"No Lines, Babe. No Lines."

Lincoln has been doing well on 0.1 Liters for over a week now, so the next step is to get him just on 0.1 at night for a few weeks.  The other night, I decided to try taking Lincoln off for the first time during his bath.  He looked great.  His breathing remained calm.  Although, afterwards, I plugged him into the pulse-ox and his sats were 92/93.  His doc says that we are coming to the point where we need to focus on Lincoln and how he is with work of breathing and activity level.  His numbers can be lower as long as he is telling us he feels ok.

So, this afternoon I planned to try Linc off again after his morning nap.  We went to the changing table like usual to change Linc's diaper and then I casually removed his oxygen line.  Not until I was talking to Linc about having to change his shirt after we had lunch (and having to put his line through the neck first), did it really hit me.  No Lines.  There are no lines attached to my baby to mess with.  I can easily change your clothes!  We can go where ever we want!  And I scooped Linc up and headed straight for the front door.  I didn't stop until I was at the edge of the lawn looking into the street, holding my free baby.  "No lines, Babe.  No lines!"  That was all I could get out before the tears started to flow.  Then I told Lincoln that I loved him and that he was such a strong little boy.  I told him how proud I am of him and I just stood there, hugging my son in the warm breeze.  Freedom.

This may sound a bit dramatic to you all and I know the neighbor across the street thought I was nuts.  But image never having the ability to pick up your child and walk anywhere without planning ahead for the tether that attaches him to your house.  The 25 foot oxygen line that restricts you to only going out to your front step, and not even reaching to the back door.  Always thinking of that line.  Making sure you aren't going to trip on it as you carry your child around the house.  Making sure it isn't pinched as you put him in the highchair, or worse yet, doesn't strangle him as he spins in his exersaucer.  In almost ten months, I have never been able to just WALK OUTSIDE with Lincoln.  It was such an amazing feeling to hold my baby, breathing air on his own, with no lines attached to him.  No sensors.  Just the two of us.  Free to go where we pleased.

What a milestone for Lincoln.  What a milestone for me.