Heart of a champ

Quinn's heart has improved to the point where he is no longer a pacemaker candidate. It rarely skips a beat anymore and stays at a healthy rate. "Look ma, no pacemaker!"

Having said that, I can now admit how hard I actually took the news back when the doctors said he would need one. He just seemed a bit young to have to worry about one of those for the rest of his life. And this is a lifetime of periodic battery changing surgery he will avoid. I'm ecstatic at the news. We have moved from the ICU into a different section of the hospital where Quinn can begin enjoying a little more of what life can offer. He has a swing, and a stroller for trips around the hospital.

As I pushed him around, he began getting smiles and compliments from many strangers, and many who would stop for a look. I was trying not to walk too tall behind his stroller, because I know how proud I am to be his dad. But what a completely new thing to be sporting my own kid around in public. I was pretty excited, enjoying every compliment he received and feeling more like a dad with each step. Pushing a stroller around was never so much fun.

The plan is that we will be transferring back to Providence this Friday for continued studying on his intestinal repair. The doctors will be trying to figure out why his duodenum is still too small to pass enough milk through to sustain a growing baby. Most likely it will require another procedural repair, but I'm not sure of many details at this point. Any swelling should have subsided by now.

The external tube penetrating his belly seems irritated and started bleeding today. This morning the nurses found blood clots inside the tube while flushing it. Quinn has developed the ability to scream pretty forceful lately, and doesn't hold anything back when he is angry. He has gained almost two pounds over the last three weeks and is gaining physical strength.

To those of you praying that Quinn wouldn't need a pacemaker, I feel I owe a debt of gratitude. I was not praying for him to not have a pacemaker. I didn't want to feel the disappointment if he needed one and it just seemed too insignificant given his other struggles. Steph and I want him to have the best start in life these doctors can provide and a pacemaker may easily have become part of that start. But like I said, I'm 100 percent thrilled at the news of this recovery.