February 18

Sorry that it has been a few days since I have updated Elsie's blog. A lot has been going on since my last post! I'll try to get you caught up.

Friday, February 15. It is confirmed that Elsie has pneumonia, which scares me pretty badly, but the nurses seem to be not terribly worried or concerned, so I tried not to be, either. I guess if you're going to get pneumonia, then being at the hospital is a good place to have it. They take such good care of our little girl. Basically, pneumonia is an infection in the lungs, so as I worried during the last few days, I'd tell myself, "It's no big deal, it's just an infection. Pneumonia is just a big scary word for an infection. Not a big deal." But even with my pep talks, I was still worried. On Friday, I got to hold Elsie for a lovely hour or so while visiting with my mother and sister. She wasn't quite as stable with her respiration numbers as she had been during the previous times that I had held her, but she still did pretty good. It is so good to hold her, even for a short time. This time, instead of the nurse handing Elsie to me, I get to pick her up all by myself, and then placed her carefully back in her bed when we were done. Little things like this help me to feel more like a mom.

Sunday, February 17. Elsie is doing much better. There are marked improvements since she was started on a more specific antibiotic to treat the pneumonia. Her lungs have not needed to be suctioned out as much, and the secretions that are suctioned out are less cloudy, and becoming clear. She is far less agitated and more relaxed and calm. However, she hasn't gained any weight for a few days, despite an increase in calories. So they added more protein to her feedings to try to get her weight back up. Clayton and I had a very tender and special moment with Elsie's nurse of the day, as she shared some of her thoughts and feelings that she had when she read Elsie's blog. We are touched and honored at the spiritual and emotional impact that it has had on her. As we drove home from the hospital, I thought and pondered our situation. One of the nurses had said that she loved my positive attitude, that even though things are hard, I hadn't complained or said, "Why me?" I thought about that as we drove. I thought, but not in a negative or complaining way, "Why me? Why has this particular trial came upon our family?" I sat and contemplated. In my limited spiritual knowledge, it seems that trials are given to us so that we can learn from them. I don't think Elsie is the one that is supposed to be learning a lesson at this time, so it must be a lesson for her parents. And what is the lesson? Well, I don't know for sure, but I've got a few guesses. In the past 6 weeks, we've definitely had a huge lesson in humility and accepting help from others. We've learned that we are absolutely not in control of our lives and destiny, and that this is ok. It's ok to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing and what is best for us. It's hard, but it's ok. Everything will work out the way that it is supposed to be. We've learned to draw closer to each other, as well as our family and friends, who have supported us so greatly during our time of need. Even though this is such a difficult time in our life, I've loved the increase in communication with our dear ones, as well as friends and family who I haven't heard from in a long time. Trials can draw you closer to the ones that you love, or they can tear you apart. It's up to you. And along the same lines, trials can draw you closer to the Lord. Anyway, those are just a few of my rambling thoughts during our long drive home last night.

Monday, February 18. Evje and I enjoyed a fun day out with some family members, and so I was not able to visit Elsie. Imagine our surprise when we got a text message from an unknown number with a picture of Elsie. Oh, and her breathing tube is gone. Whaaat?! The picture was from Elsie's nurse, who then called to let us know what was going on. Apparently, they extubated Elsie around 2pm this afternoon, and she has been doing pretty good. She is on a type of CPAP that gives her breathing support when she needs it, and has the nasal prongs that issues oxygen into her nose instead of the tube that goes directly to her lungs. As long as she can remain stable, she won't need the breathing tube. However, there might be setbacks along the road where she might need to be intubated again. But for today, we are celebrating and counting our blessings. Happy Monday, everybody!