McKinley Beth: Day 7

One word that best describes today: ENCOURAGING.

Today was the first day of Craig and I's new schedule. I plan to be at the hospital every day around 6:30 am, so that I can be there when the doctors round. Craig takes Jackson to his WONDERFUL babysitter in Newcastle, and then Craig goes to work. I leave the hospital around 4, so I can beat the traffic and get home. Craig will come home and help me get Jackson ready for bed, and then Craig goes to the hospital to spend some time with his favorite baby girl. Its definitely a full day, but we cant imagine not being with her as much as we can.

I got to McKinley's room right before her doctors did. When they came in, they were encouraged with how she looked. She hadnt pooped yet, but they focused more on the bile that was coming from her tummy tube. They explained to me that if her bile cleared up (it was kind of a limey green thick substance at the time), they would think about moving her to feeds, even if she did not poop!!! That encouraged me. I am worried she might not have anything in her belly to get rid of, since she had that huge blowout before surgery. Here she is 6 days into life and not having eaten anything.

We had a great nurse today! She has been a nurse for 30 years, and I was very impressed with her knowledge. McKinley began getting restless and acted agitated. JoAnn (the nurse) said to me," I dont think she needs morphine, I think she needs you to hold her"... well ok!!!! Sounds PERFECT to me! So, JoAnn wraps my baby girl all up and hands her to me and lets me hold her for AN HOUR AND A HALF. That was an hour and a half of perfection. She was so awesome. I am pretty sure we were both in heaven! After holding her, her nurse kept her all swaddled up in a blanket and turned off her heater in her bed and just left her all cuddly. She was totally content for a few hours!!

About 3 pm, McKinley's heart rate rose. JoAnn had me take her temp just to make sure that she wasnt too hot. But, her temp was perfect, so we decided she was now in pain. So, McKinley had her first dose of morphine that whole day at 3. That was TWELVE hours since her last dose. What a strong baby girl!!!

The doctors rounded again about 3:30 pm, and they were SO super impressed with McKinley's bile color, that they gave the nurse the go ahead to remove her tummy tube! I was beaming with pride. I am not kidding.. I was SO proud of my daughter. She is such a little fighter. So advanced.. she is blowing everyone away. AND, they are weaning her from her oxygen also, so that she will be off of that too. My baby girl is not going to have any tubes coming from her face anymore! She is going to be SOOOO excited. Those tubes annoy her.

There is no doubt in my mind that our prayers are being answered. We definitely were blessed with wonderful doctors. But it is SO much more than that... she is blowing everyone away. Thank you Jesus for hearing and and answering our prayers.

Friends, please keep praying. We are ready to bring our baby girl home.