She is looking Good

This morning my Ashley looks so very good. She is responding to treatment quickly this time. We are so encouraged by the progrees she is making in fighting this round of infection. They have now taken her offf of the ventilator and she is breathing well with only 1 liter of oxygen support. She has had a very busy morning. They have also removed her catheter. Late yesterday evening they removed her art line. With every removal we are inching closer and closer to being allowed to hold our little one. What a blessing it will be for Blake and Allison to hold their baby sister for the first time in MONTHS! We are more than excited. I wish you could see her reaction each time one of them come into her room. Even while on the ventilator she gets so excited she looks like she might jump off of the bed. She kicks her little legs and waves her arms. She smiles and waves "Hello" to them repeatedly. She loves to grab their faces and pull them as close to her as she can. What a blessing it is to watch our three children play together.

There are many, many things going on with Ashley at this time. One of the cultures has actually grown out a mold. They are not sure if it is really in her lungs or if the smear has become contaminated. They have done the CT scan, and radiology seems to think it is postules of mold growing. The Infectious Disease team do not really agree, because when they look at the films they feel as though the areas of concern are to circular in shape. The ID team also believes that the quick response to treatment supports their opinion. If it were a mold growing in her lungs they say it would take weeks and weeks to respond. I don't know exactly what it is, but I do know that God knows. I am trusting Him to resolve the issue. At this point we are all agreeing that a lung biopsy is too aggressive. We will just continue to treat as we are and see if she continues to respond. They would like to do another CT scan early next week to see if things are changing. We have consented to this.

Things seem to moving in a positive direction this morning. Ash is quietly resting in her hot pink boppy pillow and she looks absolutely beautiful. She will get a really good bubble bath and a shampoo after she wakes up. Her daddy plans on giving her a little manicure, and then Allie is going to choose just the right pair of pink jammies for Ash to relax in. We are counting our many blessings this morning and as we count them our list includes all of you. You are the support system that makes it possible for me to feel strong. You are playing such a huge part of our Ashley's story. I can't say thank you enough for praying for my Ashley. Thank you for checking in on her today. We love you guys. Trish