Blessings!!!

So this week last year was the week Jimmie crashed in the NICU. It was the first day Rachael had left the NICU. She came to the studio and taught a dance class. Shortly after she got back, (Thank God she was back), Jimmie had just finished up with a blood transfusion and suddenly he screamed in pain and then turned blue. His sats plummeted and Rach and mom (who was there visiting) were pushed out of the room while doctors and nurses rushed in to work over Jimmie. They had to bag him and then re-intubate him as he was not on the ventilator. While they were intubating him they saw blood pooling in his trachea area. The medical staff worked over him constantly for hours. Justin, Rod, Kathy, Dad and I all rushed to the hospital from work and kept vigil. There was lots of praying! I was begging for Jimmie's life. He had done so extraordinary up to this event.

I saw two of the medical staff in tears over Jimmie. They cared for him and our family so much.

It was thought that Jimmie was having a pulmonary bleed, but as the long night progressed and Jimmie kept bleeding it was noted that though they continued to suction out bright red blood- his lung function was not getting worse. He was more critical then he had ever been. He was not breathing on his own at all and the ventilator and oxygen were on higher settings than they had ever been for Jimmie. He also had to be sedated in order to hold his sats steady. But-- he was not getting worse. By morning Jimmie's doctors were starting to consider that the bleeding was originating from somewhere less serious than the lungs. His nasal passages were the best guess.

Rachael and Justin stayed by Jimmie's side all night long. In fact Rachael was probably up for 40 hours straight. The morning after was St. Patrick's Day. Justin remembered that yesterday. Rachael recalled to me (her favorite nurse Carolyn) made her leave the NICU in the late morning and take a walk around the hospital because it was a beautiful spring day.

Fast forward to this week and Jimmie has come SO FAR!! You guys won't believe what Jimmie is doing . . . HE IS DRINKING LIQUIDS!!!! We are so thrilled. Tuesday he took a total of 260mls by mouth and yesterday over 300mls. Ideally he needs to at least double that, but this is such an improvement. He is also eating like a horse and happily. And ANd AND- his nutritionist came yesterday and he has gained 7 ounces despite being sick and is almost 15 pounds! He's 14lbs 13ozs! All this with only 2 or 3 tube feeds in a 24 hour period!

Praise God! Go Jimmie go!

Here are some cute pictures Uncle Nate took the other day.






This is Rachael... around Jimmie's age... (That's for you Aunt Leanne!)






This is for Aunt Leanne too! (-: (Don't kill me)

Aunt Leanne and Rachael . . .






Love,
Amber