Two steps forward

The weekend was a blur. Saturday was filled with family visits and trips to see Naomi. A lot of flowers arrived for Ana. Unfortunately, Naomi can't have much in her room so we didn't take her any flowers.

Ana made the trip three times and was feeling much better. The doctor said her platelets were rebounding and her liver enzymes were almost normal. I'm sure her rapid rebound was due to the Sweet Martha Cookie Therapy.

The only lingering concern was her blood pressure, but it was low enough to travel by wheel chair.

We made the first trip a little before lunch time. We lingered for awhile with Grandma and Grandpa Buhr, not really wanting to leave. Eventually though lunch time came and we left. My brother picked me up to get my camera cleaned to remove the big glob from the censor (it's the dark spot in the middle of all of the early photos). The highlight of the visit was capture on film by Grandpa Buhr as Ana reached into Naomi's incubator.

Meanwhile, Grandpa Buhr got his chance to push the wheel chair. It sounds like he failed his driving test as Ana didn't let him push again during the weekend.

Our second trip of the day brought the biggest change. Naomi's bilirubin level was high, otherwise she was doing well. She was now wearing a cool pair of shades and taking a tan.

I warned her about using a tanning booth when she is older. For now though, I let her bask under the Drager Photo-Therapy 4000.

The nurses have been very kind to us and are doing a wonderful job of taking care of Naomi. They entertain our questions and enthusiastically answer them. We learned all about Naomi's breathing tube and gas concentrations.

I've also started to recognize the different alarms that go off while we visit. They monitor her heart rate, her chest wall activity (breathing), and her blood oxygen. She was pretty much receiving the equivalent of room air through her breathing tube.

Our last visit extra special. Uncle Ben and Aunt Alison gave us a couple of story books to read to her at night, so we brought "Pajama Time" along to read to Naomi. We read quietly beside her little incubator and wished her a good night. Having babysat a little niece nearby, I have a little experience swaddling, so I wished I could swaddle her in her sleep sack and put her in her crib.

Ana and I want to thank everyone for their support, comments, and emails. I haven't had time to respond to everyone yet, but I will in time. Also, I just wanted to let everyone know that their comments will not post right away. I set up the blog so I have to review them first and share them with Ana right away.