~The End~

I'm going to try to finish this now... There is just a little bit more to my Little Man's story... Hopefully I'll be able to get it all down here before both of my kiddos wake from their naps...

Almost a week after being in the hospital, Wednesday, March 23, we arrived at the hospital to find that Zachary was off the ventilator.  How happy we were to just see this little boy with nothing down his throat and able to suck on a binkie...

Him being off the ventilator ment something else too... We were able to hold him!!

At this point, Zachary had gone almost 3 days with out an SVT episode, so they were pretty sure it was okay for him to come off the vent.  He didn't have any reason physically to be on it... He could breath on his own, it was there so they were able to work on him and give him meds to correct his problem.

So, that Wednesday, I was finally able to hold my baby again... It was almost like holding him for the first time all over again!

I looked at the little baby in my arms differently this time... He was a fighter, someone who went through so much more than he deserved to.  I got my arms around that little boy and I didn't let go...

But I did let go... I let the tears come and I didn't care that my husband, mother-in-law and nurse were all there in the same room.  I cried tears of joy, for all the things that my little boy went through and for the fact that he was getting better and would sometime come home soon.  I just let all my emotions come to me and nothing was stopping the tears and the smiles on my face...

Seeing Zachary look up at me too was one of the happiest things I've experienced... Because this time, his eyes weren't pleading for things to stop, they had a shine to them... A brightness... He was happy... And we could tell!  He just enjoyed being held so much.

That same day, Zachary gave me his first real smile.  I was holding him and singing to him -not caring that people were there- and he just looked up at me and smiled... I believe in my heart of hearts that it was a true, happy smile.  No gas there baby... My Little Man, just 4 weeks old, gave me a smile...

Later on (Saturday the 26th), when we were putting Zach back in his little bed (think the warming beds in the maternity wards), one of our favorite nurses came in to visit him.  This nurse was the sweetest lady.  She was there the first full day (Friday, the 18th) Zach was in the hospital and never left his side.  In fact, that next day, she was on her day off and even called down to check on him!!  The Monday she came back, she brought him a cute little bunny rabbit... Just because...

Well, when Nancy, the nurse came in to him and started talking to him, Zachary opened up his eyes and smiled to her... He kept on smiling too.  It was almost like he wanted to tell her Thank You for everything she did.  He definetly remembered her voice, because each time she came back to check on him (even when she wasn't HIS nurse) he would react to her somehow... It was just too sweet.

After a day of being off the vent, Zachary was able to finally eat via the bottle.  And man, did he chow down too!  That little boy was trying to catch up... And poor me, I couldn't catch up... No matter how much I pumped!  We also attempted to breastfeed a few times in the hospital, but he liked the bottle better :)

I think this is pretty much the whole story... After Zach got off the vent, it was just a matter of finding the right medication to send him home on and not have any SVT episodes while on it (he didn't).  Each day Zachary got stronger and stronger... Eating more and more...

Now he is eating 4-5 ounces every 2.5-4 hours!!  He is just pounding the food... And sleeping just wonderfully... Not too long, but not too short... *hehe*

The cardiologist that we saw on Wednesday seemed pretty optomistic (sp?) that he could possibly grow out of having the SVT episodes by the time he is just six months old... That would be just great... But at least we know that there are pretty good chances he'll be out of them by the time he is a year old.

So, we are all doing good.  We have to give him his meds 3 times a day (6am, 2pm and 10pm) and monitor his heart rate once in a while by listening to his heart with a stethescope... But I don't care... As long as I have my little boy, I'd walk to the end of the world to just make sure he is okay...

But I'd like to thank everyone again for their wondeful thoughts and comments... It just brightens a persons day to read all of them...

Until later... When I can give another update - with pictures! I promise!!- of just our normal life and what not... I'm going to go clean house... Fun Fun!!

::Have a wonderful Friday evening::