July 13

This morning you started running fever. The highest it got was 100.8, but with all your surgeries we are afraid of infection traveling to your brain. To make sure everything is ok, the doctor took blood and urine for analysis, and also did a spinal tap. My plan was to stand next to you, hold your hand and comfort you the best I could but I was told there wouldn't be room for me. So instead of staying to listen to you cry, Daddy and I stepped into the hall. Mema stayed with you, and she said you didn't fuss much at all. She told me the part that upset you the most was being curled up into a ball on your tummy to expose your back. God sure knew what He was doing when He gave you such a high threshold for pain and your dad's laidback personality.

Your results won't be back in a couple days, so to be on the safe side, you have been started on three antibiotics. We know that your eyes and ears aren’t infected. Our best guess right now is your surgical line might be the problem. If so they will pull it out and give you a normal IV. Fortunately, you will probably start on small feeds tomorrow, so it wouldn’t be long before it came out anyway.

For the last two nights, Daddy and I have stayed overnight in a room TCH has for parents of NICU babies. What a great comfort for us! I was able to stay as late as I wanted even if Daddy needed to go to bed. First thing in the morning we could hop out of bed and see you. The best part was knowing that if you were in pain and needed me, the nurse could give me a call and I would be at your bedside in a moment. Even though the nurse said you slept well both nights and the grandma of your roommate across the hall confirmed it, I still had a hard time leaving you again tonight. The goal is to get you back up to your full feeds as soon as possible so we can go home; you and I will cuddle together all day and then with Daddy at night!