FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2009 10:24 AM, CDT

Baby’s doing really well, this morning. He’s eating well, and it sounds like the plan is to get rid of a couple of his lines, today. They were talking about taking one of the chest tubes out, but the surgeon says no, and he’s the one who’d have to put it back in.
Once he gets the arterial line out of his groin, we may be able to hold him.
The sheer number of doctors who wander in and out of his room is amazing. They show up with or without an entourage, look thoughtfully at the monitor, ask the nurse the same three or four questions, listen to his lungs, make a Pronouncement that means nothing, and leave.
Mom asked me if the doctors were pleased with his progress, and frankly I can’t tell. If Dr. Nesseim was here, he would tell me whether he’s doing well, or what. These guys aren’t that interested in explaining in a useful manner, or even
particularly in acknowledging us beyond ‘oh, extraneous bodies – wait for them to get out of the way’. They’re always surprised when I chime in and appear to know what they’re talking about.
If we have questions, we ask the nurse. The poor woman is trapped with us in one small room for twelve hours at a time. Captive audience.