Ella's blood sugars have continued to be stable and she did gain weight last night, but we need her to gain more. Pray that the sugars continue to be stable and she gains weight. Also, we need favor with the surgeon so the braviac can be removed early on Monday and then we can head south....YES!!

Here are a couple of smiley pictures of the big girl...sorry the photography isn't the best but I was holding her and taking her pic at the same time : )

Monday, here we come

Our big girl is 4 pounds 9 ounces (2071 grams), but she needs to get bigger and we are hoping she gains lots of weight this weekend.

Dr. DeYoung has spoken with a specialist that thinks Ella might have an issue with her storage of glucose, which is causing the low blood sugar. They are going to draw blood for a test that will be sent off to Baylor and should return in about a week. The treatment for the glucose storage issue (not the technical name...hahaha)is cornstarch and if that doesn't balance the sugars then the other options aren't as easy. This issue is actually something that Ella was born with and has nothing to do with her prematurity, and I am calling it a blessing that she was here and they were able to find the problem. This is something that she will live with for the rest of her life, but it is very managable.

If Ella's sugar levels continue to balance over the weekend then they will remove the broviac on Monday and send us south Monday or Tuesday. I'm trying not to get too excited about leaving since we still have to make it through the weekend, but we serve a big God that didn't forget where we are and knows Ella by name.

Pray for the cornstarch to continue working and infection to stay away.

Big girl

Ella has been doing well on the cornstarch, with only a couple of low sugar levels. They have removed the dextrose from her IV fluids and we are praying that her levels stay stable over the weekend. If all goes well, they will remove the broviac next week and the rest is history...at least our time in San Antonio will be history...YIPEE!!

Pray for Ella's tummy, because the extra calories and cornstarch make it upset at times and she doesn't sleep very well. Her upset stomach is another example of how the NICU is a double edged sword...she needs the cornstarch to regulate her blood sugar, but the extra calories in the milk make her stomach upset. Our big girl is now at the point where she wants to be entertained and isn't happy just lying in her bed. I know that she will thrive when she gets home and gets on her own schedule and has a whole house at her disposal instead of just a bed.

Cornstarch revisited

They have started Ella on cornstarch again (if you are a follower of the blog then you remember the cornstarch issue in Dec) to help regulate her blood sugars. Last time they had Ella on cornstarch her tummy couldn't handle it, but this time she is 4 poounds instead of two and also taking all her feeds from a bottle so she is regulating how much she takes. Pray, pray, pray that this clears up the blood sugars because everyone is ready(I'm sure even you guys) for this issue to be finished. Also, pray for her tummy, that she is able to handle the cornstarch along with the extra calories that she needs because she has been losing weight without the extra help.

We are soooo ready to have this problem resolved so we can go home, but we also want our girl to be well! God has an amazing plan for Ella and if we stop and look back, we can see how she has changed lives already - I will be the first in line to say I am changed for the better. I have been preaching to myself lately that the end is near, but I don't need to forget everything God has done for us, and remember that He didn't forget where we are...He knows our circumstances even if we are far from home.

Many faces of Ella

Here are a few of Ella's funny faces, thought you guys might enjoy. This week has been tough for us, Ella was having tummy issues and she wasn't sleeping more than 4 hours in a 24 hour period...this made for a very emotional mommy. Combined with the drama of not finding out what is wrong with her blood sugar levels, which are keeping us here, her not sleeping and tummy issues were very stressful.

Pray for her tummy because they are going to start her on cornstarch again because they are at the end of their rope in regards to her blood sugars. Last time they added cornstarch to her milk she had stomach issues and they stopped her feedings all together, but she was much smaller then so we are hoping it doesn't have the same effect.

Weekend Cometh

Ella's tummy is doing much better (thank you, Jesus!) on the lower calorie food and she got a little sleep today, but I know she will thrive at home.(I'd get bored too if all I did was lay in my bed) The tests came back today, but the specialist didn't get back with Dr. DeYoung so that means we won't find out until Monday. At the hospital, the weekend means coasting so we will have to wait until Monday to find out when we are going home.

Pray, Pray, Pray that the new specialist can find out what is happening with Ella's blood sugar and we can go home soon. Our poor little girl's heals are all marked up from the blood sugar checks that they do every 3 hours...my only comfort is that she will not remember this part even if she has the scars.

Tough Day

Our girl is even bigger today, 4 pounds 7 ounces (2018 grams), but her tummy is full of gas from the high calorie milk and it makes her very cranky. Because of her tummy issues, Ella didn't want to eat today so they lowered the calories but it still takes time for her to get the air out. I didn't leave her today, because all she did was cry...she wouldn't sleep and barely ate. I'm sure all of you that are parents understand what I was going through today...not a good feeling when you can't fix what is hurting them.

The growth hormones don't seem to be working on her blood sugar levels so now they are trying other tests.