Brrrr...Its Cold!!

Ash and I woke up at a bright and early 5:45 (o.k. it wasn't really bright yet) and it was only 21 degrees here in Omaha. Yikes!! We need to go and get some winter coats if we plan on staying here much longer.

Ashley woke up grunting and reaching for her brother and sister this morning. I picked her up and walked her over to their picture and she began to coo and wave. She was so cute! We spent about 30 minutes "loving" on Blake and Allie this morning as she waved and patted one then the other repeatedly. I am so thankful she is not forgetting who they are. She loves them both so very much and I know she misses them greatly.

Morning rounds are over and the news we had hoped for about our big move upstairs was a little disappointing. She was all scheduled and packed to go, but unfortunately Ashley picked up a little something over night. She is sneezing, snotting, and coughing this morning which is makeing it difficult for her to breathe. Not good news. They are suspecting either RSV or influenza. Neither of these two options sound very appealing to me. Ash will be poked, swabbed, tested, and anything else they can think of today which in turn will make her very grumpy. My heart breaks at the thought of all the needles coming back out. One of the complications that transplant patients face is that they no longer have an immune system strong enough to fight off even the smallest of bugs. Any type of sickness can become very dangerous very quickly especially in Ash because she is so tiny. She has lost back down to around 14lbs. so she is still just a tiny "pickle". Ashley is back in an isolation setting until we can figure out exactly what bug she is fighting. Please pray for our Ashley to recover from this set back as quick as she can so we can move on up to the next floor. Aunt Toni reminded me this morning that there has to be a reason for this as well. Maybe we were meant to stay in the PICU for a while longer. Perhaps He is protecting her from something bigger. This is what we have decided to believe today rather than feeling disappointed. This is just a really dangerous time of year to be a sick little one, but He is still in control.

We are still counting it all Joy this morning because in the big picture I think Ash is doing well. We have avoided the OR, and we are showing no signs of rejection. Her color is so beautiful and this morning I have branched out a little and shocked everyone with Ashley's wardrobe. She is actually wearing lavender. I thought the docs were going to pass out when they came in this morning. They said they didn't recognize her because she wasn't wearing pink. Of course she is sporting a very large white bow and she looks gorgeous. I can't wait for Dave to come visit so we can share some of her latest pictures with you all. Well I should be returning to our little corner of the PICU about now. I can see the "bad guys" with the needle cart lurking around our door. Thanks for checking in on Ashley's story today. We love and appreciated you guys so very much. Have a wonderful day. Trish