Well it’s been quite a day.  We arrived at the hospital at 6 am with Patrick, and gave him to anesthesia around 730 not knowing what the day might hold or exactly when we would see him again.  Fast forward about 14 hours, and we finally got to stand at the bedside in the ICU.  Ok maybe I shouldn’t fast forward through all 14 hours.  That might leave out a few of the important details.  Patrick had a successful biventricular repair.  His current oxygen saturation is in the 90s.  His blue feet are pink.  So are his hands.  It's truly a miraculous sight.  If you read the last blog, the opening between his ventricles was closed, the graft was used to connect his right ventricle to his pulmonary artery, his pulmonary veins were opened up, a small amount of work was done to his mitral valve, and his Glenn shunt was reversed.  His surgeon was pleased.  His cardiologist was pleased.  Because of this Mommy and Daddy are pleased.  He did not require a pacemaker which was a risk, and his chest was completely closed in surgery.  Assuming everything progresses well he won’t require any more trips to the OR for years to come.  The next 24-48 hours are critical, but as of now he is doing fantastically.  God is good.  (Amen)

Now that we have cleared hurdle number 1 we set out on the road to recovery.  We have a baby boy full of lines and tubes, all of which are in use right now.  We are thankful for the team of doctors and nurses who are working hard to use the right mix of meds to keep him stable.  He will definitely stay on the ventilator tonight and maybe several days.  We pray that those lines and tubes are gone quickly as we long to see his smile and hear his giggle.  All in His timing of course. 

I would say that all things considered it has been a good day.  We snuggled our baby this morning.  We are back with him tonight.  We have been able to communicate with friends, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried, and I’ve consumed entirely too much caffeine.  Did I mention we had to go outside of our hotel because of a fire alarm?  Another blog post I guess.  We have a long way to go before we get back to Gadsden, but I can’t help but breathe a deep sigh of relief following today’s events. 

I can’t say strongly enough how thankful we are for all of your prayers and messages that got us through this day.  You have all shown us the love of God in a mighty way.  As I sit here typing I can’t help but reflect on the grace and blessings that God has showered on my family.  He has also used the heart defect of a 3 year old orphan from China to draw each of you to His throne in prayer!! Crazy how He works sometimes isn’t it?   I have had several wonderful verses shared with me today, and all have spoken to me in different ways.  I think one however sums up this day perfectly.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21.

From the CICU...Good night!!

Jason