health update

Riley Grace is doing great. She is a feisty little kid and that goes a long way when you are trying to get out of the NICU.

Breathing... She has been breathing on her own for a full week now. She is able to keep her O2 saturation up on her own. Chest x-rays show healthy little lungs.

Heart... No sign of a murmur for days. All clinical evidence (strong respiration, good heartbeat, clear echo-gram) suggest that she has a strong, healthy little heart.

IV... Site has been moved back onto the top of her head. She is running out of good veins to tap into. Friday we worked for an hour and a half to get a new one started. After six stickings they were able to get one going. The nurses are so patient and loving with our little girl. I think that they dislike the IVs even more than Riley. Once she can take 20-25cc by bottle she will no longer need the extra help and it will be bye-bye to the IV. This will be a day to celebrate and for us. It will feel very much like cutting the umbilical cord only for good this time.

We have been praying that her current IV site will not deteriorate before that time and so far it has not. We believe that God heals with both medicine and miracles and we are praying for both with this IV. Most have lasted 12-20 hours and this one has been going 48.

Food... this is the big issue right now. We are working to ramp up her food intake on an aggressive schedule. This, along with good rest, are the key steps to having our baby home with us.

Prayer... Thank you to everyone that has been praying for Riley Grace. Here are some specific things we are praying for:

• Pray for good feedings and good rest. She will really need to be an eating champ in the next few days
• Pray for poop. Good digestion is essential and gut infections are common at this stage.
• Pray for the IV site. We want it to last as long as we need it.
• Pray for the nurses and doctors that are treating her. We pray that God would fill them with wisdom and guide their decision making.
• Pray that her parents give glory to God. The nurses and doctors talk about the parents that have been camped out for two weeks at her bedside. We want them to know the God that knew her before she was born and sustains her today.

God is great and mighty and in charge. His grace is sufficient.