These are the days of our lives...

It's has been a very hard week around the NICU this week, filled with happiness and sadness.

Starting with Erin, she has had a very good week with all the right actions!  We are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel with her.  Her eye exam came back very positive with a regression of ROP in both eyes! This week she had her exit Echo and exit MRI, she has also been put on "Go Home Air" which basically means they are prepping her to go home with oxygen.  This is very exciting and scary, but Julie has done a wonderful job finalizing the nursery!

Will has been steadily progressing although at his normal slow rate, but we will take any progress we can.  Will got two rounds of steroids to help lower the inflammation in his throat so that they could try him on the next vent.  So on Tuesday morning he starting on NIPPV which is a version of CPAP that uses nose prongs.  He looks like Scuba Steve!  He had a little set back this morning and they had to turn him up to 100% O2 flow, and they gave Will one hour to get his O2 usage down to 50% or they would put him back on the standard vent.  Guess what?!  He did it!  With a lot of coaching from Julie and the nurse he was able to get down to 48% by 1:00pm and has continued down to 38% as of 5:00pm!  He doesn't have CF, but they are doing the pounding treatment similar to CF to help break up the fluid in his lungs allowing him to breath much easier. It also stimulates the lung to expand. The next treatment is at 7:00pm tonight.  His belly is looking so good, and I'm sure he is feeling better from it.

So, now the sad news.  Yesterday three babies passed in the NICU.  Two of them are from our pod.  One baby before Julie and I got there yesterday, the second baby was going to be taken off life support once the family assembled in the room.  The whole family arrived and before they could turn off life support the baby's heart gave up.  Whenever a baby's heart or breathing slows or stops it pops up on all the monitors in that pod of the NICU to alert the nurses of the problem.  For this is was very sad, Julie and I knew it was coming so Julie sat with Will and I went and held Erin.  Both of us cried when we say the screen come up with 0 heart beat then the alarm was silenced and ten minutes later the monitor went dark, signalling they had shut the computer down.  This baby had lived in the NICU for 9 months, and at one point was just days away from going home.  That is one reason that Julie and I are trying to keep our enthusiasm about Erin's impending release.

Now for some happier news.  On the same day that the three babies past, a family that we have gotten to know and who was born shortly after the twins got to go home!  We are so happy for them, and from a few facebook messages going back and forth they seem like they are settling in well.  And then more happy news, we are very excited to welcome Margaret Jane Schaffler into the world!  Congrats Jen and Pat!  We can't wait for the girls to meet!  Those of you who don't know the Crystal Mountain clan of new kids it was 3 boys (Tommy, Urban, Will) and Erin!  Now she has another girl to play with! Way to even up the odds Margot!