6 Week Birthday, a couple little scares, Ava's NICU cousin

Ava is 6 weeks old today! We're hoping we're on the downhill part of her NICU journey now. She has been doing well overall. She has stayed on "2" for her airflow and has been down to room air (no additional oxygen in her airflow) for much of the past couple days. They may turn her airflow down tomorrow if she does well today but she has her eye test today so that may be a bit traumatic for her. She has been taking milk from the bottle, about 2-3 times per day. I fed her a couple times (small amounts) which was wonderful! She continues to gain weight and is over 3 lbs 11 ounces now. At 4 pounds they will see if she is ready for a crib instead of her isolette!

Linda is doing well, and has made it through the few days where she doesn't feel her best. Other than a scare which turned out fine (see below) she is doing well through her Taxol round 2!

A couple little scares: First, Ava had some problems during a feeding tube change during the night shift (feeding tube is in her nose, down into her tummy). It sounded like maybe she refluxed during a feeding tube change and then stopped breathing, had an Apnea/Bradycardia, then needed some oxygen and puffs of air from the "hand bag" (oxygen bag that is always nearby in case of emergencies). It was a relatively short spell - about 30 seconds on the bag until they got her vital signs back up - but still worrisome for Linda and I when we heard about it the next morning.

The next night, Linda had a fever - she was very hot (not in the normal way!) and so we took her temperature. It rose to 100.9 and we had one foot out the door to the hospital (101 is a trip to the ER) but then peaked. We measured it every 1-2 hours throughout the night and finally it dropped down to normal by the morning. She didn't have any flu symptoms so perhaps it was a mild infection that her body fought off on its own. Her body has been very resiliant so far and we are praying this continues for another two rounds of chemo.

NICU Cousin: My cousin Christi and her husband Bill have been wonderful supporters to Linda and I throughout our NICU experience. Their son, Mason, is an NICU graduate but still has a couple hurdles to overcome since he has been home. If you want to check in on them and share some positive thoughts and prayers, here is their blog: http://mason-ryder.blogspot.com/ We're looking forward to Mason and Ava swapping NICU war stories down the road! Thanks Christi and Bill for your continued support of Ava and our family.

Picture time: NICU Nurses Monica and Betty knitted some matching hats for Linda and Ava! Here are a couple pictures (luckily, I don't have a pink matching hat!):

Here is a picture of Ava while I was feeding her. She has a special low-flow bottle:

We continue to do well overall!

Rob.