The first day hurdles are over

Well,
I will send a brief update before I head to bed to get some rest. Jason is sleeping finally. He is doing well, continuing to cough, has been complaining of a sore shin and blister on his heel all day. Actually complaining more of the pain in his lower shin than the pain from the surgery. Anyway he sat up on the edge of the bed and has taken in some apple juice and lemon ice. They have been talking about moving him into his "step down" room, which is out of ICU tomorrow afternoon if everything continues to go well. He has been really coherent, remembering all of our visits, and being a god patient.
He took the news of having his valve replaced in stride, knowing he will never have to go through this again and get to watch his kids grow up without having to worry about his valve or aneurysm. He understands how truly lucky he was, as active as he has been, to not have had a dissection or rupture of his aneurysm before. We are all so thankful, knowing in the back of our minds that if it would have been an emergency situation, with the difficulty it took to get to his heart through the scar tissue, he probably wouldn't have survived. The surgeon also said another surgery would have been treacherous and significantly dangerous to undergo in the future.
So many blessings, so many thanksgivings. I can't truly express how thankful I am for Jason's health and God taking care of us all throughout this whole time.
We will keep you updated tomorrow.