Big Changes

Saturday-nothing real dramatic changed on Saturday but we did celebrate Andrew's 28th birthday!  His birthday is actually today but seeing as he had to work we decided to celebrate early.  I sent him on a little scavenger hunt (thanks for the idea Alli!) and then when he got to the end we were supposed to be there with his balloon and cake.  But he cheated, and followed me.  So we didn't get to say "Surprise!" or anything.  Not that he cared.  Olivia helped me make a card for daddy too.  We got her footprints and put them in a heart shape and said "From the bottom of my heart to the tips of my toes, I love you daddy!"  Feel free to steal the idea.  I did.  For Andrew's b-day present I just told him to buy what he wanted (within reason) since I've been stuck here for the past two weeks and haven't had a chance to get him anything.  He's planning on getting some new waders for fishing.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Sunday-Such a good day!  Olivia got extubated!  It was so nice to see her little face.  It was a little sticky from the tape and such but nurse Bryan got her all cleaned up.  She did so well.  I was a little worried that she wouldn't be interested in sucking because she had stopped sucking on her intubation tubing.  But, the little girl rocked that binky!  She is obviously wanting milk because she sucks on that thing like her life depended on it and then when she doesn't get anything from, out it pops.  She is currently on the high flow nasal cannula (just a stronger oxygen thingy to help her breathing out) and is slowly being weaned from that.  She should be done with that tomorrow.

Hohmmmmm-meditating before the big change!

 Look at that face!!!

Monday-Today has been awesome!  Before I even got in this morning they had taken out her last chest tube, her pacer wires, and her RA line.  The RA line was the last thing that needed to come out before I could hold her.  After I came in they took out her arterial line in her wrist and gave her a bath.  Now, the only tubing she has is one last IV in her other wrist and her oxygen and NJ tube (and the last two will probably be a semi-permanent fixture in one form or the other for the foreseeable future so those we're ok with.)  I held her for a good couple hours (until I needed to pump) which Andrew said was what he wanted for his birthday.  The holding, not the pumping.  So happy birthday sweetie!  Tomorrow should be a big day as well.  We've got a swallow study scheduled (pray she passes please!) and she'll be off the high flow O2 and she may be losing her last IV as well, if I heard correctly.  She's been weaned off most of her medications and is the rest that she hasn't been weaned from she is taking through her NJ.

Notice how few tubes there are?  Yeah, that's all of them!  

It's starting to feel like there's a light at the end of the tunnel.  I don't know how far away that light is but hopefully by the end of this week we should know (heck! Maybe we'll be heading home by the end of this week!)  I am so incredibly excited to take this girl home and be her mommy.  I know it'll still be hard and crazy busy and I'll be exhausted but it will be so much more rewarding than just sitting here watching others take care of my girl.  Or knowing that others are taking care of my other girl.  We've been here two weeks now.  The longest but also shortest two weeks of my life.  We've witnessed many small miracles and one very big miracle in a small package.  I'm grateful for this experience even though I dread having to do it again this year.  Ya know, I was feeling kind of down on myself about a year ago because I was done with school and wasn't learning new stuff.  Believe it or not, I already know my alphabet and all the other stuff that Sesame Street teaches.  But, I'm certainly learning stuff now.