Day 5

Well... she (we) made it to day 5!  There have been so many positive steps over these past 5 days and we are more than happy about the progress that she had made.  But, there have also been a few minor setbacks and still many hurdles to overcome.
Updates:

• Saturday morning Harper was taken off of her C PAP, but was obviously uncomfortable with the new nose piece they gave her and she labored to breath for most of the day.  They put her back on the C PAP last night and she is much more comfortable now.
• Harper was very fussy last night - I suspect that she is very hungry after not eating for 5 days and is ready for some of Grandpa's Red Beans & Rice or Dad's Homemade Chicken Sausages...  :-)
• She is now off of the bili-light, which helped reduced the amount of bilirubin.  This is good for a few reasons.
• Harp is now able to be swaddled a little bit more.  She couldn't be covered up when she needed her phototherapy.  So now that she is swaddled, she is much happier.
• Also, she doesn't look like a fighter pilot anymore! (see picture to right)
• Karen got to hold Harper yesterday for nearly an hour!  This was truly a special moment because it was the first time she has had the chance to hold Harp and for Harp to be in the loving arms of her mom.  I know that they both needed that time and they got a lot out of the experience.  Hopefully, the doctors will feel confident that she can do it again soon or that dad might get a chance to hold her.
• Harp's chest tube on the left side is out... accidentally, but out none the less.  She got a chest X-ray this morning and the doctor said that it looks fine to be out and she is doing well.
• Harper will be given some special formula (very minimal in long fatty chains) tomorrow for the first time.  They will gradually introduce her to this and then slowly change over from the formula to Karen's milk.  Hopefully, the amount of fluid build up will not increase with her feeding (the fluid, chyle, comes from the break down of fats that are processed through the liver... so her eating could increase the amount of fluid).  We will keep our fingers and toes crossed tomorrow - hopefully she will be able to eat, be more comfortable and keep getting stronger with the new nutrition!

So... That's where we are now.  It seems like we are on the right track here... Karen and I know that she is in the best possible hands at the Clinic and are not concerned one bit about the care that she is given or the decisions that are being made.  We see that this is going to be a long process and patience is going to be the key.  Just knowing that we still have a fighting chance and that our current odds are vastly greater than they were 5 days ago is very reassuring.

Thanks again for all that our family and friends have done for us... we appreciate all of the love and support!  xo =W=