We went to visit Ella this evening – – It was so cute…when we arrived, one of her nurses Michelle, had made her a bow and placed it on her head wrap. She told us that we can now bring goodies to surround Ella in her bed too. So, she contributed a cute little teddy bear and the frog blanket that Ella was resting on. That was so nice!
  
Michelle told us that all her stats continued to remain stable since earlier when they reduced the ECMO level to 180.  This is such good news…although there is never a way to predict what Dr. Kays will want to do next, she took a guess by stating that she imagines that they will try taking Ella off of ECMO in the coming days to see how she responds (I guess that the ECMO level is about as low as you would want it before they try removing her from it). If it is favorable and she can remain stable for 24 hours or so, then Dr. Kays will likely be ready to operate. This is our hearts desire — that she can remain stable enough so that he can operate. It is strange to look at her and think that all of her abdominal contents are still in her chest…you look at her and you would never know.
 
Yes, her parents are in love already…she is so cute! She was gripping our hands this evening, letting us know that she is fighting hard. At one point, she woke up and decided that she would respond to our voices. So, she opened each eye just slightly and started looking around and responding to us. That is really the first time that she has tried to look around and check things out while we visited. I can’t wait for the coming days when she is feeling better and is more curious to look around. It is fun to see that little person in there behind those eyelids!
  
Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers. Also, we want to lift up another boy with CDH named Evan. He is 2 beds down from Ella. He was born about a month ago and did not require ECMO. Actually, he has made really good progress – – he is already breathing on his own and trying to feed from Mom. However, he is having problems with his liver functioning, which is keeping him in the level 3 NICU. Please also lift up Evan, that God will heal his liver and continue to heal his lungs.

One week ago today our beautiful baby girl was born. She has been incredibly strong in her journey so far, but she still has a long way to go. For the second time, they reduced her ECMO flow this morning to 180 from 200 (her starting point was 220). In addition, the amplitude on the oscillating ventilator was reduced and Ella took it very well. The continued regiment of Lasix is minimizing her swelling. Ella’s stats are remaining steady which is the best news we could hope for.

Please continue to pray that Ella remains strong as they reduce her dependency on the machines. This is a crucial milestone for her to achieve before they can perform her much needed surgery.