Home again!

We were able to bring Liam home from the hospital yesterday around 5:30pm. Liam however has to be on oxygen at home while he is sleeping. We monitored his oxygen saturation all day yesterday and he did fine (93%) off oxygen when he was awake but when he would nap he was between 86-88%. So we had to contact a company that provides home oxygen and they came and set it up for us last night. We have a concentrator in our room (Liam will be sleeping in our room for now) that pulls oxygen in from the room air and isolates it and provides it to Liam through the nasal cannula. We also have an O2 tank in a stand with a regulator in case we lose power. The kids were very intrigued by the whole process and were listening in on the instructions from the rep. The kids were instructed not to hit it with objects or knock it over or it could explode (even though technically it can't he still tells kids this so they will leave it alone). This did not sit well with Adley. He immediately became panicked and asked why we couldn't have just left Liam at the hospital for a few more days. Adley usually isn't our worrier - that's Aidan - but last week a house in our city really did explode - about 2am in the morning, but so far it is under investigation as being suspicious - the house was in foreclosure. See below:

So for now the extra O2 tank is in Liam's bedroom, and under Adley's request that door is locked.

Liam has a follow-up appointment scheduled on Monday with the Pediatrician so we will keep the home oxygen until then. We will then probably have to make an appointment to see a Pulmonologist to make sure there is not anything underlying that is causing him to get sick so much. During his hospital stay I had to work so thanks to Jared's sister and mom that helped out with the 3 big boys Jared came and stayed with Liam while I worked. It was nice to be able to visit when I wanted. Jared said that even though you don't really do much but just sit in bed and tend to Liam that it is exhausting - I agree.

Liam and Daddy

Yesterday testing out the wagon and testing his levels on room air.

The night we were admitted. I think he remembered the nasal cannula from the prior visit and fought us a lot this time. So we put a mask in front of his face for a few hours until he calmed down enough to put the cannula on.

Watching 'Super Why' - Liam's favorite show. If he hears the music to the show he will stop whatever he is doing and watch. At home he usually stands at the entertainment center and watches.

Snuggling up - a friend that I work with brought us some snack food but also a snuggle for Liam. When her 3yr old son heard that Liam was sick he ran to his room and brought out this Snuggle Frog for Liam - so sweet!!!

Playing with his toys while getting a treatment. Liam gets a lot of neb treatments a day. For now he gets 2 different ones in the morning and at bedtime and at least 2 more during the day and if needed one throughout the night. He is a real trooper. Sometimes they don't bother him much other times he pushes at the tubing. The little circles on his cheeks are where I attach the cannula tubing when he needs it. They make for easy removal and attachment.

We are hoping that we will have some more answers by next week and hope that his back to back respiratory illnesses were just a fluke and that there isn't any underlying problem. Please continue to keep him in your prayers, and pray that his appetite improves as well. He didn't need an IV this time around but his appetite isn't as good as it should be. His weight is below what it was when he entered the hospital the first time. He feels smaller to me now - and I think I need to move him down a size in diapers - sad! We really really appreciate all the help, calls, and prayers for Liam.

And just in case you forgot about the other 3 boys b/c I haven't really mentioned them in awhile on my blog

Crazy kids!