Ella did not do as well today. She is still in the stable range and the cuteness factor is amazingly high. But, her saturations were low 90’s tonight and her last blood gas was pH level of 7.2, cO2=79, pO2=74. This is not real good – – carbon dioxide is too high.

When we visited, we had a nurse that had never taken care of Ella. She seemed really nice, but I think it just made it that much harder to leave our baby’s bedside tonight.

If Mom’s intuition is right, Ella has less and less fluid output over the past several days. I think her fluid build up is to a point where it is now beginning to affect her more. She seemed less comfortable and more fussy tonight. When she did have an episode, it took her a very long time to recover. This is usually her pattern when she is not feeling great.

As of last night when we looked at the CT scan with Dr. Kays, radiology had not published the report on Ella’s superior vena cava. We did not hear an update today either. Hopefully, we can get a status on this soon.

Tomorrow is surgery. We did not hear from Dr. Kays today, so we are not sure about the plan for surgery. We are hoping that we can get more information from him directly tomorrow before the surgery occurs. We are told that it is planned for the early afternoon.

Please continue to pray for sweet little Ella. Petition for the Lord to give wisdom to Dr. Kays, so Ella’s fluid issue can be solved. Ask for the Lord to uphold us, so we can remain strong in His love for us.

Psalm 63:7-8

Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

Our 9 week old bun is hanging in there. Her gases at 4am were fair. Her cO2 is a bit on the high side (67), but her pO2 is looking ok (85). Ella was bit fussy for the nurse this morning, but some suctioning, head stroking, and talking to calmed her down.

Her total fluid output for yesterday was 27ccs which may indicate some increased fluid retention in her left chest cavity. This has to be uncomfortable for Ella, so we’re not surprised when she lets us know about it.

How are Ella’s parents doing? We’re hanging in there too. God is using every moment of every day to stretch us, comfort us, and draw us closer to Him.

I woke up the other day with 6 words from a “classic” Christian song in my head: Walk by faith, not by sight

Click here for an audio flash back snippet (Petra – Not by sight).

How awesome to find comfort in God’s Word, from an 80’s Petra song that was drilled into my head so long ago! =)

Tina and I have also drawn closer to the Lord while listening to Dr. Charles Stanley. What an incredible man of God. Every day it feels like his message is tailored specifically for us. The Lord has used these studies to shower us with peace, convict us of our transgressions, and draw us into a deeper fellowship with our Creator.

I’m also finding that as we’ve drawn closer to Jesus, He is giving me words of encouragement throughout the day.

One example occurred when Tina and I were heading out to lunch last Friday. I was sitting an intersection, waiting to turn left onto the main road outside of our community. Traffic can get pretty crazy at this location sometimes, which forces you to wait for a break in traffic.

There are times when I’ve gunned it pretty good, trying to be conservative when Tina’s in the car ;-), knowing that if I didn’t make that break I’d be waiting another minute for the next opportunity. Those of you who know me know what a patient person I am when it comes to driving. (Insert massive amounts of sarcasm here)

On this day, I was waiting for a good bit to make the turn, and I started thinking about ALL the time I’ve wasted in my life “waiting” in traffic. I was stewing over this for a bit, and started to ask, “What could I do during this time so it’s not wasted”. Before I could even get the “What” out, God replied:

Time is never wasted praising God.

Wow…I had to laugh…and I did. God can be funny sometimes in his convictions. His timing was perfect from a comedic standpoint. His point was well taken. Time is NEVER wasted praising God, and we can do it ANYWHERE!

Praising God in the car also makes for a much more enjoyable driving experience overall. Just ask my wife. =)