Stuck in another 'groundhog day' only instead of a new day to relive over and over we get to go back to an old one. As if the last 30 days never happened. Liam is back in the hospital. 911 had to be called and Liam and his mother got to ride in an ambulance with the sirens on and everything. The EMT would have shown them all the cool gadgets back there if he wasn't so busy keeping Liam alive. It was a rough day. But by the afternoon when Liam had calmed down and fallen asleep it wasn't so bad. Living in a hospital is a lot like riding a bike. It already feels like we never left. It is routine. It is comfortable. It is sad.


Liam was brought to the ICU due to respiratory distress. Chest films show some excess fluid in the lungs making his breathing more labored. He was unable to keep his oxygen saturation up high enough (partly due to the pain he was in because of teething) and both his heart rate and respiratory rates were elevated even as he slept. Karin and I are very well trained on what looks like something that can be treated and home and what constituted a trip to the hospital. We knew what we had to do and were quick to call 911 and get Liam the help he needed. Getting him into the car seat and getting him ready for transport made him more agitated and by the time he was put in the back of the ambulance he was a deep, deep, blue color. Scary, scary stuff; just in time for Halloween. That Liam sure does know how to celebrate a fake holiday. Little prankster, I'll give you a trick or treat.

We called the ICU unit on the way so they could call the E.R. and have us immediately transferred there. They know us there and are better equipped to deal with Liam's equipment and diagnosis. He was put on a very big, very fancy ventilator and quickly calmed down. His color returned to normal and within 5 minutes in true Liam fashion he fell asleep in the trauma room as if the whole event had simply bored him to sleep.

We are hashing out exactly what caused this but it doesn't look to be anything serious. When Liam catches a cold, this is what happens. When Liam catches Pneumonia, this is what happens. When Liam catches seasonal allergies, this is what happens. When Liam is perfectly happy and stable and some tiny little thing gets caught in his throat, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS. It can be hard to explain to people how a five or six day stay in the Intensive Care Unit can be no big deal but for Karin and I it has become downright ordinary.

Cultures were drawn and sent off to the lab. Regardless of how Liam is doing (he is doing wonderfully right now. Calm, comfortable, and back to normal) we are stuck here until they can be absolutely sure that nothing will grow out. Its been over 24 hours now and nothing has grown yet but we have to give it at least 36 more. H1N1, RSV, Flu A, and Flu B swabs were all sent to the CDC but without a fever or a change in his secretions that diagnosis seems unlikely. We won't hear about those results for a day or two.

Liam is doing well and surprisingly so are his mother and I. We have dreaded our first visit back knowing it was inevitable but the anticipation, as it always does, proved to be worse than the event itself. It was almost nice to come into the hospital to be greeted by plenty of familiar and friendly faces. People who had already cared for Liam and were knowledgeable of not only his medical history but also how he behaves. It is very tiring to explain Liam's likes and dislikes to new nurses. What positions help him sleep, what his daily routine consists of and what will really piss him off. This kid's got a temper you do not want to mess with.

So we'll muddle through the next few days. Biding our time until real life can start again. Hours spent watching Law & Order reruns on the hospital TV and reading fluffy easy to read novels. Nothing you have to think about, thinking can be too much at times like this.

Well, well, well and we were off to such a great start too. I haven't posted lately as things have just popped up. It was a great weekend. My In-Laws came up from NJ to spend some time with the boy. My Mother-In-Law cooked a wonderful meal (for my birthday) that included my parents and sister. Even though I wasn't the one cooking it was nice to entertain that many people in our new house. I had never had that many people over at once yet. We spent lots of time telling stories and hanging out with the Boy.

Sunday was the 2nd Annual Clam Alley Pottery ClamBake Extravaganza! at my father's pottery. Last year I was very, very involved in the planning and execution of this event and this year I was, of course, busy with other things. Since it would be way too many people there to bring Liam, Karin and I took turns getting over there for a little while each. It was fun to see family and friends that I haven't seen for a long time. The event was a success and he sold lots of pottery. Including the "Liam the Lion" pots (pictured below). After the event I was able to bring my Uncle Billy and Auntie Judy over to introduce them to Liam. They drove a long way to get here and it seemed lie the right time to start bringing the extended family over for a visit. They have no kids of their own and so the chance of bringing all sorts of strange germs over were slim. Although my Aunt is very gentle and tender I never thought of my Uncle as the nurturing type. I was pleasantly surprised by how well he took to Liam. They were the only people we have ever introduced to Liam that weren't phased by all the tubes and machinery. Approaching him the way they would have approached any baby. It was nice.

Monday was quiet and uneventful as holidays usually are and it wasn't until Tuesday night that anything remarkable happened.

Liam got sick.

I'll say it again for dramatic effect, Liam got sick.

One last time -- LIAM. GOT. SICK.

Now for most babies a cough and the sniffles are no big deal. A pain in the ass? Yes but a fact of life and not something that serious. Liam is a bit different. With Liam's lung issues a simple cough and excess secretions in his nose can ultimately lead to a lengthy hospital stay. We were a hair's breadth away from calling 911 to have the ambulance take us back to the hospital but my wife soothed him and got his oxygen saturations back to a somewhat normal level and we were able to stay home. This time of year it is safer to be able to stay home when he's sick rather then go to the hospital and catch something really bad. You may think that hospitals are clean sterile environments but truth be told hospitals are dirty, dirty places. Its where all the nasty drug-resistant germs live and where all the sick people carrying around nasty bugs go. Knowing that simply walking in the door would mean a stay of at least a week (cultures would need to be drawn and then we would have to wait at least 3 days for them to grow out) going back was the worst thing we could do.

We worked with our doctors over the phone and our nurses here in the house and I am happy to report that Liam is quickly on the mend. We will continue our "sick plan" protocols for at least three more days but his color is back, the cough has disappeared and the think junky stuff we were suctioning from his lungs and airway has returned to its normal consistency. We are very happy and proud of him. Sicknesses are going to come and go for Liam but with each one he beats he gets stronger to fight the next one off so we are glad this one didn't turn out to be a serious as it could have.

* * * *

I caught Regina Spektor's performance on SNL and loved it. I'm pretty sure that I listened to her newest album at least once a day the entire time we were in the Children's hospital. It will always make me think about the worst 3 1/2 months of my life. Track #12 is Liam's song, all about his hospital stay because remember breathing's just a rhythm. I hope people were able to see it because she is not as popular as she deserves to be.


I've been reading old Vonnegut essays and speeches lately but looking forward to getting back into some fiction. I have Gaiman's Sandman series being transferred from another branch to my local library and am very much looking forward to those coming in.


It's late and I'm tired. The boy is asleep for now so I better try to get some sleep. He needs a med and suction in about an hour and a half so a bit of a nap is in order. Till next time here are some more pictures from the past few days.

Some more Clam Alley Pottery

Auntie Judy holding Liam while Uncle Billy looks on.

Some of the "Liam the Lion" bowls.

Great Grampa Andy holds Liam