Extubated

That's a fancy way of saying that Sam is off the ventilator! The PICU staff had been talking about it for several days, always saying that "later this week" (i.e., Th or Fri) would be a best-case scenario. At rounds this morning they announced immediate plans to directly test Sam's ability to breathe on his own. I assumed those tests would take most of the day--these things are usually managed in 12 or 24-hour increments, and almost nothing at the hospital happens when you think it's supposed to--but I was wrong. And more to the point: Sam aced the tests and was unhooked by early afternoon.

He still has an oxygen cannula in his nose, but we can now hold him again. (He's connected to a half-dozen wires and catheters, but there's enough slack to take him to a bedside chair.) This afternoon he was alert, making great eye contact, and slowly finding his voice again. He's a bit hoarse and congested, but we're told that'll clear up shortly. He didn't seem too interested in a pacifier, but after eight or nine days with a tube down his throat, who can blame him?

We're still waiting to hear the results of yesterday's MRI of Sam's brain. We're nervous about it, but for the moment we are just enjoying our little boy's return from his long, morphine-fueled slumber.