Thursday, June 30, 2011

Thusday, June 30th

look at all this hair

good morning little one

hi mama!


(andy) first off, i wanted to start today's update with pictures.  a picture says a thousand words, so since i am already at 3,000 words i can probably keep this post short.  second, you will notice i don't use capital letters.  sorry, unless i am being graded i only use caps for the word "Internet" and now "Whitney".   ok, so we woke up in the guest house this morning and went to see Whitney.  she was pretty active this morning.  she was awake and moving around a lot, which is a little different because like her mom she likes to sleep a lot.  she is still breathing on her own, which was awesome because saturday night she was taken off her ventilator for 4-5 hours and was getting too "uncomfortable" and was put back on.  so right now she has been going over 30 hours breathing on her own.  she still has oxygen tubes in her nose giving her extra oxygen.  i don't remember the exact rate that she is getting it, but i will tell you she is getting 25% less today then she was getting last night.  the next hurdle we are going to work on is getting her weened off the oxygen.  i am hoping that will be done in the next couple days.  we also hear she will be getting orders for her first mri on friday or monday, so we are anxiously awaiting the results.  one of the doctors and the nurse practitioner thought it would be a good idea to have sarah try to breast feed her tomorrow.  right now, Whitney is eating sarah's breast milk through a feeding tube.  they are trying to put a pacifier in her mouth to help Whitney connect feeding to sucking.  i personally have not seen much of a sucking motion, but some of the nurses say they have and it doesn't hurt to try.  we will be leaving here in the morning to get to the hospital and meet with a professional milker.  (bad joke, sorry sarah)

one of the doctors came by today and said they have been really excited by Whitney's progress.  she said something along the lines of Whitney is doing a lot of things a baby should be doing at this point.  skeptically i asked - based on what she has been through? or compared to a completely normal newborn?  her reply was normal newborn.....

every day has been better then the last, and i firmly believe all the people praying for her out there is the reason.  from the bottom of our hearts we really want to thank everyone who have reached out to us.  sent flowers, cards, dinners, emails, texts, calls, voicemails......but most importantly prayed for our little girl.  she has been well cared for by all the doctors and nurses at both conway medical center and now mcleod in florence.  we are still cautiously optimistic and the help of everyone has made it easier and easier. thank you

5 comments:

  1. Great Progress, Andy.
    It sure looks like Whitney is getting the best of care. You and Sarah are so lucky to have such expertise and caring available to you. Judy and I hang on every one of your updates. Thank you so much for creating this forum and for sharing your intimate moments, your hopes and fears with us. Your openness and courage throughout this trial are commendable.

    John and Judy

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  2. I can't get over how beautiful she is and I am so happy to hear about all this wonderful progress. I'm also very jealous of all that gorgeous baby hair and I cannot wait to meet Miss Whitney in person. Hugs to you guys for being so strong and staying so positive- she needs that most of all! I will be sure to say prayer concerning breathing on her own and for successful breast-feeding!

    Just remember, Sarah- that it is a difficult task regardless of the situation and it's certainly a process...so please don't get discouraged. Good luck!!! Brook :)

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  3. thanks so much for the updates and pictures of Whitney........it makes it so much easier not to be there......I pray everyday thanking God for answering our prayers asking for him to look after Whitney and make her better......for him to watch over the doctors and nurses ......
    so Whitney can come home soon .......
    Take care, God be with you all......Love, Gram

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  4. Andy and Sarah, my heart is beaming right now seeing what amazing parents you already are!! And thank you so much for updating us via this blog. We will be following it closely.

    Oh, and the photos! Whitney is absolutely beautiful and these photos today are amazing! What wonderful emotions you've captured...!

    Lots of love
    Susie and Tom

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  5. I am not too used to blogging, but it truly is a great way for us to share your personal and amazing journey with your precious Whitney. (We just learned last night about the difficult week you have had...and I did comment last night on your June 25th entry... Anyway, our hearts are there with you; God is surrounding you with his love at every step. I was at three Masses this weekend to do music, and I couldn't get you off my mind ---God kept assuring me that he was comforting you.
    Thank you for posting the updates.

    As Always, we love you.
    Rita and Ellen

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