03.22.09 Visit

Christian received a new blanket today- it had duckies on it! Soo cute! We got to see him right around 1:00pm. Corinne came with us today, and did a great job being patient while mommy and daddy spent time with Christian. She made him a special present and delivered a four-leaf clover to him that she had found in our backyard. We delivered his monkey and two of his blankets to try to create a less "clinical" feeling in his incubator.

Today was a monumental day for us in terms of Christian's progress; the doctors were planning to take out his respirator to see if he can survive breathing on his own. The doctors told us that there is a chance that they may need to re-insert the tube if he cannot sustain his own breathing, but we know our little boy is a fighter and will do everything he can to breathe all on his own. It is incredible to think that this little one is capable of something so "grown up" already. We were most fearful about his lung development when we thought Michelle was going to deliver early, and this would put many of those concerns to rest. He has been undergoing caffeine treatments to stimulate his senses. The doctors tell us that he has been doing most of the breathing on his own since the day he was born and that the respirator has been running on its lowest setting. Christian has been breathing about 40 of his own breaths to about 12 of the machine.

Our friend Sarah came to visit us at the hospital with her husband, Bobby, and her two children, Trey and Elizabeth! Her children are adorable!!! She brought us a wonderful gift and she has been an excellent source of support and a great friend through this process. We really look forward to spending time with her and her family once things settle down for us. Michelle knows Sarah from the time they spent together in Kuwait in high school.

We checked on christian at about 8:30pm and he is still breathing on his own without the respirator. The procedure was a success! We had a chance to see him right after it had been performed and it was incredible to see him breathing all on his own. He is growing so much already! We can really start to see his facial features becoming more defined. He is such a strong little guy and our testament to God's miracles. We are so happy that he is doing well and we will see him again tomorrow.