Happy One Week!

The past couple of days have been excellent for Dylan. When I met Brad at the hospital yesterday afternoon, the wonderful man we now refer to as "Uncle Richie" was there. Uncle Richie, or more formally, Richard Auerbach, is the reason we ended up at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in the first place. Our friend TP's uncle, Richie reached out to us the second day we found ourselves in this scary situation back in mid-October. He never let up, checking in on us and providing great advice and simply acting as a sounding board on at least a weekly basis. As an administrator here at the hospital, he assured us of its excellent neo-natal program, and in the end, there was no question this was where we should have Dylan transported for the surgery. Jackson Memorial, the alternative hospital suggested to us by Mount Sinai's Neo-Natologist, is a large county hospital in Miami renowned for its trauma center - but it just didn't seem the best fit for Dylan. We are so happy to be where we are - thank you, Uncle Richie!

Yesterday, not only did Dylan come off of the photo-therapy treatment for jaundice (so no more cool sunglasses), but he lost his nasal air flow tubes and was moved to a private room! The private room is absolutely beautiful and comfortable, allowing Brad and me (and my mom, who still remains with us) to relax with Dylan 24/7 as we wish. But the best thing about it is it's indicative of his significant health improvement. The private rooms are lower maintenance, still with assigned nurses and constant monitoring, but they are not in the primary area of the NICU. Frankly, this room is nicer than either my Labor & Delivery or Post-Partum rooms at Mount Sinai - the only thing it's missing is a TV (though Dylan provides us with ample entertainment)!

Dylan has continued to progress today. All of the tape that was once holding down his nasal tubes has been removed from his face, after proving he could make it 24 hours without the assisted air flow. In fact, relatively little remains on his body except for his diaper (which has been sized up). His weight is now up to almost 5 lbs. 2 oz., and let me tell you, this kid is ready to eat. He sucks on his pacifier with a vengeance!

Tomorrow, the doctor will examine Dylan to determine his final course of treatment. We're very hopeful that the prognosis will be positive and he'll be allowed to start feeding. Then, it's only a matter of time before we're on our way back home!