Little Man, Big Day

It's been quite the day today. Baby McKay has received more attention than any new being should have to endure in his first 24 hours on the planet.

In the NICU, McKay is assigned his own private nurse. At first I wondered how in the world one little guy could keep a skilled ICU nurse busy for an entire 12-hour shift? But that's only because I didn't understand the level of care McKay would receive. It was absolutely amazing to watch his nurse take care of him today. She knew every level of every blood gas, every drug in his system, every ounce of anything that went in and out of his tiny body; making fine and important adjustments all day long. It was remarkable.

While McKay's levels tend to hug the fringes (sometimes too high, others a bit low) of "acceptable" he has managed to stay the course today and remain stable. Late this afternoon we learned that he is on the schedule to have his first surgery tomorrow. He will undergo an operation known as the BT or Blalock-Taussig Shunt. The surgery involves sewing in a length of artificial tubing between a branch of his pulmonary artery and aorta to make it easier to regulate blood flow to the lungs.

The cardiology team orginally thought they would delay surgery until Monday or Tuesday of next week because McKay was able to stay so stable. As I watched him lay there today, never opening his eyes, not able to make a sound even when he tried to cry because of the ventilator in his throat, at 24 hours old not knowing what it feels like to be held and cuddled and loved on like every baby deserves, I prayed that somehow the surgery could come sooner. It is not enough to watch your child be stable--every parent wants them to thrive. So by some miracle, McKay made it onto the surgery schedule for tomorrow afternoon and while that is scary enough, my only thoughts are that we get to go from being stable, to active healing and then going home that much sooner.

So much has happened today I can hardly believe it has just been one day. One of the most important events of the day was introducing Ty and Preston to their new brother. While Preston counted his toes and then searched my purse for gummy bears, Ty helped rub lotion on McKay's arms and legs and asked the nurse what each and every tube did. And with each explanation, he nodded along agreeing that that's what he thought the tube did. The nurse thought he was a riot.

We are nervous, anxious, excited and exhausted as we wait for tomorrow and our step closer to bringing McKay home. Here are some special pics from our busy day. Much love to you all.