Porter has had an exciting couple of days as have we!  The nurses have started training us “trach care” which entails someone holding Porter’s trach in his throat while the other person cleans his neck and changes the trach ties (the ties are a padded strap that go around his neck to hold his trach in place).  Then once per week the actual trach itself gets changed out.  This is quite intimidating as you might imagine and when we tried to do this Thursday, the trach actually popped out while Steve was trying to secure the ties and whild I was holding it so I quickly put it back in. His neck gets slippery from the secretions while the trach and ties are being changed so next time I know to hold on tighter!  

Porter has had more fun in the last couple of days.  He has been working on head control by sitting in a Bumbo seat and he really seems to enjoy it.  This morning, our nurse shifted him towards the end of the bed and put him in the Bumbo so he could look out the door.  He was sitting there when the Docs came around for rounds so he was able to participate today, we hear he had a lot to say!!!!   We also brought in a real bath tub for his tubbies as he’s gotten a little too big for the green hospital bucket.  He enjoyed being pampered today.  We (and the nurses) are enjoying dressing him everyday.  

Porter has had a little trouble with tolerating the increased volume in his feeds so they backed him down a bit.  He is soooo close to being off the morphine!  Only .1ml every 12 hours~ we think within the next couple of days that will be gone!  WOOHOO.  Then we just need to get him off the 3 other sedatives he’s on but he’s getting there.  

We’ve been working with him on sucking on the pacifier.  I have never liked the idea of using a pacifier but for him it’s a great tool to help work him up to eating from a bottle.   

Your prayers are working!! Please keep em coming!