Sophia wishes you Happy Easter

Last night while we were all tucked in the Easter Bunny made his rounds. He even stopped at the NICU and left little Sophia some really cute bunny slippers. It was so cool to walk in and see her all nestled up in her Z-flo nest, with a pretty new yellow bed covering wearing bunny slippers. We finished decking her out with a little bunny that is just the perfect size for her to snuggle with and that really awesome knitted hat that our friend Margaret made for her.

While we were visiting Sophia we got the good news that they were removing her catheter. She has been potty-ing really good and had been peeing around the cath a few days so today they removed it! Yippee! She also had her vent changed to something called a By-vent and she really seems to like it. Last night the nurse also got pacifiers out for Sophie to add positive stimulation and try and retain her sucking motions. Due to all of the tubes in their mouths early in life CDH babies can have a very hard time eating or having the desire to suck. The nurses say "they do allot of bad things to their mouths" i.e.the tubes so any positive stimulation is a good thing. I have helped do mouth care on Sophia, the nurse suctions her mouth and gets the really yummy goobers out and I have gotten to use a sponge on a stick to freshen up her mouth with a minty mouthwash solution. Afterwards I shine up her lips with some chapstick. I told Patrick that our little girl already wears more make-up then I do.

Her color is returning to a more normal color today as well. She had been a little yellow the past few day but she was not at a level that concerned the doctors and nurses. We keep teasing that she is on a baby tanning bed or that she just had a residual sun tan from beginning her life inside me when we vacationed in Mexico.

In all seriousness though she is doing well and the nurses love that she doesn't seem to mind much being gently moved around for evaluations. We have been told that some CDH babies really don't like being messed with. Every day we learn something new in the NICU and we are very grateful to be here with the kind and caring doctors and nurses that are taking care of her.

We are truley blessed ths Easter and Sophie, Patrick and I wish you all the very same.