Wednesday evening

After much anticipation, Emma Kate did actually get extubated today! We were told it would likely be around 8 or 9am, and although she seemed ready, the team was still rounding for hours... it was almost noon before it actually happened. She did really well considering that, although it was really hard for us to watch for so long. She also got her foley catheter removed, and she has urinated normally after that which is great. We're struggling a little bit with her pain management, it's so hard to tell exactly what discomfort she is in... she has a little bit of a whine on exhalation, and it's difficult to tell if she's showing pain that way or if it's related to her laryngeal paralysis. She's on tylenol regularly, as well as morphine as needed. Sometimes the morphine seems to make a difference and other times not so much. She's still getting a precedex drip as well. She sat up a couple times today and was actually watching "Aristocats" which is her new favorite by far. We all have it well memorized of course. Hopefully tomorrow she will have her arterial line removed and if her chest drain doesn't have significant accumulation of fluid, it will also come out. They are looking at getting us out of the cardiac ICU and back to the complex airway unit sometime before the weekend, but it will happen when it happens of course... Until then, we're hoping to get a little bit of enteral feeding going through another NG tube while we have the chance, before she vomits this one up. We are hoping that being on the medications for pain, she might be a little more sedate, and possibly less likely to vomit it out so quickly. When it does happen though, it will be the end of the NG tubes- we are not going down that well travelled road again, as it just doesn't work for her. Someone mentioned possibly getting the speech pathologist to come tomorrow to assess her for oral feedings, and they did go ahead and start up her TPN this evening as well so the bases are at least covered for now.

Gretta has had a great day, mostly nursing and napping, and her awake time was jolly! She can be so personable sometimes, making the cutest little expressions and moving her arms like a silly little dance. I get a big kick out of the change in her forehead when she perks up! I call it her "LBR" or Little Brow Ridge... it's so precious!