We decided to stay at the apartment today since it was hot and thunderstorms were raging outside. We had a nice lazy Saturday with the cats. And of course, the Bun is still as cute as ever.

She didn’t respond much to the bottle again, so we are hoping that she gets her skill back soon! We know that she has good days and bad days when it comes to her developmental goals. At least we know that she can finish a bottle, so we may just need to think of some new tricks to distract or get her interested again.

Besides that, it does look like she is gaining weight. We will get to weigh her at the pediatrician’s office on April 15th. That should give us some indication, although it is not a digital scale. We have been using the digital scale at Dr. Kays’ office to gauge her true weight gain.

Ella was happy and smiley again and we did some good physical therapy exercises. I’m hoping that the physical therapist will notice a subtle difference in her when we return to sessions in 9 days from now.

Our plans for making our way back to Denver are coming together. It looks like we will be making our way back over the Memorial Day holiday week.

Aside from challenges with exposing Ella to many people & kids on a commercial flight, there were a lot of concerns with the effect the cabin pressure and varying altitudes might have on her underdeveloped lungs. Also, figuring out portable oxygen via the airlines is a nightmare. So, driving back is a better option.

If we had a larger car, driving back would be easier. Our VW Jetta is very cramped with Ella’s seat and oxygen supplies in the back seat. Plus, adding 2 cats to the mix is not my favorite idea. Then, where do we place the items we have accumulated since we have been here for almost a year???

After researching many options, most were extremely expensive. So, the best and most cost effective plan is the following: First, Josh and a buddy from Orlando will be driving our car back to Denver with the cats over the three day weekend. Then, they will both fly back to Florida. When Josh lands, he is renting a minivan from the airport, driving back to Gainesville, packing up our belongings and driving. We will take our time and drive back to Denver over 5 days. My mom will fly in from San Diego to meet us, so that she can help me acclimate to my home with Ella while Josh returns to his place of employment.

Now that we have the dates chosen, we are in high gear to get all the details arranged. We have about 7 weeks left to figure it all out. Believe it or not, there are a lot of things to coordinate between doctor transfers, prescriptions, home medical equipment along with general moving details. At this point, we should be professionals. Can you believe that this will be the 16th time that Josh and I have moved over the past 13 years? Crazy!

We are looking forward to going back to Colorado. In the meantime, we pray that Ella will continue to remain stable and gain weight.

Thanks for the support and prayers. All of you have given us such a strength during this season of our lives.