So it has been a few days since I last blogged so I thought I would get one in before the weekend started and the mad rush to get things done around the house begins. This weekend is Christmas shopping time for the Elley's, so I am sure the weekend will be gone before I know it.

Reid has had a rough couple of days and has been requiring much more oxygen (and much more attention) to keep his saturations up. The doctors are not quite sure of what is causing it, but after a couple of xrays and echo's, they have noticed that his lungs are not in good shape (maybe even worse???) and to top it off, he has pulmonary hypertension (PPHN). The dilemma we are facing is that to help with the PPHN, they have to increase his oxygen levels. The downside of this is that the high oxygen levels are the driving force into what is causing Reid's eye issues. Right now though, his eyes are the lesser of the two evils --- one has to give.

Nonetheless, we are still hoping that Reid is transported to Egleston on Sunday. With the PPHN, there may be some slight issues and cause the doctors to delay the surgery. However, Reid's oxygen requirements have been elevated for the past few days and with still a few more days until surgery, we are hoping that it will pay off and reduce his levels of PPHN. Monday should be an interesting day... First things first, the eye specialist will check Reid over to see how his eyes are progressing. Dr. Metcalf said that if he needs laser surgery, that this is something that they would do right away (possibly even before the hernia surgery). Also, since he will be at a specialist children's hospital, he will have a team of specialist do some further tests (heart, lungs, etc) to see if they see anything that hasn't already been discovered. We think that Dr. Metcalf is the best thing since sliced bread and wouldn't trade him for anything, but it will be nice to have a second set of eyes looking at Reid. If all goes well, we are hoping that Reid will have surgery on Tuesday for his hernia (and hopefully his circumcision as well). He will be intubated for these procedures, so the sooner they can then get him off of the vent, the sooner he can come home. I think in the best case scenario, we are looking at least 4 or 5 days. With the hospital being downtown at Emory, it is not going to be an easy 10-15 minute drive anymore. :(

Today, I went into the NICU about 2:30 and was able to bottle feed Reid for the first time. It is fun to watch him suck on the bottle and watch him coordinate his breathing and swallowing. He would take a few sips of his milk, swallow, take a series of quick breaths and then start the whole cycle over again. This may not sound like a big deal, but for babies on CPAP, this is an incredible task. Between what I described and having a high volume of pressured air/oxygen being forced up his nose, it is no simple task. I mean, sometimes Kristen can't even walk and chew gum at the same time (like last night)... let alone try something like this. :)

Anyway, we aren't expecting to know anything more until Sunday when we get a confirmation that the transport team will be coming to pick him up. Obviously, other children with more critical situations will take precedence over Reid, so we will be at the mercy of God as to when Reid gets his first trip out into the real world. Keep saying your prayers and I will update again on Sunday. Hope everyone has a good weekend!