It's going to be another real tough night for Will. His oxygen needs are high, and he isn't tolerating much in the way of stimulation. Our best hope is for him to have a real quiet evening of rest. The nurses reminded us tonight that Will is a tough little guy -- tougher than his Mom and Dad put together. That was clear today when he was in obvious distress. It just rips your heart out to see him hurting and not be able to do anything to soothe him. We were able to do some parenting tonight, however, by watching him closely while they kept his oxygen level a bit lower than they would have otherwise. Knowing that we would alert them at the first sign of a freefall in his saturation was enough to make them feel confident to do so. He kept his saturations high the entire time, which meant a bit of rest from the highest levels of oxygen. That said, it will be up and down all night, I'm sure. He's going to need some help over the next couple of days, so keep those thoughts and prayers coming.

And while you're at it, say a couple for our friend John Riehl. John and his wife Nicole are good friends (we were a part of their wedding a couple of weeks before Will was born), and they are at UI Hospitals now as well. John had major surgery today, and will be at the hospital for several days recuperating. We popped in for a short visit tonight, and while John was groggy, he was in good spirits. He's just a couple floors below Will, so just send those good thoughts toward the John Pappajohn Pavilion and let John and Will bask in all the well wishes as we hope they both recover quickly.