Tracy and Jude

Well, Jude is doing good.  He was on a smaller ventilator earlier today, however, it wasn't quite working out like they hoped so.  His work-ups all look good and he's making progress.  His Jaundice level was up slightly today but it's not too concerning to doctors.  I spoke with the Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor who said that they are waiting for Jude to get more independent with his breathing before they talk about removing the tumor.  They won't even give us a "ball park" date.  My best guess, since I am a medical professional, is they will remove the tumor sometime in the middle of January.
     Jude is now opening his eyes, well eye since his right eye is still kind of swollen from the taratoma pushing up on it.  Tracy and I both agree that it's a whole new level of connection now that we can see his little eye looking at us.  Tracy and Aunt Katie were visiting him yesterday and his little, left eye kept sweeping back and forth, looking at them as they stood on opposite sides of the incubator.  All of the Mitchell family has been able to see him at least once at this point and my parents are in town now.
     I must take some time to talk about my wife and how strong she has been.  First off, when her water broke she was calm as a cucumber in the shade in spring.  And from my previous posts you know that was a scary ordeal (reminded of the scene on the bottom deck after the Titanic hit the iceberg).  Nobody in the house necessarily freaked out but it certainly woke the neighbors I'm sure.  Even on the way to the hospital she was relatively calm and collected the entire drive.
      The next morning, her contractions increased in pain and frequency.  She was a trooper.  She didn't get an epidural and hung in there even when she hit 8 cm dilated and going into labor.  After delivery, she was back to her normal self within an hour (in a lot of pain) but was talking normally.  The first day she was pretty sore but really never complained.  By the second day, she was up walking around with a little assistance.  The nurses and doctors in the both the Fetal Health wing and NICU were all amazed at her ability to be up most of the day.  On the third day, she was getting out of bed by herself and even walked back from the NICU by herself, which is quite a walk cause it's a big hospital.  She continues to amaze the nurses and doctors by her ability to withstand pain and be as mobile as she is after just having surgery.  Even in the midst of all her own personal uncomfortably (if that word can even qualify as an adequate feeling when you have 16 staples across your stomach) and the emotional toll of having a pre-term baby, she continues to be the stability in our family and the "All-Seeing Eye" that keeps us on track.
     -Chris