Today was a better day for the Bun, although it started out rough.

She woke up several times during the night but at 5am, she decided that she would not go back to sleep. I asked Josh if he would be willing to get up with her initially and I would relieve him in a couple of hours. I was so exhausted.

At 9:15am, I finally woke up. Yeah, that was a little bit more than 2 hours. Anyway, I came out of the room to check on Josh and the Bun and noted that Ella’s fussiness had continued. Poor Josh looked so worn out. She has had a fever the past couple of mornings and has been fussy and inconsolable.

About 10:30am, Nurse Michelle decided to stop by and visit. She was magical for Ella. Here she had been fussy since she woke up at 5am, but decided to behave for her visitor. Then out of nowhere, Michelle offered to watch her if we wanted to run any errands. Josh barely let Michelle finish her sentence and said “Yes!”. So, we went for a drive to Toys-R-Us to buy some stuff for Ella. That was the first time that we both left the house and left Ella in the care of someone. It was so nice just to get a break and some fresh air for that hour.

When we went to Toys-R-Us, we bought Ella a Vicks Warm Vaporizer. At this point, she has been so congested that we feel desperate to try something. We are hopeful that it will work.

Another thing we wanted to try is taking her on a walk again, except this time, I wanted Josh’s help. So when the time was right, we took her for a short 10 minute walk. This time, she did fine. I was so excited because I want to go on walks with her. A good reminder for me…try changes slow and steady for Ella.

Just to help with the stroller rides and car rides, we pulled up her car seat into the living room where she has a view of the TV. As much as we can, we are going to set her in it so that she can get used to it more and more.

Once we came back from the walk, I told Josh that I wanted to try feeding her orally again. Even though the OT wanted me to wait for the next appointment and a special bottle, I felt like we should just try. Even just dipping the bottle nipple and letting her get used to it in her mouth.

Although it took a very long time and there was coughing and retching spells a few times, we had 3 separate feeding sessions throughout today. The first time, she took 20ccs. The second and third times, she took 10ccs each. So, a total of 40ccs!!! That is a huge first step to feeding orally, so we are very excited.

When Ella is in a good mood over the next several days, we will continue to try it. The only adverse side effect is that she did get a lot of air in her belly, so we had to vent her quite a bit to alleviate the symptoms.

We did notice that when we did not feed her (like the extended time that Michelle was visiting), she was in a great mood. If we did not have to feed her, she would be feeling marvelous. But feeding her when she is awake, whether via bolus or the food pump, causes some type of discomfort for her and puts her in a bad mood. So we are still not sure what to think about the feeding issue, but hope to gain wisdom in the coming days.

Grandma Eusey made it to Florida this evening. But since she arrived, the Bun has been asleep. She is asleep as I am typing this post. I just can’t help but watch her sleep with her little chest moving up and down and reflect on the miracle of our baby girl. I can’t believe it.

We pray for a restful night for Ella and that she would continue to gain strength. Thank you for the continued prayer support – – it means more than you will ever know.