One Line Out ... A Few More to Go

We had a very restful night - all 3 of us! No calls from the nurses overnight and exhaustion-induced sleep for us all (along with a few drugs for Teo, helping him sleep).
The L.A. line was already removed from Teo when we got in to see him around 9am. That stands for "left atrium" and was measuring pressure on that side of his heart. That means the pressure is remaining constant - as it should - and is a positive step!
They are looking at removing the ventilator as early as this afternoon if all continues to go well. The ventilator is attached to his nose and is held in place with tape - all of which makes it look worse than it really may be. The other line in his other nostril is a stomach tube and would probably be removed at the same time. We were told that he might be ready to be moved to the ward (off of PICU) as early as tomorrow - again if all continues to go well! He will still have wires and tubes on the ward but he will also be able to begin feeding then.
Now it all seems to be happening so quickly! I keep asking to make sure that we're not rushing through this. The confidence of everyone has given us relief. I asked how this kind of repair is different than a car repair where you may expect things to break down again ... The response was simple: the heart is a muscle. As with all of our muscles, they have ability to repair themselves. What amazing vehicles we have in our own bodies!
So, we continue to sit bedside and talk to Teo. We tell him about the phone conversations we have with his sister and the stories Ady tells us daily. We cheer him on. We urge his inner warrior to stay strong. We tell him about all of you too. We kiss the top of his head. And we hold hands.