Update

Tomorrow marks two weeks since my amazingly strong Ellcy made her appearance, and yesterday marks one week since her first open heart surgery. I can't believe how well she is doing (knock on wood). She is out of the CI CU (cardio intensive care unit) and up to the recovery floor. She no longer has a breathing tube. All the chest tubes and the RA lines in her heart have been removed which was a HUGE milestone...those RA lines were the reason we haven't been able to hold her. Yesterday was the first time I got to hold her since surgery and it felt WONDERFUL! Oh how I took the most simple things for granted with my other children. Mothers: hold your babies, nurse them, snuggle them, bathe them, change their diapers, get them dressed, wake up in the night to stop their tears and be grateful that you can :)

Today she will have her swallow study done to make sure she swallows good and the liquid goes where it is supposed to and not into her lungs. If that goes well than they will move her feeding tube out of her intestines and into her tummy AND it means we can start bottle feeding as well. I've never been so excited to feed someone a bottle.

Best case scenario we could bring her home this weekend! That would be less than 2 weeks post surgery...that is as fast as possible. I can't explain it but I almost feel guilty about all the blessings we've received. I've witnessed how it doesn't normally go so smoothly for most and I wonder why we are so spoiled. I guess Ellcy has a special mission and she is getting started early. I am so very very grateful for the countless prayers on her behalf. I know there are complete strangers praying for her along with family, dear friends, and neighbors. I now know what it feels like to have others bear your burdens with you and it is much preferable over bearing them alone.

So our goals for the week: get her off the little bit of oxygen she's on, remove the last IV, pass the swallow study and start eating ALOT. It's all about weight gain now...we need to fatten her up for surgery #2 in a couple of months.