At the end of the night...

Yesterday was a hard day for Ethan. He just had his PDA Ligation done and his body is so wiped out that anything could set him off. He had a lot of drops in his blood pressure and his oxygen had to go up to 100% at some point. They try to keep them as low on the oxygen levels as possible so that he won't have side effects later on, like eye sight issues. The air that you and I breathe on a daily basis is 21%. His lungs at this point still have a lot of fluid in them, so they are having to keep a very close eye him. This morning there was not much change. And since the smallest things could cause his heart rate to drop, I couldn't really touch him today which was extremely hard. By the time we left tonight though his stats seem to have improved a little and his oxygen levels have decreased. They are considering putting in a feeding tube tomorrow, pending an x-ray to make sure all looks good. Hopefully in the next couple days, they will start to feed him some milk (good thing because my freezer is going to get really full, really quick). My little man is a fighter and he is doing a great job showing me what he is capable of. I am so proud of him and thankful that he is trying so hard.

Madaline had a good day yesterday. Since her lung collapsed, she has shown signs of improvement. They decided yesterday to clamp off the tube and see how her respiratory system would handle it. If all went well for 4-6 hours, they were going to take the tube out. She lasted the 6 hours and the tube came out last night. She has been doing well breathing with just the CPAP machine so far. They have to take it off of her sometimes, and she seems to be breathing well on her own when they need to. They will keep it on her though until she is approximately 36 weeks old. We did have a hiccup in her care today. Madaline tested positive for MRSA which is a type of Staph infection that is very common is hospitals, so they moved her into a private room and she will have to stay there for the remainder of her care.

What does this mean???

Well, lets see if I can explain this properly. There is nothing to be alarmed about right now. They are putting her in her own room for the safety of all the babies in the NICU. Because all of them have some sort of IV, they all have to potential to get this. It is only contagious through contact of an open sore, which she does not have. If she did they would just need to make sure that the dressing on the sore was clean and dry until it healed. Everyone has some sort of Staph bacteria on their skin. It all depends on how your body reacts to the bacteria. When she's out of the hospital there is not going to be any change in the way that she is handled compared to Ethan or any other baby. Since it is not contagious, once the babies are in a stable place, people will get to see her. I will still get to kangaroo her (which I did tonight and loved every second), and when she's ready, I can breast feed her. The best way to prevent this kind of stuff is just making sure that you wash your hands constantly. Unfortunately in hospitals these things happen. Especially since she is handled by so many people throughout the day.

At the end of the day, she is doing pretty good. It's just another bump in the roller coaster and we will just have to make a couple alterations along the way.

I have a couple new pictures on Madaline, I just haven't uploaded them yet to the computer. I didn't take any pictures of Ethan today since he is so unstable and I didn't want the flash of the camera to make him uncomfortable and make his heart rate drop. I'm waiting for a good day when he is stable enough. Thanks again everyone for all the love and prayers you have been sending our way. I know that it's making a difference.

One other thing.... Every year CHOC has a charity event that they do that Brady and I are seriously considering being a part of. It's called the "CHOC walk in the park". Stephanie and I did this with Tilly's a couple years ago and it was a lot of fun. It's a 5K walk through Disneyland and California adventure in support of CHOC. The walk in scheduled for Sunday, October 17, 2010. I would like to start a team of people to do this walk with Brady and I. The team needs to be a minimum of 6 people and each person has to raise at least $50 donation to walk. I want to know how many of you would seriously consider doing this walk to see if I can get a team together. After all that CHOC is doing for us right now, I thought it would be a fun way to pay them back. You can get more info on the event at www.chocwalk.net. Please let me know if you are interested so I can get a head count. You can email me at JakaSandra@aol.com, or text me if you have my phone number. It would mean a lot to Brady and I to have your support. If you can't walk, but still want to support, you can always make a donation.

Lots of love from us and the Twins!!!