July 26, 2011 - 143 Days Old

Well, another week has passed. This has been a busy one.

Check out my ride!

On Tuesday, Aiden was transferred to Primary Children's Medical Center. We were fortunate that one of Aiden's favorite nurses and one of his favorite Respiratory Therapists, Jen and Mark, were on the Life Flight transfer team that took him there in the ambulance. Because they knew him so well, they were able to brief the nurses and nurse practitioner on Aiden's condition and medical history. We were excited to find out that the nurse practitioner that would be receiving Aiden at Primary Children's had worked at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center for several years and had only just started at Primary Children's. All of Aiden's nurses at Utah Valley had worked with her and said she was great. They transferred Aiden in an isolette strapped to a gurney. He is getting so big that they thought they might have to transfer him in a car seat. He ended up fitting in the isolette, though...barely. We followed in our car and got there just after Aiden got settled in the NICU.

Happy boy

Aiden just looked like he was ready to come home. He looked healthier than I have ever seen him. He was happy and doing well. As soon as we entered the NICU, we could see that we had been spoiled at UVRMC. He had been in a big room by himself and had a swing and a TV where he would watch Winnie the Pooh. At Primary Children's, he was in a room with three other babies, packed in there like sardines. His nurse was ornery and we felt like we weren't welcome there. Fortunately, the nurse practitioner came in and talked to us. She was great and made us feel more comfortable. At shift change, we got a better nurse too, so by the time we left to go home, we felt much better about things.

Aiden's new digs at PCMC

On Wednesday, we went to the hospital in the morning so we would be there when the doctors, therapists and nurse practitioners did their rounds. They had put a mobile on Aiden's crib and found a swing for him. His doctor is the head neonatologist at the PCMC NICU. After talking with them, we felt like Aiden was in good hands. They have been running tests on him all week. They tested him for Cystic Fibrosis, did an echocardiogram, and did a head ultrasound -- all of which came back normal.

Amaraa passing the time at PCMC

I went to Price to work for a couple of days. Amaraa drove the crazy roads to PCMC every day, making me a nervous wreck. I came back into town Saturday afternoon. We went to a neighborhood Pioneer Day party and had a great time. Our next-door neighbors put on the party every year and it is always a fun time. We look forward to it every year.

Sunday after church, Amaraa and I went to Salt Lake to visit Aiden. He still looks so good and seems ready to come home. We drove up again yesterday and spent the majority of the day with him. I hate having him so far away. Our 15-minute drive has now turned into a 50-minute drive. We were able to talk to the nurse practitioner that was there yesterday. He said they had sent off a few more genetic tests, but that Aiden is doing really well. We are so happy that they are checking Aiden out thoroughly, but can't wait to have him home. After 7 months of hospitals, we are ready to be home, all together, as a family.