Last Day

Today will be our last day with Dave and Blake. They will fly out early in the morning. Grandma left this morning in order to arrive in Dallas in time to see Allison cheer at her competition this afternoon. We have so enjoyed our visit. It amazes me to see how much Blake has matured and grown over the past 6 weeks. He is such a great guy and I really love hanging out with him. His laugh is contagious and it brings me so much joy to hear. Today we will try to make the most of our time together. Last night I laughed as he looked at the clock and rolled over to go to sleep. "Two nights in a row past midnight is just too much for me. Goodnight." I was shocked! This schedule of traveling and staying up late is catching up with him. He was snoring in minutes. I am afraid he may have caught a cold while hanging out up here in the hospital. He will have to wear a mask in Ash's room today. The kids really hate it when they have to do that.

We have asked the kids if they would like to join our family in Oklahoma for the Thanksgiving holiday or if they would like to come to Omaha. They are having a tough time deciding what to do. I know they feel torn between feeling a loyalty to me and to Ash and doing what is probably a lot more fun than hanging out in a hospital room. I hate that a decision like this has to be made. I would love for us all to be together in our home for the holiday, but this is not where we are at this point in our lives. Dave and I looked at each other last night and decided we are reallly feeling old. If you could see the wrinkles I have acquired over the last month you would probably not recognize me. A lack of sleep and a high level of stress can really begin to show. Dave had a hard time realizing I was me. Oh' well. Someday Ash and I will move home and maybe the aging process will slow back down.

Ash is still the same today as yesterday. Things have not really changed for her. She is still on some fairly high vent settings and she is stooling more than double her allotted amount. I am feeling frustrated for her as she fights to remove herself from the ventilator. My prayer is that she might begin to make some progress by tomorrow so we can move forward. The amount of fluid on her tiny body is scary. This morning the surgeon sunk his finger into her side at least 1/2 inch deep. He said it has to do with the level of albumin dropping and the fluid transferring from her veins into her tissues. Whatever it is I pray that it will change soon for her. Most of our little friends on the floor are doing very well. Skyler, Chloe, and Davian look really good today. I am thankful for their mommies. I have spoken to all of them and they too faithfully pray for our Ashley to improve. I know that she will. We have just gone through a tough time over the last week. Thank you all for remebering us in your prayers. We love you guys and will post more later. Take care.