Not that I had any doubt about Ella being Tina’s daughter (you don’t see many “maternity” tests beyond what I’ve witnessed), but I’m not the one who sleeps with his mouth open ;-). I’ve teased Tina about watching a spider spin a web in her mouth, catch a few flies, and close up shop before she wakes up. They’re both real cute when they do it though.

So…how is Ella doing?

Ella looks AWESOME! THANK YOU LORD! She has been rockin’ stable on the standard vent. Her absolute cuteness has maintained as well =). We’re both on a three day high of good Ella progress. We’d be happy if the rest of our days here continued in the same vein, but we have to expect some more challenges.

Tina helped nurse Michelle with the 8:00pm “hands on” by changing Ella’s diaper, weighing her, and switching out her bed blankets. Ella tolerated it well without any major fussing. Once the needle came out for Ella’s shot, I suddenly became very thirsty and wandered over to the drinking fountain in the other room. After getting the “all clear”, I came back and Ella was sleeping again.

She was very active today. She was up for a few hours early this morning, and again most of the afternoon. I think that’s why she was so zonked out while we were there tonight.

Tina’s co-worker, Ani, came to visit us and see how our baby girl was doing. She picked a good day to see her. She looked for a monkey to bring Ella, but opted for a bear instead. I decided to name the bear Ina (eee-nuh). Do you see how I creatively flipped Ani’s name around? Yeah…I got’s me some talent. We really enjoyed our time with Ani.

Even though our baby girl is making good progress, she still has a long road ahead. Please continue to think of us in your prayers, they make a huge difference. We thank you for continuing to endure this marathon with us. God Bless you all.

Matthew 18:19-20
19 “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

 
P.S. Something else to note…a minor crime has been committed in the NICU. If you remember our friends from Atlanta brought us a University of Georgia Mascot to join Ella’s Zoo. Well, I thought something like this might happen but…Uga the dog is missing!!!! I think a gator may have gotten a hold of him, but we’ll have to see. To be continued…=)

I’ll start this post by mentioning that if you didn’t get a chance to see Sunday’s post, you’ll want to check it out. It is the best way to see how far Ella has come and how all those prayers are working =).

I just called to get an update on Ella. Praise God – – her fluid output was only 215 for all of yesterday! I know that Dr. Kays wanted to see it under 300, so this is really great progress. If you remember, she had as much as 892 last Tuesday. That is amazing.

Her blood gases have not been quite as good since they turned down the ventilator, but are still definitely in the “good” range. Her cO2 was 55 (they like to see it around 40) and her pO2 was 94 (they like to see that number as high as possible). She is scheduled for another blood gas at noon, so hopefully those numbers will sustain.

She had a chest xray this at 4am this morning and is scheduled for another xray tomorrow morning. I am sure these were ordered by Dr. Kays so he can monitor and see how the reduction in fluid is impacting her lungs.

We really hope to hear from Dr. Kays today. We want to know what the plan of action is for her next milestone!

P.S. Last night we had the opportunity of hanging out with Clay and Julie Brantley (Jordan’s parents). If you remember, Jordan was born on August 1st, was in the NICU III until August 20th right next to Ella, and then moved to the NICU II. She has progressed so well, that they are looking to take her home this week! Such an exciting time for them – – thanks for all the prayers lifting up Jordan.

UPDATE (12:15pm EST): Ella is being switched to a normal ventilator right now. This is another big milestone. She may not tolerate it too well, but it’s a necessary step. Please pray for success during this transition.

UPDATE (1:30pm EST): Ella is so far maintaining on the standard ventilator, but this could change at any time. Dr. Kays said to not worry if she has to go back to the other vent, but so far so good. Go Ella!