Friday, May 29, 2015

Wrapping up the Week

This week was insanely busy and I am looking forward to laying low this weekend.  The boys and I hit labs early Thursday morning and after only two pokes we got a lot of blood.  I sent Owen's Antibody labs via FedEx to Stanford and we will get those back in a few weeks.  I did get the results back of his other lab work today and his Tacro (rejection med) level was way too low.  It should be 8-12 and his was a 3.  Eek.  It was just 16 last week so we decreased his dose just a tiny bit.  Anyway.. we switched up his med level and we will be back at the lab at 7am on Monday.  On another note, his BNP was 1500, which is great news!!  His heart failure is trending down.. it was upwards of 23000 at one point which is insane.  It was 11,000 when we were taking him of ECMO.  It was 3800 at discharge.  So 1500 is very promising. 
Thursday Nana was moved from the hospital to a rehab facility.  My sister was so stressed trying to pick out the right place for her to go to get better.  We aren't sure if she will make it home again, which is heartbreaking, or if she will need to go to a long term skilled nursing facility. For now, we are just trying to get her up on her feet again.  Prayers for Nana to just feel comfort.

Grandpa Todd and Grandma Monica bought all the girl cousins tickets to Phantom of the Opera for Christmas.  Thursday night was the big night and they had so much fun!  They all went out to dinner and then off to the show.  Followed up with Ice cream and Kam didn't get home until close to midnight.  I am getting old because I could barely keep my eyes open until Kam got home.  I love all these girls so much. 

Six am on Friday came too quickly and we were up and getting ready for Physical Therapy.  This was Owen's first time back to PT since his hospitalization and we wanted to get to the gym before it got crowded for the day.  I am so nervous that he is going to overdue it physically, but he was pretty self limiting.  He bounced on the trampoline for a few minutes before totally feeling exhausted.  He spent a good 30 minutes lifting mats and carrying them around trying to build his fort.  He was pretty proud of it and it was good to see what his physical limitations are right now.

We rushed home so I could tube feed Owen and give him his meds and I was right back out the door with Logi.  He has his 4 month well baby visit, a month late.  This little guy is so squishy and delightful all the time.  He was 18.9lbs (81%) and 27.5" (92%)... "little tiny chubs" as Owen calls him.  We picked a couple vaccinations (I do only a couple at a time) and he barely cried.  Mister tough guy like his big bro.  The tongue is new this week too.  Anytime he smiles.. out comes the tongue.. so adorable!
We wrapped up the day with hair cuts for all.  Then housework, dinner, grocery shopping, and clean up.  I am happy this week is over, but next week is another very full week.  Life is busy and we wouldn't have it any other way.  We are all HOME and that is really what matters.  I am planning a trip to Stanford maybe around the 4th of July.  Anyone know of any firework shows.. beach towns.. along the California coast??  We have done Oceanside a few years but now they do the San Diego show so that is in the running... anywhere else?   Santa Cruz.. Monterrey...San Fran?  Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Making The Most Of Summer

It is summertime in Sunny Arizona and we will soon be enjoying triple digit temps. We like to be outdoors and that means we spend much of our Summer poolside.  Summer is my favorite time of year!  Spending time with my kids, staying up late watching movies, afternoon naps, swimming for hours, and making memories.  I am always looking for quick, grab and go snacks, that are easy to throw in the beach bag.  Who doesn't love cereal?  Eat it anytime, anywhere, and everyone loves Kellogg's cereal.  These little to go cups are convenient and so easy for the kids to snack on poolside. 

Keeping my kids busy indoors during the heat of the day is always a challenge.  Well, I suppose if I allowed it, Owen would just play his video games all day.  So why not get in the kitchen and try a new recipe even the kids can make.  My kids' favorite summer treat is my Gooey Rice Krispy Treats with M&Ms.  With only four ingredients they are quick and super easy. I simply follow the recipe on the back of the Rice Krispy box and add some mini M&Ms. 

 

Gooey Rice Krispy Treats with M&Ms
 
3 tbsp butter
1 pkg (10oz) Jet Puffed Marshmallows
1 pkg (12oz) mini M&Ms
 
1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal and toss in M&Ms. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.
 

Get Creative!!! I also have thrown in graham cracker pieces, chocolate chips and mini mallows to make S'more treats.  My newest find is adding a little coconut oil to the treats for a sweet coconut flavor.  It's fun to let the kids come up with new ideas and it's a great way to spend time together in the kitchen during those long summer days.  Make some memories this summer!

Walmart wants you to show us how you #MakeTheMostOfSummer with your favorite cereals from Kelloggs.  www.walmart.com/MakeTheMostOfSummer

Leave me a comment and let me know your favorite summertime activity for a chance to win a $100 Walmart Giftcard!

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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Stanford Visit

Owen and I had a whirlwind 24 hour trip to Palo Alto and back.  I wish I had some great news to report, but it was pretty uneventful.  We flew in last night, grabbed dinner and crashed at the hotel.  Woke up early, ate breakfast and headed to clinic.  Owen had his echo and ekg.  We did vitals.. he gained a little weight and is up to 41lbs.. that's positive!  Psych came in and we chatted for a while, mostly about Owen's bee phobia (random).  We talked to the transplant NPs and updated them on all of Owen's meds, labs, ect.  Then Dr Rosenthal got tied up in an emergency on the floor (he wasn't due to be in clinic, but on service) and couldn't make it down to clinic before we had to leave for the airport so we saw Dr Almond.  A doc we have never met and had no idea who Owen is.  There are four transplant docs that we are totally familiar with and the new one is in clinic today... I was understanding, but frustrated.  He was smart and answered all my questions as much as he could.  As much as anyone could.  We are just in a position where all we can do is "wait and see" what will happen next.  His heart hasn't fully recovered, but he isn't sick enough to seriously consider transplant.  We agreed to come back in 3 to 6 weeks for a biopsy and to gather cath data (pressures, coronary arteries, ect).  His HR is still in the high 140s, with no real explanation.  He had this "rejection" episode with no signs of rejection.  All things are looking "promising."  So we continue to do weekly echos, labs, and I monitor him closely (daily Blood Pressures and HR).  There is no plan.  We are exhausted from our quick trip, but I'm glad we got to update our team at Stanford and we'll hopefully have even more data after his cath in a few weeks.  I didn't want to change any meds with a new cardiologist today so we'll let Zangwill make med adjustments since he is totally familiar with Owen at this point.  An uneventful trip and we are home.  Tomorrow... Labs! We will enjoy our summer and plan a family vaca for our next trip to Cali.  I'm off to bed.  Thanks for all the prayers, they are working, and we just need to be patient.  Slow and steady...

Monday, May 25, 2015

Memorial Day

I can't say how relieved I am that school is out for summer!!  Kam finished off the year strong and is looking forward to long, lazy, Summer days.  I am sad that Owen missed out on all the end of the year festivities for 1st grade, but he doesn't know any better.  We did stop by his school and said goodbye to his friends and teachers.  He felt like a celebrity when we walked in, masks on, and every student yelled "OWEN!!!"  He felt pretty special and knows he has been missed.

Nana hasn't had such a great week and ended up in the hospital.  My Sis lives with her and takes care of her as she is in the advanced stages of Alzheimers.  She doesn't know that I am her granddaughter but she knows she likes me!  It is not as entertaining in the adult hospital so I was teaching her how to take selfies.  She got a kick out of it.   Keep Nana in your prayers.. mostly for comfort and to not be anxious. 
We finally took our first swim last night.  Logi loved swimming with Kam while Owen was freaking out about the bees.  He has been stung twice, always by the water, and now has a phobia of bees.  He sees one and just goes ballistic.  I convinced him there were no bees around and he was happy to get in the water until another lady said "watch out for bees, we have seen a few around here!"  Grrrrr.  Our time at the pool was cut short and we will try again another day. 
Logan is changing so much each day.  I found some old home movies yesterday of the kids that were entertaining for the late afternoon.  They just grow up so quickly and these moment with first smiles, first food, first swim are cherished. 
We have a wonderful Memorial Day planned!  I am going to go visit with Nana at the hospital and then we have a family party this evening.  Tomorrow morning Owen and I fly out to Palo Alto.  He is a little more excited than I am for our little trip.  I am on my toes all day.. counting calories, watching numbers on the scale, taking blood pressures, asking him how he feels... I am just so afraid I will miss something.   It will get better with time.  Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all those that put their lives on the line to protect our Freedom!! 

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Logan -- 5 Months

This little Bubba-Chubba is FIVE months old.  He is the best baby and so sweet all the time. He goes with the flow of our crazy lives and always has a grin.  I still can't get over how chill he was all those days spent in the hospital or being passed between Daddy and Mommy. He is just such a good natured, sweetheart, and always has us entertained. 

He is about 18lbs and I have no idea how long, but not a small baby.  He still eats just 3-4 ounces every couple hours.  He takes several naps throughout the day and goes to bed at 7:30.  He sleeps pretty good, only waking at midnight and 4am for a bottle and right back to sleep. 

Logan busted in his first two teeth!!  They came in a couple weeks ago and he is still a mess of drool so I suspect there are a couple more popping through soon.
He loves tummy time.  I have never known a baby to love to be on his tummy so much.  The second you put him on his back, he flips to his tummy and is ready to play!  He is learning to scoot on his belly, Superman style, but can't get up on all fours quite yet.

These fingers are always in his mouth, and most recently, his toes have found their way there too.  He loves to play with his feet.
It's finally time to start eating baby food, so we gave him his first few bites this week and he is still unsure. In Owen's words.. "He hates the apples, no way, he makes a yucky face.  But the bananas are a YES because he smacked his lips."
Logi just "learned how to use his jumping feature" on the Jumparoo.  (another Owen quote)  You can see how strong he is and enjoy Owen's little commentary.
He is the most alert, curious, and social baby!  You can just watch him soaking everything in like a sponge.  He is SO smart, just like his siblings.  Speaking of siblings.. he loves his Sis and Big Bro like crazy.. he can't get enough.  The minute Kam walks in the door after school he starts kicking and hollering at her to play. 
We love out little Logi and are so grateful for our "surprise" baby!  I love that he smacks me in the face looking for Daddy's beard to play with.  I love that he babbles all day and tries to repeat sounds that we are making.  I love that he will cuddle me anytime, day or night, just snuggles.  Happy 5 months little buddy!

Monday, May 18, 2015

Busy Monday

Our weekend came and went way too fast.  Kam and I went to see Pitch Perfect 2.  The boys went for haircuts and Daddy took Owen on a date for Bbq.  We laid around the house watching movies and catching up on laundry.  Nothing too thrilling, but it beats being inpatient anyday.

Our week started out busy.  This is the last week of school and finals week for Kam.  Owen had to be at the hospital at 8am for labs, echo and transplant clinic.  Dr Z said his echo looks the same..no better, no worse.  I am anxious to hear what our team at Stanford has to say about the plan moving forward.  Labs were a hot mess after two pokes and tons of digging around with the needle...never again will we go to that lab in the hospital.  His arm is totally bruised and he has never had someone have an issue with drawing labs, and we go often!
 Kam is wrapping up the year and working hard to ace her classes.  She will probably get a B in honors geometry which would still leave her gpa at 4.33.  She is excited for summer break and is taking her world history online this summer to allow extra time in her schedule for Advanced dance, japanese 2 and drivers ed.  We will have another licensed driver next year!

 Owen contibues to struggle with weight gain and is barely 39lbs soaking wet.  Not only is he getting tube feeds all day long, he is orally eating well.  I think his body is just working hard and burning up all those calories.  I am trying to avoid night feeds but may have to rely on the feeding pump all night again.  Daddy took him for ribs and he was so thrilled..he only ate one. :)
 This little guy has no issue with weight gain and loves his bottles.  He also loves his fingers and being on his tummy.  I'll do his 5 month post tomorrow.
Happy Monday...this is the start to our crazy busy week!  We all have a nasty cold virus that we are trying to kick.  Its too hot to have the sniffles!

Thursday, May 14, 2015

New Normal

It has been wonderful now that we are all home!  Owen is busy playing legos, wiiu, and watches videos on his iPad.  He is taking it easy as is expected.  He has been eating so well, which is just amazing!  I am still tube feeding him a ton trying to help him put some pounds on.

I have been busy finding my new normal,
or my old normal.  I am familiar with all the meds, but trying to get familiar with the new doses and on a schedule.  I am loving the simple things like rotating laundry and cooking dinner.  I am sure that will be old by the weekend.

We had an early morning appointment at the hospital. Owen saw Dr Z. and we had a quick visit with the nutritionist.  Labs were no fun, but Monday's labs will be better.  We have an echo scheduled Monday and I am hoping for some improvement.

Owen and Logan have developed a lovely cough but its from sinus drainage.  Hoping its a small virus that they kick over the weekend.  We have no plans.  Lots of R&R!  

Kam had finals next week and she puts so much pressure on herself to do perfect.  I am looking forward to summer break so my baby girl can enjoy some downtime.

I hardly have photos of Owen because he has boycotted clothes since being home.  ;)

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Home

After spending five weeks in room 105 in the Cardiac ICU...we are HOME!
This morning started with a 6am wake up by the Intensivist.  Dr Nigro was on his way in early to remove Owen's broviac (like in his chest).  Owen woke up and said "no way are we doing that bedside!"  He told the surgeon he would rather go to the OR, so it was booked in the next half hour.  I was  able  to scrub in again and take Owen to the OR and help him drift off with the "super yummy bubblegum, strawberry mask."  Thirty minutes later he was done and back in his room.  He was less than thrilled to have a new IV placed in his hand.  Poor guy.  We did a lab draw and removed the new line and told him he was done!

I spent the entire morning getting his meds filled, room packed and double checked all his home monitoring equipment for accuracy.

We hit the road home by 1:30!

Larissa had Logan for the day and she also went to the High School to be there for the Golden Scholar ceremony.  Kam and Connor were honored once again for their academic excellence!  We are so proud of them both!
We decided to swing by the high school on our way home to surprise Kam and pick up Logi.  Finally...we were all going home together!
Mr Owen had one last request for his favorite Kung Pao Beef and Hot spicy soup!
I have been crazy trying to unpack and get on a new med schedule.  We had some fun visitors...our HLHS buddies William and Bryson stopped by with their moms.  It was fun to chat and take a break from unpacking.

The plan moving forward is transplant clinic visit Thursday morning with labs.  ECHO, transplant clinic and labs on Monday again.  We will probably still fly out to Stanford on Memorial Day like we had originally planned ..before his heart failed.  We will first make sure he is stable for travel.  Life is not slowing down anytime soon, but tonight, we will all sleep under one roof.  Just s it should be.  We are haunted by the events of the past month and are  so grateful for the outpouring of support and prayers.

Monday, May 11, 2015

The "Plan"

It has been another busy day in the CICU.  Owen had an early morning xray, followed up with labs and an echo.  Today was a day to gather data.  His echo is showing trivial improvement, I didn't get a  full report, but it isn't worse.  His BNP is down to 3000 which indicates severe heart failure, but is a huge improvement over the 20000 BNP he had at admittance.   

The "plan" is to try and discharge tomorrow.  It is an ambitious goal, but I am ready for anything.  I took his scripts down to the hospital pharmacy...all 16 of them.  I have his blood pressure machine at home, as well as a pulse ox machine, but I ordered another to see if it is more accurate.  We scheduled followup appointments for transplant clinic as early as Thursday morning with a Monday morning echo.  Owen is not out of the woods and his recovery will be long.  We are unsure if his heart will fully recover and if so, how long it will last.  For now, we just count our blessings and enjoy every day!

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Mother's Day

My Mother's Day was was great.  I was thankful to be surrounded by my babies, my husband, my mom, my grandma, and my sister.  This morning started out with a dressing change on Owen's IJ line in his chest. Due to the skin breakdown from all the tape, it burns and stings  when we have to use the disinfectant...like alcohol on raw skin.  It breaks my heart.  We quickly recovered and spent the rest of our morning relaxing.
Owen's nurse, Lexy, helped him make me the most  perfect gift yesterday.  Inside the jar were little notes from Owen with reasons why he loves me.  "You help fix my heart."
"You do things for me."
"You play games with me."
"You are so nice to me."
They went on and on...such a sweet gesture and I may have cried big ugly tears when Owen hugged me and thanked me for being his Mom.
Carson brought  Kam and Logan to the hospital in time for lunch.  We had Honeybear BBQ hospital style.  Kam made me the sweetest card and told me how grateful she is to me.  I love this sweet girl of mine that made me a mom 15 years ago!  Carson got me the best card as well...I tear up now as I have read it several times.  I am so lucky!

Monica and Todd came by with a bouquet of balloons just for me.  My Sisterwives sent me a very generous SPA Giftcard. My Mom, Dad, and Gigi came to spend the afternoon with us.  Kelli, Chris, the little girls and Nana came with deserts for all from AJs.  We headed out to the rooftop garden to visit with family.

I love that even though we are in the hospital, we are all together.  I love my mom and Nana so much...I could go on and on about what they instilled in me growing up.  Most of all they both worked HARD in life and never gave up.  I tried to get a photo of Nana, my mom and all the kids but Owen got super tired after about 30 minutes.  He begged us to go back to his room.  His nurse was with us so we took him to his room and he crashed.  I am amazed he made it as long as he did.  Bless his heart.
It was hard saying goodbye to everyone, especially my little family.
I am grateful to have such amazing women in my life.  My Mom, my Nana, Kathryn, Monica, my Sister, Larissa, Janesa, Kamri and Aida.  I am so lucky to have three children that allow me to love them.  Kamryn made me a mother and taught me what unconditional love is.  Owen has taught me to appreciate every moment.  I am stronger and braver than I ever knew I could be.  Logan is teaching me patience and to go with the flow.  There is nothing more challenging  or rewarding than raising my babies.  Happy Mother's Day!

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Saturday Family Day

It has been another great day for Mr Owen! I went home to sleep with Kam and Logi, so daddy played video games with Owen until way past bedtime.

The plan is to relax all weekend.  We spent the day as a family with Owen, played fames and I got my butt kicked in UNO by all thre of them!

After a few laps around the unit with this comedian, we are settled in his room for the night.  Hoping to watch a movie and then call it a night after his billion 9 o'clock meds.
Tomorrow is Mother's Day and I am lucky to be spending it with my babies and husband.  My mom, Sister and Nana will all be up tomorrow to spend Mother's Day at the hospital.  It's not about where you are, but who you are with.  I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Friday, May 8, 2015

Four weeks

It's hard to believe that four weeks ago, Owen was so sick. It is still so surreal at what a miracle occurred! We almost lost this little Superhero and look at him today! Amazing!


Thursday, May 7, 2015

Long Days

We made it through another long day. I had to bribe Owen to get in bed last night at 10pm and he was up and out of bed again at 6am.  He is never hooked up to monitors and just plays around his hospital room all day.  He is totally bored, as am I, but at least I can go downstairs and get some freedom.  I feel horrible for him being stuck in here.  He does get out for short walks around the cicu, but even those I limit because of germs.  

Today I raised the question at rounds about a discharge date.  In all honesty we are not doing anything here that I cannot do from home.  He is being monitored closely every 3 hours and I understand that he was just decannulated from ECMO 2 weeks ago.  With that said, I have managed his heart failure for years!  I have blood pressure machines, a pulse ox with HR monitor and can weigh him daily.  I will even bring him to clinic daily for labs and/or to do vitals.  I just don't understand the benefit of staying inpatient with  this brovic/ij line we aren't  using but is a huge infection risk and the risk of contracting illness is higher inpatient.

 Anyway...it's out of my hands.  They are fearful about sending  him home.  His heart has not recovered fully, he is in heart failure and we don't  have an exact understanding of what caused this rejection.  It is scary.  We also cannot keep him contained in a hospital room just because we are scared.  We picked a tentative discharge date for next week with no promises.

  We are VERY grateful  the he has done so well and how far he has come.  We also know he is not out of the woods and heart failure can be a beast.  I am learning a big lesson in patience!
Time to go play our evening round of board games.  Tomorrow is a new day....time to get creative!

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Avengers: Age of Ultron...A Special Day!

It has been a pretty incredible day for our Superhero!  We had a super secret surprise planned for him!  Last week I received a call from PCH Foundation.  They had been in touch with the Marketing Director at Harkins Theatre.  Another amazing heart mom had sent Harkins info about Owen and that put things into motion.  Marvel gave the final approval and they arranged a special surprise for Owen.

At 1pm today, I met Whitney from Harkins along with Lee from Marvel Studios.  Lee flew in from Burbank, CA just to see Owen and brought along the new Avengers:  Age of Ultron!  He missed the May 1st movie release and has been counting down the days for this movie for the past year!  He was totally surprised and so thrilled!

Whitney brought him a big fuzzy Harkins blanket, tons of popcorn, a super cool Marvel Marathon Medal (only those that have seen all the Marvel movies get these), some awesome tshirts and more goodies!  It was so generous.
  
Lee, a production security coordinator, from Marvel brought another bag of goodies and special things only for Mr. Owen.
He was seriously in heaven!  He keeps telling everyone.."I am one really lucky boy!"
We turned off the lights, closed the blinds and watched the entire movie.  Daddy and Kam were here for the movie and it almost felt like we weren't  in the hospital for those 2 1/2 hours.  We all loved the movie!  Owen loved the scene with Hulk vs Iron Hulk.  It was so fantastic and Mr. Owen will be talking about this experience for a really long time!  Thank You to Lee for taking your entire day to fly out to Phoenix and make this Possible.  I hope you found some good grub on your way back to the airport.  It was a pleasure meeting you.  Owen has been telling everyone he is coming to work for Marvel in 10 years!
He has been wearing his Capt America suit all over the unit telling everyone about his day.  Thank You to Whitney at Harkins for making this possible as well.  You were incredible to take a simple request and run with it!  Thanks to Laura for thinking of it and sending Owen's info along.  Finally..a shout out to my Sister Wives for loading Owen up with Avenger jammies and MashUps for the big day!
Shortly after our fun ended, Owen had another fun visitor.  Mrs. Zale, his 1st grade teacher, dropped by with some gifts and hundreds of cards from  the school. We are going to have fun looking through them all. Owen was also given the Super Shark award at school which is a big deal.
The dress up didnt end.  Since he was all dressed up as Steve Rogers, he decided to throw on his Capt mask from Daddys coworkers and had fun shooting disks out of his shield.  He is never in bed the last two days and it appears his tummy issues are subsiding.  He is off monitors and they just do an assessment every few hours.  He is all over the place and keeping super busy.  HEART FAILURE will not take this Superhero down!
We don't really have a plan  yet.  I totally understand the severity of heart failure we are dealing with.  His heart has not recovered and is getting slightly better with time.  Its hard  to believe that 2 weeks ago he was on ECMO and more terrifying to know it can happen again.  So we cherish days like today when our superhero gets to feel extraordinary !

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Another busy day in the CVICU.  We are trying to keep Owen busy to pass the time.  I have no idea what the plan is moving forward.  Owen is off all iv meds and each day we tweak his oral meds with an echo every few days.  Each echo shows a little improvement, nothing significant, but it isn't worse either.  At this point they are doing nothing inpatient that I cannot do at home.  I do all the meds and catch all the errors.  I blend his food and bring it to the hospital and manage his feeds via tube and oral.  We are monitoring him inpatient, but I have the equipment  at home to monitor him outpatient as well and I can bring him in every few days for echos if needed.  I just can't imagine we will be inpatient much longer.  I know Owens echo images were sent to Stanford, so maybe they will have some input.  Definitely feeling like we are at a stand still.

Owen had fun with PT today.  We did two laps around the unit anf then he played hyperdash.  He said "my buns and legs are burning!"
Gigi came to play after school and brought him the game where you pick the boogers and his brain pops out.  Owen loved it.
I love his laugh..
Tomorrow is  a new day and hopefully we will have a gameplan.  I'm off to bed.

Monday, May 4, 2015

Busy Day

Owen had another great day! We stopped his tube feeds at 2am which made a difference. He didnt want to eat anything, but at least his tummy wasn't hurting. He is barely 40lbs and 46.5" tall so we really need to get him tolerating tube feeds or increase his oral intake.

 He did get up and out of bed again. We wandered the halls with PT and did a few exercises...then his tummy started to hurt.  He played in the chair for a while.
Teacher Mike came around and Owen got some math done.  I kinda love that the hospital doesn't  do common  core math.  Just back to basics.

School was short because Owen was waiting all afternoon for bingo to start.  We played and won a huge magic set.  If only we could figure out to actually perform the tricks...
Owen complained of his tummy hurting again but  then asked me if they had an oven here?  He was craving spicy buffalo chicken wings...random kid.  I ran down to the grill and had them whip some up.  He was in heaven!  Three cartons of milk were guzzled as he tried to tame the spice, but he loved them!
Owen had an echo and xray this morning as well as a full panel of labs.  We are hoping to have a plan by Wednesday on our next steps.  Owen asks each day what the plan is...if only we knew. :)

This little bubba chubba has been a dream. He just hangs out with us at the hospital all day and is so chill and happy.  I missed Kam today but will go home tomorrow night and let Daddy take over hospital duty.  C has been working  his buns off...keeping up with Owens blends, doing all the bottles, helping Kam, and taking care of Logi.  He is working all week on top of everything  else.
Can't believe we have done this for almost 4 weeks now with no real break in sight.  We are getting through it and making the most of the situation.  We are blessed!