The consensus from the doctors is that instead of risking the Ventriculoperotoneal Shunt going through potentially infected tissue to relieve the "pressure" of fluid buildup, it is safer in his case to just leave him on antibiotics for another week and hope (pray) that pressure buildup does not become an issue.[...]

It's probably no surprise that my favorite roller coaster (to date) is the SUPERMAN at Six Flags... the one does the back flip around the giant superman statue. Perhaps it's appropriate that we call him "SuperBrock", because he's taken us on quite a ride the past couple days. Well, buckle up. The rollercoaster is getting ready to plummet again.[...]

This evening, Brock spiked a fever right after shift change. While this would be alarming regardless, it was more so because the last time his vitals had been checked was 8 hours previous. The day nurse had forgotten to take his vitals at 4 pm, so we are unsure how long he had the fever before it was addressed, doctors were notified, blood drawn, tests run, etc. Please pray with us that Brock was simply being cuddled a little too tightly and that his body has not caught anything else or this fever is not an indication of something we will see on his MRI/MRV scans tomorrow (like a pocket of infection in his brain). Our floor has now been opened to accept any cases due to shortages of beds, so we now have a number of flu/RSV cases on our floor. This increases the risk of us or another nurse/doctor exposing Brock simply by accident, so we are doing our best to stay in our room and be extra diligent about hand washing and nurse watching (making sure they gown/glove/mask up, washing stethoscopes, etc). Brock will not be allowed to eat anything after 2 am because of the anesthesia, so please be praying he sleeps soundly and gets an early spot for the scan. Mondays are always catch up day, but we have been told infants are typically booked after trauma, but before other older patients. We are hopeful that the MRI will show a decrease in the amount of swelling, but even more so that there are not any pockets of infection that would require additional weeks of antibiotics. If the scans are good, and the glucose and white blood cell counts from his lumbar puncture are in the correct ranges considering what he has been through, we will be looking at going home this week!![...]

Meningitis, as you're aware, has a long list of issues that tend to follow in its wake. One of those is hearing loss. In addition to the meningitis damage on the rest of the brain, both inner ears were also affected/damaged by the resulting inflammation. It is standard to have a hearing test done with meningitis cases, and particularly in his, with the inner-ear damage.[...]

Brad and I cannot say THANK YOU enough for everyone who went out of their way to make yesterday as special for us as possible considering the circumstances. Thank you for each thought sent our way, each prayer that had Brock's name, each gift under the tree; we are so incredibly blessed![...]

Merry Christmas from SUPER BROCK to you!

The doctors have begun their discussions with the infectious disease team, and as of right now, we are being told the doctors want both an MRI and another lumbar puncture (LP) to help them decide how many more days on antibiotics Brock needs before leaving the hospital. This will likely take place on Friday or Monday. In order to get the best possible images for the MRI, Brock will need to be sedated. Please be praying for the entire procedure- there are always risks when putting anyone under general anesthesia. Pray that the clot has SHRUNK, or better yet, DISAPPEARED. Pray that we will see a DECREASE in the amount of white on the scan (areas of his brain that are dead/inflamed). Pray we don't need additional weeks of antibiotics and can begin talking about getting Brock HOME![...]

Brad and I got to spend a few hours at Great Wolf Lodge yesterday afternoon and evening with the girls loving on them and hanging out with family. I came back up for the night shift at the hospital, Brad stayed there with the girls, and we are about to do a switcheroo. As fun as it is to be with the girls, it’s impossible to get the fact that we aren’t all together off my mind. Christmas has always been about being with family, and it’s the worst feeling to not be able to make that happen this year for all of us.[...]

...Just in time for Christmas pictures!

~Brad and Taryn Morrow[...]

“The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning

It’s time to sing Your song again[...]

I typically think of myself as the main hero in my imagination. But I think I'm perfectly content to be this little boy's "sidekick."[...]