing, “I am a Child of God.” ...If you have a moment please offer a prayer for the little boy who has never been able to utter a single word and yet has taught everyone who knows and loves him – all the secrets of a rich and meaningful life.