Cath Day

It"s as though we never left TO in some ways...we have settled back into the familiar routines and ways that we established during our last trip here.  The flight was mostly uneventful, although Jacob used 3 tanks of oxygen and had a significant dip in his saturations during the last half.  He was sleeping in my arms and then his oxygen dipped to 53 and he woke up very upset, seemed frightened and working hard to catch his breath.  Given that we were in the air somewhere above Quebec, this was terrifying.  The episode lasted about half an hour and then his saturations slowly began to climb.  When we landed they had settled back into the low 80s, thankfully.

We are so thankful for Ronald McDonald House...Jake is doing well there and he especially loves the huge fish tank.  He seems more interested in the bubbles at the top than in the fish :)  Yesterday was a long day of pre catheterization assessments: x-ray, bloodwork and echo.  The bloodwork was so rough on his hands that both of his palms and part of the top of his hands are bruised.  It's such a sin.  My little trooper handled the majority of it with a smile and even a laugh at times.  I am continually amazed by Jacob's pleasantness, irregardless of what life throws at him.  This is a big lesson that my boy is trying to teach me!

Right now at this moment Jake is sedated, intubated and in the cath lab.  He"s about 1.5 hours into the procedure, and we are waiting in his room on 4D for the doctor to come find us.  This is a routine procedure but the list of possible complications is long and some are very serious.  I found myself singing the same song to him that I sang in my head during his delivery and countless times over his bed during his recovery from the Norwood...

Lord send your angels to watch over Jacob
I'm so afraid of the night
Lord send your angels to watch over Jacob
Wrap him in sheltering arms

I know that is  not  how the chorus really goes, but it's been my theme song since the day Jake was born.  We should have some news about his heart and readiness for the Glenn surgery today.  Please continue your prayers for my sweet, happy heart warrior.  I believe that God is in control of Jacob's destiny! Jake has gone into every procedure with Georgia's picture on his bed...today was no exception.  Before his cath I had to disinfect him with this special sponge and dress him in scrubs.  That was a first for me, and so bittersweet as I helped to prepare him for the procedure.  He was asleep in my arms when the nurse came to take him - letting go is getting harder every single time.

God bless baby Jacob.