5/5 update

Courtesy of Travis once again: Actually, courtesy of God via Travis:

For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my confidence from my youth. Psalm 71:5

Carissa had another good day today. One thing I forgot from yesterday is that they are checking her platelets Monday, Wednesday, Friday now which is down from daily, down from every 12 hours, down from every 6 hours. I will stop before I start sounding like the book of Numbers.

And of the third born of the tribe of Shuffler...sorry, I said I would stop that.

Carissa had easily her most alert days today. She was pretty wide awake for one 1 1/2 hour period today and had several more very alert times. When Pamela nursed her during this time I almost had to call Carissa down for smacking. She was really getting it done but did tire after a while. Her milk amounts have been increased to 54 cc's per feeding which is every 3 hours.

I could take the time to tell you about 2 really great photo's we almost had but then that would take another 2000 words. Ok, I'll abbreviate. One was of me holding Carissa looking very pleased...me, not her. I had cuz Suzy take the picture 3 times because I kept looking like a fun house mirror reflection (I know...go ahead...we've had 2 comments on the blog on what feels like 3,234 posts/updates and I'll get 50 on that comment) and then on the third one my phone was out of memory and I somehow deleted that one instead of another picture. The second one was the first unobstructed picture of Carissa taken while they were putting in a new feeding tube while the nasal cannula was off as well and Pamela accidentally shut her camera after I took that picture. You will have to trust me that Carissa looks very different when she does not have tubes and tape sticking all over her face. Let's go for a permanently unimpeded picture soon.

• Please thank our Amighty God for another great day for Carissa. It is exciting and somehow humbling to watch her progress each day in light of what expectations were. (I found today my notes from the first neonatal consult and they are so disturbingly bleak you would not believe everything in them. The amazing thing was it was a 15 minute consult and I probably stopped writing after 3 minutes because the really bad news started then and I wouldn't write it down.)


• Please pray that Carissa gets stronger at nursing and taking bottles and that a little problem with spitting up goes away.


• Please pray that Carissa's breathing continues to improve. (There were several times today when the nasal cannula was out from her moving around when we were holding her and then when her feeding tube was moved to her nose and her oxygen levels stayed high during all of those. She still goes below 85 occasionally but it doesn't stay there long at all.)


• Please pray that Carissa's ability to regulate her own temperature improves and that she doesn't need help maintaining her body temperature.


• Please once again pray that God keeps getting the glory for Carissa's improvements and thank him for the inspiring doctors, nurses, and others that do such a great job with her.

Yours and His,

Terry