I’m sitting in the NICU conference room writing this entry. I just saw our little girl and she continues to do well on ECMO. All her blood gas levels are where they should be which is allowing her lungs to mature even in their compromised state. The hope at this point is for her to keep going on this track, build strength and stability, come off ECMO, stabilize again, and then have surgery to move her organs that are in her chest back into her belly. That order may change, but at this point that’s the current path.
 
To give you some perspective as to the magnitude of the challenges with her disorder: picture the Dr. going into a room with 1000 knobs. As far as knowing which knobs to turn, he has only his experience, gut instinct, the knowledge he has about the human body, and what that baby’s body is currently telling him. For this reason, he has to make an educated guess on which ones to turn ever so slightly. If he turns the knobs just right, he’ll be able to proceed to the next room with 1000 knobs. A wrong turn could take him back to a previous room, or…worse. On top of this, every baby responds differently when the knobs are turned, increasing the challenge.
 
This process requires a lot of patience and a willingness to let things get worse sometimes so that they may be better in the long run. Fortunately, right now, things have been going very well, but Tina and I both know that things could turn at any moment and we trust that we have the right guy turning the knobs, and the God who spoke the entire universe into existence on our side.
 
Thank you Jesus for blessing us with Ella Renae.

Oh, I know that little miss Ella is the most important thing we got going, but I figure some of you might want to know how we’re holding up as well =).

Tina was released from the hospital on Thursday the 26th. She’s still a bit sore, but doing well health-wise. Holy cripes what an incredibly strong wife I have! I mean, I knew that I did. Now I REALLY know I do. Also, I know that if men were the ones having babies, we would have died off very quickly after the first generation. God knew what He was doing when He put the responsibility of having babies in the hands of women.

We’re also finally moved into our apartment. It was crazy because we had two trips to make from the hotel, one of those included a cat transfer, and we decided to do this around 10:30pm to be a little stealth with the cats. We had also hoped that it might be a bit cooler, but no coolness in the evening around here. How about 85 degrees @ 10:30 pm with 95% humidity?

Oh yeah, and we were on the third floor in the hotel with a little bit of an elevator assist, but no elevator at the apartment, and we’re on the third floor there as well! I was praying that Ella’s daddy wasn’t going to die with all the steps, heat, and humidity. We were up ’till 1:30am doing the move which explains why we went to visit Ella so late last night. We made it though, and it’s so nice to be moved in here.

How’s daddy holding up? Well, to be honest I would have thought I’d be a total basket case, just an emotional mess seeing all the things I’ve seen. But God has given me a strength that I would have never expected. To be able to stand there and caress my baby’s arm seeing her hooked up to all those machines and not totally ball, isn’t me! For God to give me the strength to sit and pray next to the Mitchell family and not totally lose it as Tracy’s baby boy passes in her arms, not my strength! Let me be clear, it’s not that I’m not being affected emotionally. It’s been an incredibly heavy thing to experience. But the only way I’ve been able to survive, and not be curled up in the fetal position on the floor, is by the strength God has given me, and I know that I know it’s because of the prayer support YOU are providing.

All the emails and comments are so uplifting and give us a taste of home and family when we’re so far away. Thanks to all of you for being there for us.

God bless you all.

Yes…we’re crazy parents.  We went to go see Ella at 3:30am!  Her stats and blood gases continue to be stable (Praise God).  We’re not out of the woods yet though.  This is a 10 mile journey and we’ve only gone a mile.  Thank God for the distance we have traveled safely.   I pray that Ella will continue her current track, giving her the opportunity to heal so she’ll be better prepared for the path ahead.

Be strong my baby girl…be strong.

Baby Jonathan went home to be with Jesus yesterday. What an incredible testimony this boy was and the impact he and his mom had on all who met them. I believe it was no accident that Ella was born early. We wouldn’t have been blessed with getting to know Tracy in person otherwise.

Please pray that God’s grace, mercy, and peace will be upon the entire Mitchell family.