NICU Day 106 ~ (March 22nd)

We are praising God that our precious little girl weighed in at 3 lbs. tonight!!  Not only that, but they also dropped two of her four medications today as she has now recovered from rickets and her labwork showed improvement in other areas as well.  The only medications she now receives are synthroid (for her hypothyroidism) and iron.  It appears that we are coming down to our final days in the NICU.  Everything hinges on the results of her intestine x-ray next week, but she is doing so well on all other accounts that they really feel that our home going is not so very far away.  The one main thing she must still overcome is the bradycardias (episodes of dropping her heart rate).  This is very common with preemies, and she seems to have outgrown the random bradycardias that she previously had; but she is such an aggressive eater that she sometimes causes herself to choke and drop her heart rate while she is eating.  She acts as if she has never been fed in her life and will never be fed again (although, who can blame her after she has been taken off her feeds so many times!!).  Thankfully, she had no episodes today, and she will have to complete 7 consecutive days of no episodes before she is allowed to leave the NICU.  She may still come home on oxygen; and to be honest, I actually would not mind that.  It would mean some inconvenience in that she would be attached to her cannula and a monitor, but that actually is a comforting thought for making the transition home.  I cannot imagine sleeping the first several nights without her hooked up to anything!!  If she weans off her oxygen before coming home, it will be great; but if she comes home with it, then that will be fine too.  So if all goes well next week, then we may be home by the middle of April!!  Mentally, we are preparing for setbacks (though none are anticipated at this point); but physically, we are in a whirlwind to get things ready for her to be at home with us 24/7.   We know this journey will simply take another turn when we reach that day, but we are excited for this "bend in the trail" and are looking forward to what God has in store for our family as we turn the corner.  Thank you so much for your continued prayers, love, and support!!