Stable Mable

Websters Dictionary defines Stability as the "quality, state, or degree of being stable".  I define it (as it pertains to our life right now) as no longer riding a minute-by-minute roller coaster, no longer crying multiple times per day, looking at Elora with hopeful eyes and seeing her growing and thriving in the way a little newborn should, not panicking every time the phone rings and it's the doctor giving the daily update, and most of all just being able to breathe.

We are pleased to say that Elora has had the most stable week since being born. It is literally like we are looking at a new baby. She is now 2 lb, 5 oz and 13.75 inches long (she was 1 lb 7 oz and 12.5 inches at birth).  She is getting some "meat" on her little body and we see a little bit of chubbiness forming on her cheeks.

She is no longer on a ventilator, but instead is on a lesser intense support that sends "reminder" breathes into her lungs, but mostly she is breathing on her own. Her milk intake continues to increase and pretty soon she will completely be off of her IV which was once her solo source of nutrition. Thanks to the Lord's healing in her body, her digestive system is working as it should and she has multiple dirty diapers a day!

This week we heard Elora cry for the first time.  It is the sweetest little squeak of a cry. When she was on the ventilator, the tube ran in front of her vocal cords, so we were never able to hear her cry. I know it sounds a bit odd - but I honestly love hearing her cry.

This week we also got to see her whole face for the first time.  Since she's been born, she has always had some sort of tubes coming from her nose or mouth & a lot of tape keeping them in place.  Although her current breathing support covers a lot of her face, tonight the nurse removed it for a few seconds so that we could take a look at her whole face.  Although it was quick, we got to see her!! She looks just like Peter...but with nice full lips like her mama (at least she inherited something of mine!).

Things are stable.  At least for now - and we are so grateful.  Now she is feeling a lot more like a normal baby in terms of just eating-sleeping-pooping-eating-sleeping-pooping.  And we couldn't be more pleased :)

PRAYER REQUEST: Tomorrow Elora has her first eye exam. Please pray that all goes well and that her little eyes would mature and be as healthy as possible.  She will see a specialist from now until even after she comes home from the hospital.  (The retinas of the eye are one of the very last things to develop in the womb...so you can imagine how immature hers are considering she was born 11 weeks early.  Preemies are susceptible to eye issues, so they are monitored very carefully).