Tummy time

Help me! Dad and I hate wearing hats, but I am absolutely helpless in trying to get the damn thing off.

We got to see Elise's back side for the first time ever. We'll limit the exposure, but I can speak as to the cuteness of her little bottom. And yes, she is workin' the mullet.

Here she is get a grip on mom's hand. We can see that things will probaby begin to slow down for a while. We have pushed to her threshold for weaning support. We've not been able to consistently keep her FiO2 down below 50, and she ends up staying around 70%. She has been able to tolerate 12cc/hr now of breast milk and is trying to catch up with mom. This has allowed us to reduce her TPN (IV nutrition). Her versed (sedation) was weened further to 0.2. If she behaves this evening and the nurse can bring her oxygen dependence down to a FiO2 below 50, they can begin to wean the nitric oxide. This will be a large step in her progress, with the big one before extubation actually being taking the NO from the last step of weaning to zero. Today she got flipped onto her belly, which she seemed to really enjoy. For one, it is shifting her weight and taking pressure off her backside. It may also help with the air that has accumulated anteriorly in her chest wall as the chest tube is placed posteriorly. Although, the x-ray today showed the pneumothorax has been reduced. She got some more PT today as they are trying not to let her stiffen up too much. She's also had a few visitors in the last couple of days including Grandma Marcie and Uncle Zac. She still has the tendency to need Lasix, now twice daily, to keep fluid from accumulating in her lungs.

Kristin and I have developed quite the daily routine, arriving at the hospital around 8:30 and returning to the Ronald McDonald house about 10:00 at night. We try to get good rest, but the stress of the situation hits us at times during the day, and so we gets naps here and there. We thank all of you for your support, especially the meals we have had with some of you, the flowers and brownies from St. Luke's, and the wonderful care package from Aunt Christy. Words of encouragement can be the best gift, and we know you all are pulling for Elise. We're just hoping for a good rest of the week, and an enjoyable first Mother's Day for Kristin. We love you all,

Jason