A New Hope...

There are few sounds that are more piercing than the scream of your child when you know she is uncomfortable and in pain. Friday evening and throughout Saturday, it was this scream that haunted me. Hope wanted nothing more than to get the nasal prongs and ventilator apparatus off of her, and would expend great amounts of energy screaming and whacking the device with her forearm. While we found it encouraging that the nurses applauded her increased pep, it was rather obvious to all that she was not happy. Compound that with the staph infection and you have a double-yuck for our "snuggle pumpkin."

However, as we've mentioned numerous times before, things change quickly in the NICU. Yesterday evening when we called before we went to bed, Hope was having a fit and the doctor on duty decided to give her a try back on the nasal cannula. When we called to check on her this morning Nurse Kim said that she was "loving life." The anitbiotics seem to be doing the trick on the staph infection and when we visited with Hope today she was on room air with the nasal cannula at 1.5 L, pretty much where she was before she got sick. What was even better is that Dad got to hold Hope for over an hour, a new holding record for her. While in Daddy's arms, Hope emitted a low rumbling groan and immediately afterwards a foul odor. Yup. I should mention that her digestive system is working just fine these days too :).

While Thursday and Friday had a Darth Vaderish feel late Saturday into Sunday ushered in a new hope.
"Who is this goofy guy?" Baby Hope thinks to herself as she looks up at her dad.