Happy Thursday!

Good morning!  I hope everyone has a great day today!  It has been a while since you have gotten your update on Miss Ella.  I know that everyone has been anxiously awaiting a surgery date.  We all really thought it would be this week.  However, it seems as though the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) is filled to capacity and, since Ella is not a critical patient, they are holding off on her surgery.  At Children's Mercy, cardiac babies go to the PICU for recovery and not back to the NICU.  So, Ella needs for all of the kiddo's in the PICU to get better so she can have her turn!  The new hope is for next week.

In the meantime, Ella has started Occupational Therapy.  They are working with her to help her eat from a bottle.  When I was there last week, the nurse had indicated that the OT department is awesome and they would have her eating like a champ in no time.  Boy, who knew!  As Abbey stated in her last blog, Ella was eating 5 mLs, once a day, from a bottle.  Yesterday, she ate 25 mLs from a bottle for Abbey!!  They have now up'd her feeds to twice a day from a bottle.  Of course, whatever she does not get from her bottle, she is still getting from her tube.  Still, this is a HUGE deal for Ella!  Other than that, nothing else really to report.  She is eating and gaining weight.  The two things the cardiology team wants her to do! 

This will probably be the last post for the week.  Abbey will be heading home for the weekend so, hopefully we will have an update on Monday with a surgery date!  Everyone have a great weekend and stay warm!!!

Prayer Request:
Please pray that we see continued improvements with Ella.  Pray that she continues to gain weight and continues to get stronger for her surgery.  Please also pray that she get's her "turn" soon.  Also, please pray that for my sister and Wyatt and their family as they continue to try to keep life as uninterrupted as possible for the boys. 

Also, please continue to keep all of the babies in the NICU in your thoughts and prayers.  There are so many cases where the little one's have been there way too long.  Pray that they, too, get their chance to head home soon.