Day One

It is 1:45 Saturday morning. We just left the pediatric cardiothoracic intensive care unit (PCICU). We have a great team of people taking care of Dawson. They have been very aggressive about getting him off the ventilator, and as of about 15 minutes ago he was off and breathing on his own. Praise Jesus! We should go to a regular room tomorrow where the staff will continue to monitor him closely. I know that God is answering our prayers. We are blown away that he is off the vent this soon. Jesus is so amazing! Please continue to pray for Dawson's recovery. It has also been great to share our story with the doctors and nurses. I love telling people how awesome Jesus is and Dawson is a great way to start that conversation. Today as I think about how Dawson's little body was sustained by a breathing machine, it reminds me of a quote. "Always remember, life is not how many breaths you take, it's how many moments take your breath away." The first time I heard this was over a year ago while watching the movie "Hitch." Renae and I were living in Memphis at the time and Dawson was about 5 months old. I looked over at Dawson in amazement and saw him smile for the first time. This might not be a big deal to most people, but to us it was a moment that we never thought would come. We were happy with him just being alive, the fact that he responded to us with a smile more than we ever expected. No matter how many times I see that awesome little dude smile at me, I never forget that each one of those smiles are a gift from God and that takes my breath away! I had a video camera that night and here is what we saw!
Dawson Smiling Night 2

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