An Even Better Day

The night I was waiting for, officially happened last night.  Jason left yesterday and returned to eastern Oregon.  We usually stay at the hospital until he goes to sleep and then head back to the RMH to get some rest ourselves.  Last night was no exception, and at 12:22 AM, I received a call from Gage.  He said he wanted me there NOW and he couldn't sleep.  Let's just say the tone he was using was not the kindest or most polite.  I explained that it was the middle of the night and we both needed our rest.  He argued a bit longer with me and the nurse kindly took the phone from him.  The nurse said, there was no need to come and he was just fine.  This was a great call, because it means Gage is FINALLY waking up.  We received these calls frequently from Lindsey, we knew they were coming.

This morning I got over to the hospital as quickly as I could.  I woke Gage up and explained to him that I wore my walking shoes today and we were going to use them.  I also explained, if he has energy to be up in the middle of the night, then he has energy to be up in the chair a lot more than yesterday.  He didn't take this news with the great excitement I was delivering it with (not sure why, perhaps because he didn't go to sleep until 3 AM).  So, today he has been up and down in the chair, almost nonstop.  Even he asked to get out of his bed and into his chair by this afternoon. He took a short walk around his bed 2 times.  He could have gone further, but until more stuff comes off of him, we have a short leash. The doctors pulled one of his 3 chest tubes and the big IV in his neck.  That is huge strides forward.  He is eating and has a little bit of an appetite.  The only struggle is, when he eats he can feel his food getting stuck on his chest tube and it is very uncomfortable for him.  However, the fact that he wants to eat and drink and is not vomiting is great! Gage took one small nap today, so he should sleep well tonight.  He is getting stronger. I even got a smile out of him when I showed him a video his class made for him.

Jason made it home to Oregon with a tropical -2 degrees awaiting him (sometimes it's not so bad being in California).  Today he spent the day running around to Lindsey and Hunters volleyball games and activities.  It is great for him to be there and the kids were really happy he came home.  He will return next week for Thanksgiving.  Depending on how Gage is feeling will tell him how many kids he brings with him.  If Gage keeps improving this much, I could see them all coming.  That would be wonderful, as I miss them very much.

Gages attempt at a smile while eating his dinner.

A hat given to Gage from Taylor who started camp Taylor. A camp for heart kids and their families. He is very nice.