Alright, so as you all know Jaxson has had a rough couple of weeks trying to get his diuretics sorted out. On Wednesday Jaxson had a scheduled follow-up appointment booked with his cardiologist at ACH. The original plan was to let Jax out on a day pass, we would drive him up to his appointment and come back later in the evening. Since Jaxson had so much fluid buildup in his lungs, he ended up failing his carseat test miserably. Which left us with the only option of getting medical transport. Wednesday morning we got word that Jaxson would be getting his very first plane ride!! I felt like it was ‘take your kid to work’ day, as these are the medivac planes I have been flying in for the last 8 years. It was also great seeing all of my old co-workers, I definitely miss working with that great bunch of people!

The second we got to ACH, Jaxson went for an echocardiogram, we then saw his cardiologist. We were both nervous for the results of the echo, however we were very happy to report that there have been no changes to the heart or valve function since surgery 🙂 His cardiologist decided to admit him to ACH, the plan is to ‘dry him out’ and get rid of all the extra fluid he is carrying around, then find the right combo of meds that will keep his electrolytes in check but help him to not to retain fluid. As of today Jaxson is doing great, he is way more comfortable and back to the happy baby we know! We are hoping to be discharged around Monday or Tuesday.

It is SO good being back at ACH. As you all know this is the hospital where we came to ‘get’ Jaxson. We stayed here with him for 5 days as we got to know him, learned to care for him and got ‘eased’ (yeah right) into parenting. We have a lot of amazing memories here. From the yellow squiggle bench we nervously sat on as we awaited for his birth mom to take us to him. To the first time we left his room with him; we took him down to the cafeteria and sat in front of the giant glass windows that offer and amazing view of Canada Olympic Park with the Rocky Mountains in the background. We didn’t notice any of that because we couldn’t take our eyes off of Jaxson. 

However, the nicest part about being back at ACH is seeing Jaxson’s nurse that taught us everything we needed to know!! Enter Nisse…..

This amazing woman and nurse spent 4 days with us as we got to know Jaxson.  Nisse was our crash course at parenting, she literally taught us everything about caring for a baby. From changing diapers, to bathing, to feeding and burping. She was so good at answering the trillion questions we had for her, no matter how stupid they sounded, like “what do we do with his ‘bits’ when we change him” (no joke that was one of the questions!!). I’m sure this was a very unique experience for her as this is not a maternity floor, and parent teaching (baby basics) is definitely not the norm for them. Our first days as parents are intertwined with Nisse and for that she will forever hold a special place in our hearts. I feel like she is part of our family 🙂 I know that this definitely won’t be our last stay at ACH unit 2, so Nisse is NEVER EVER EVER allowed to leave here until Jaxson is old and not needing the services of this hospital 😛 

I could sing Nisse praises ALL day long, but we need to move on 😛 Before Jaxson came into our lives, he spent almost 5 weeks at ACH on this floor. He did not have any visitors and for the most part he was all alone (that breaks my heart). The entire nursing staff took Jaxson under their wing, he got so much love, snugs, and attention from this wonderful bunch, as they all know how important that is for baby development. It is so neat to have a steady stream of nurses coming into his room to see him, oogle and gawk at this perfect boy who has become a giant since they last saw him. 

We have thoroughly enjoyed each and every nurse he has had over this hospital stay. Every morning his feed bag gets changed out and there is a new surprise on each and every bag in the morning….

HOW COOL IS THAT!!!

Needless to say, Alberta Children’s Hospital will ALWAYS be a very special place to us. Even though it sucks that we have to be here because Jaxson is sick, we are still enjoying being here. In a strange way this place is an extension of our home…..

(seriously doesn’t get any cuter then this little gentleman!!!)