Hello, this is Christie again.  I’m back on duty in Peoria until tomorrow night (Saturday night). Then Michael will come back here and I’ll go home to get ready for Sunday.

Last night when I got home, I was surprised at how tired I felt.  But I was so grateful to be home and I really enjoyed sleeping in my own bed.  

Knowing that we have probably at least a week of this back-and-forth stuff to get through, I was very aware of the things I wanted to get done before heading back to the hospital.  So my day today started at 6 a.m. when Lilly woke me up to nurse.  After I nursed her and she fell back to sleep, I decided to get up and make coffee.  I also made a Baked Oatmeal for breakfast, and then I started on a double-batch of carrot cake muffins.  It seems important to me to keep yummy things on hand for the family even though life is a little crazy right now.  

I hurried from one task to another; getting laundry done, helping with school work, feeding the baby bird (that is growing like crazy!), taking care of Lilly, checking in on Michael and Judah via e-mail and instant messages, making a grocery list, and all the other little things that typically fill my day.  I had a list on a whiteboard on the fridge that I worked through, erasing each item as it was completed.

Before I knew it, the time had come to get ready to head back to Peoria.  Luke was invited to go along with me, and he got permission from his dad for us to grab some fast food our way out of town.  We drove through McDonalds (Luke’s choice) and then headed west.

When we arrived in Judah’s room, we were pleased to see that he is much more cheerful than yesterday.  He was watching a show in his daddy’s iPod and not fussy at all.  Luke was so tickled to get to see all the interesting things here at the hospital.  First I pointed out all the tubes going into and out of Judah and explained what each thing was for.  (Judah wasn’t too thrilled about that!) Then I showed him the play room and we picked out some books to take to show to Judah.  I also showed Luke the little pantry where there are snacks for folks to enjoy.  He agonized over which snack to choose for himself, finally choosing a strawberry Pop-Tart.

Luke made the observation that he hadn’t seen Michael and me together for days.  I hadn’t given it much thought, but it meant something to Luke to see Michael and me talking and hugging and together.

Michael gave me the daily report about how to get Judah to the potty, when his last pain meds were given, etc.  But as much as we enjoy being together, Michael was very tired and had a slight headache and was anxious to get home.  So we said our goodbyes and the guys left for home.

It’s amazing to me how much more calm and rested Judah seems to be.  He’s actually playing with little toys as he lays in bed.  He has no desire to sit or stand or walk, but he is enjoying some little trucks and action figures as he lays still.  

Judah seems to accept all the tubes and the drain without much complaint at all.  Now and then he’ll say that one of them is uncomfortable.  But he hasn’t pulled the tape off or dislodged anything.  

Michael suggested that tomorrow we should try to get Judah out of bed and to the play room.  One of the doctors told me that it’s so important for the patient to get exercise so that his insides will work properly.  So even if Judah doesn’t feel like moving, we’ll have to insist that he gets out of bed for a little while.

Judah’s temperature seems to be much closer to normal, and he is on a more nutritious i.v. now.  He still isn’t eating or drinking anything, but he has permission to have ice chips sometimes.

Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers.  And thank you to those who are helping us with child care and keeping things running as smoothly as possible at home.  

Michael’s mother is taking more of the burden of childcare and meal preparation while I’m gone.  Michael’s employer has given him the time off that he needs to be available to his family during this time, and we are so grateful for their generosity.  So many people have told us they are praying for Judah and praying for our family.  We are humbled by your love.  Thank you.