A step forward

Today was a busy and somewhat restless day for Brooks.

He was extubated in the morning and taken off the ventilator support. 

We were all happy to see that tube leave the picture but it was scary at the same time. 

The first little while off vent support was fine but soon it was clear that he was starting to fatigue.

Little by little we added a little more oxygen support and now he is on a CPAP machine (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) to assist with breathing. It is not a vent, but a machine that gives constant flow into his nose to ease the workload for his lungs which are still recovering. 

At first he did not like the CPAP machine and was fighting the air pressure. This made his afternoon restless and a little nerve racking for Mom and Dad. 

We spent a lot of time patting his belly and rubbing his head, singing songs, and wishing we were holding him.   We are close to holding him but still need to wait for him to be more secure with his breathing.

We are feeling a bit defeated today even though this was a big step for him.
The road to recovery is not straight. It is filled with ups, downs, twists, and turns.
 We are needing to find strength in little things right now.
Because Andy was on paternity leave in January, we were able to spend extra time with the kids.
We each had one on one time with both of them.
As we sit here with Brooks, we are grateful for those moments with Marie and Bennett, and we can't wait until our moments here with Brooks are simply memories.