12/28/08~ TJ was AWAKE Today

Well, we went to go see TJ today and he was asleep when we walked in. I swear he's beginning to be able to hear us and respond to noise! I began talking when we walked in and said "Hi TJ, How are you?? TYYYLLEERRR" etc. He opened his eyes and looked around for me!
They had him on the same amt of sedation, but he was wide awake, if a bit fuzzy. His wound is alot smaller, I'd say that the bottom part is about 1/2 inch shorter than it had been and it's about 1/3 smaller than it was width wise. He just kept looking at me and Carlos. The nurse was VERY happy, because he was so awake, even tho he was on his medication's that'd normally sedate him.
Morphine, Versed, and Ativan, and another med. She was super suprised at how awake and generally HAPPY he seemed. I had to grease him up and normally he'd get agitated and upset at being lotioned up, but he just lay there and looked at us, while he kept trying to stick his tongue out at me. He couldn't do too well because he was still on the vent. But it's all great signs!
They upped his feeding via Kangaroo pump (thru his NG tube) from 20cc's/hr to about 25cc's/hr. I'm not sick any longer so I got to give him a couple kisses and each time he kept trying to reach his face up higher to see me as I did it. (he'd strain upward to see me!)
His hands were both free and he kept playing with them. Carlos and I kept signing Mommy and Daddy to him and little things like that, and he kept moving his hands around like he was almost trying to mimic us (I doubt it...) but he seemed to be enjoying himself, and the nurse played with him for a few minutes.
he's at 16 breaths on the vent and consistantly breathed at about 24-30 which is WELL above the vent which is AWESOME. So the big thing was the fact that he was so awake and not agitated at all, she didn't have to sedate him any more in the 1 1/2 hrs we were there. and he was awake for about 1 hr of that.
Cindie