So yeah, we’re still in the hospital. Last time Oscar was released on day 4, and I’m pretty sure we’d have climbed out our 3rd floor window and escaped into Central Park if we’d not been let out the front door that day. Double tethers are more complicated than singles so we expected recovery to take a little longer this time, but I’d still been hoping we’d get out today. Now even Wednesday is questionnable.

Oscar is walking well, without support, for up to twenty minutes at a time. Last night his elbows were fixed to his sides and he was drifting right, almost tripping on chairs and hospital equipment lining the halls. Today he’s walking in straighter lines, and his arms are relaxed, swinging slightly. I’ve not been able to figure how to read to him while we walk because I’m still carrying his drainage receptacles, but Abe sat with him and read Golden, the book about Steph Curry that his teacher gave him, and he’s been reading a book about rescued dogs that Audrey brought. He and Paul also listened to The Lightning Thief before bed last night.

He’s also been able to tolerate liquid and has started a diet of soft foods with no GI issues. Which means no IV and no catheter. The only thing we’re still waiting on is the second chest tube—there’s air in his chest and we’re not sure where it’s coming from. They changed the dressing twice on the chest tube site and then wrapped an ace bandage around his middle, compressing one of his incisions, which was tough. “I can’t tolerate it, I can’t breath!” he repeated, pleading with me to loosen it, but then he adjusted.

The chest tube is concerning us, and it means we’ll be in the hospital until it resolves, another couple of days. There’s an outside (outside!) chance he’ll need surgery to repair a lung injury. Tough news for Oscar, and he teared up when he overheard that. He wants to get out. He hates the tape and the beeping monitors and the scratchy pillowcases. We get it, none of us planned to be here this long.

The upside is that the care at this hospital is spectacular. We’ve had several nurses, all amazing,for multiple shifts—and the attending physicians are kind and thorough. And we get to see the Drs. ABC team every day, who feel like family at this point. Oh, and family—we’ve had lots of visitors. My dad and Pat, my brother Mike, Grandpa, and Audrey. Cousins and second cousins coming tomorrow too. All those friendly faces really help.