Play Time

Isn't he cute?? Carter had an up and down day. He has been a little cranky lately, but who can blame the little guy?
Good news: Carter is off TPN and Lipids! The doctor decided that since he was eating so much and so well that he didn't need the extra stuff by IV. This is great news because the TPN can cause liver damage.
Interesting news: We were looking through the notes from his surgery, and it seems that Dr. Schropp removed Carter's appendix at the time of his Kasai. Groovy--one less thing to worry about down the road!
Some mediocre news: he is still draining quite a bit of fluid from his abdomen. His tube was clogged most of the day, but the night nurse, Dawn, fixed it. They still replace his fluids by IV 3 times a day, but they did test what was coming out, and the levels of chloride, sodium, and potassium are all normal. So, we just wait.
Possibly TMI: sometimes his stool (poop) is mustard colored, and sometimes it is a white clay color. This could be bad, but it could also just be a result of the surgery. Again, we wait.
We ended the day on a very good note. Aunt Annetta and Aunt Sherry came to visit, and I think Carter sure must like his Aunties! He was so happy and playful and relaxed all night! He cooed and stretched and smiled!! We took the above pictures of him then. (you can see the heart monitors on his chest, as well as the incision from his liver surgery and his colostomy bag on his left side.)
Oh, and Carter is apparently quite the concerned friend (i.e. Nosy Neighbor!). He heard his friend across the way crying, and he just kept stretching and turning to see what all the commotion was about! Like mother, like son!! (or should I say, "Like Great-Gran and Aunt Faith, like Carter!")
Our friends, Abigail, Valerie, and Scott (her parents) went home today. Hooray!!!
Happy Nurses Day to all of our wonderful nurses in the NICU!!! You are God's angels!