Extubated!!!

Nicholas was extubated today at about 2 pm.  He seems quite depressed and confused.  His pain seems to be under control, but he is very sad.  For about an hour before the extubation, they had to stop some of his pain meds, so I am glad that at least he says he isn't in pain.  He is part of a morphine study, too, which officially starts at 3 pm.  It is to study the rate at which oral morphine is absorbed and they will test how quickly it is metabolized.  So hopefully he is able to stay comfortable. 

I think the rest of the plan for today is to keep him comfortable and then after he has been resting for a few hours, they will attempt to allow him some liquids.  This could be difficult, though, considering he doesn't like popsicles or jello. If he doesn't have nausea issues, then a few hours later he will get some real food.  I will make sure we have a brownie or chocolate cookie on hand!  Real food! 

So happy to see those big blue eyes!

They also started a cool new thing here.  There is this organization that provides beads for the kids here and Nicholas has a string of letters for his name waiting for him.  Then he gets a specific bead for each procedure that he has and he will add it to his strand, which will tell his story of this journey that he continues with his heart.

I will update when I can....now that he is more awake and extubated, he will have more needs from me!  He is such a brave boy!