Thursday July 13th - Sorry for the delay

Sorry for the delayed post. We've had a couple of long days. The bad news is that Griffith isn't going home soon after all. Turns out that his big ol' belly ache is apparently the result of a stricture in his small intestine. It isn't totally blocked but there is an area where there is something holding up progress which is why he keeps "blowing up" his belly (he gets gassy and his stomach gets big and tight) and why it wasn't getting any better. They've done studies but can't really tell what it is or where it is exactly (we can put a man on the moon.....) The stricture is likely scarring, maybe from inflammation from all of the antibiotics he had to be on. In any event, that's what we've got. This is going to require surgery and sooner rather than later. Right now he is scheduled for Tuesday. The up sides are that this is a problem with a solution. And that this was figured out before we got home. And that he will get to stay in the NICU where the nurses and doctors already know (and love) him. They can't tell how long this will delay his homecoming but we hope not for too long. He feels much better right now. He's on IV fluids and limited milk and now that we aren't cramming a bunch of milk down him every 3 hours, his belly has gone down. He is loving the fact that he is getting all sorts of good lovin' from Mom and Dad and all his nurses. There will be no living with the child. Every time I put him down some one else picks him up. He sticks his little head right up under your chin and settles down peaceful as a lamb.
Allan is learning a hard lesson -- the one who is doing what he is supposed to do doesn't get the nearly as much attention. He's been doing very well on the nasal cannula although he was working a little hard at it tonight. He may end up back on the Cpap intermittently to give him a little bit of a rest. This breathing on your own all the time is hard work. He is up to a whopping 5 pounds 12 ounces. Some of that is likely water weight but there is no doubt that he is quite a big boy. He has clearly become the big brother in every sense of the words.
Keep the boys in your thoughts and prayers -- especially on Tuesday.