We spoke too soon

Shortly after bragging on Clara's progress, the big steps she took late last week proved to be too much, too soon. On Friday, Clara lost weight, wasn't eating, and her oxygen saturation rate dropped. Early Saturday morning the doctors were forced to reinsert her feeding tube. This stopped Clara's weight loss but she still experienced a few sustained drops in her oxygen saturation which required stimulation to get her breathing correctly.

We aren't knowledgeable enough to know what this means. Like so many things in the NICU, the panoply of options is too vast to pinpoint an exact outcome. The best case scenario is that these latest episodes simply delay Clara's much anticipated homecoming. The worst case scenario is not readily available. A more likely option is that Clara won't come home in the next week or two (like we thought she would last week). When she does come home, Clara will likely require some sort of special apparatus or medication - whether it is a heart rate monitor, oxygen tank, breathing treatments, or simply orally administered diuretics - for her first few weeks/months away from the hospital. Clara had blood work and labs drawn today (as opposed to Monday) and we might have some more answers tomorrow.

From her unexpected delivery to testing positive for MRSA, Clara keeps us on our toes. However, regardless of what she encounters, Clara never stops fighting. Her strength makes it easier for us to stay optimistic. (She gets it from her mother . . . but you already knew that) 

On the other hand, we think Wilson is enjoying his first week away from the hospital. It is kind of like Wilson left home (the hospital) for college (our house) and is taking full advantage of his first taste of freedom. He doesn't care if he sleeps during the day and parties all night. He will drink too much out of a bottle before passing out and isn't a big fan of cleaning up after himself. In one week Wilson has pulled more all-nighters and puked more than most first semester freshman. He seems pretty content, but his roommates look forward to getting him on a more normal schedule.

We also found out at a doctor's appointment on Friday that Wilson' ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity is a condition which can result in blindness for preemies - Stevie Wonder was a preemie and lost his eyesight because of ROP) is self-correcting and has been downgraded to Level 1.  We were very concerned about Wilson's ROP and thrilled to find out it was getting better. This truly is GREAT news. Hopefully Clara will follow suit and her ROP will self-correct as well.  

Lastly, we want to take a moment to remember the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks and thank the many men and women whose continued daily sacrifices keep us safe. On a personal level, we want to thank Captain David McGarvey (now "Uncle Dave") for his bravery and service. We have told most of our friends about the incredible work Dave does for our military, but probably haven't told him directly how proud we are of his dedication and accomplishments. Uncle Dave left in August for his fourth combat deployment without having the opportunity to meet Clara and Wilson. Dave, hopefully you have time to read this in your part of the world. Please know we are proud of you, we love you, and we can't wait for you to meet the kids when you get back.  

Dave sent us a diaper bag made from one of his uniforms.
We did everything we could to get Wilson to salute . . . this is as close as we got.