The Best Day!

My Mom got here late Thursday night so Friday morning I got to leave the girls with Grandma (yeah for having Grandma here!) and when I got to the hosptial Ella was off her C-pap and just on the heated nasul canula and on room air oxygen. I couldn't believe it! When the doctor came in to do rounds they told me not to be disappointed if she had to go back on the C-pap because that happens sometimes and then told me that I would get to hold her. And I think I was on cloud nine all day. I honestly hadn't thought too much about holding her up to this point because we had been so worried about her and wanted her to get better that not being able to hold her was lower on our list of concerns and frustrations but when they put her in my arms it was the best feeling in the world. Here stats were great the whole time and she kept her temperature great also. And right after I put her back in her bed she opened her eyes and was the most alert I've seen her since she's been born. When they did her next check-up they said her lungs already sounded better (up to this point she was still having chest therapy and albuteral treatments every few hours to try and clear up one last area in her right lung that still had some gunk in it) so this was wonderful to hear. I got to hold her twice on Friday and then Lance and I came back to the hospital after the girls were in bed to have Date Night in the NICU. :) And Lance got to hold her and getting to see him hold her was just as great as getting to hold her myself.

Saturday we had even more progress. They took her canula down to 2 litters (this is the amount of pressure she is getting and she had been at 3 litters the day before and provided that her stats stay good they continue to wean her off). And then Saturday Night my Mom and I came down to the hospital and I got to put her in clothes and she got to move to a Big Girl Bed (aka. an open crib without a warmer). It was very exciting and thanks to her little friend Kingsley she is well outfitted with lots of adorable premie clothes! (thank you Lindsay).

She did well all night and when I got here this morning they said she was holding her temp. well, and they just moved her to 1 litter on her canula so we will see how that goes. Her doctor this morning said the next steps (leading to going home) will be to get her off the canula and then start doing oral feedings. Once they see that she is able to getting eating down without having alarms (where her heart rate is too high or low, or her oxygen level gets below 85%) and she is gaining weight then we will be able to take her home. The Nurse Practioner would not give us any time frame for when this might happen though because she said this is the first couple of days where she had actually started looking better. They did say that her lungs sound completely clear now which is so so good.

that's kind of where we are at right now. Things are looking up and we've just been so so grateful for our wonderful friends her in Indiana who have done amazing things for us these last couple of weeks. Since our family is all so far away it's such a blessing to be surrounded by such wonderful friends who fill the void. And we are now so grateful to have Grandma Tresa here (Mia and Maddi have been soaking up all the one on one time...it's amazing how even when they haven't seen their Grandparents in a long time...I think it has been over a year since we last saw my Mom...that they instantly have a bond with them and just somehow sense how much they are loved). And we also so appreciate all the emails, blog comments, and phone calls, from our family and other friends who are all over the country with prayers and concerns. We love you all.

I included a couple pictures from Easter morning before my Mom and Lance and the girls headed off to Church. Ella and I decided to keep up our little family tradition of spending Easter Day in the Hospital! Both Mia and Maddi were born different dates but still on Easter Weekend which meant we were in the hosptial on Easter and we used to joke about Ella somehow coming on Easter Weekend but looking at the dates thought oh well that's not possible...but somehow she found a way to make sure she fits in with this family!