Our 2nd 4th in the Hospital

Not much new to report today. The new formula went well, and she pooped this morning. The doctor wants her to be a "daily pooper," which she usually is, but they may send us home with some kind of laxative to use on an as-needed basis so that we keep things moving along. (I believe that getting stopped up can lead to vomiting and other issues.) She gained weight last night, but I wouldn't be surprised if she loses some tonight. Overall, we seem to be up a few ounces, so we are moving in the right direction, and that indicates that she is benefiting from the increased calories. They've put in a formal consult with endocrine. I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I've been trying to get endo to take another look at her while we are here (instead of at our scheduled appointment next month) because it seems like when looking at growth, GI and should tag team, because part of the issue is calories in/calories out and digestion, but the other half of it is hormonal. The new attending agrees, so we should see someone from endocrinology tomorrow or Tuesday (probably Tuesday). We are also waiting on the emptying test I mentioned (probably Tuesday) and to meet with the G-tube/ostomy nurse (also Tuesday) to learn more about a G-tube. I think part of our hesitation is that it's just kind of weird to put a tube in your child that gives direct access to her stomach. Honestly, I think it kind of grosses John out. (It tends to take more than that to gross me out!) We'll continue the overnight feeds for another two nights, which will give us a full week's worth of measurements to analyze her trends. Assuming everything gets done, we'll likely go home late on Tuesday with the n-g tube and a pump and continue overnight feeds while we make a decision about the surgery. You can be on an n-g tube for several weeks and even months, so that way we won't have to rush and can schedule surgery for a convenient time (as if there is actually a convenient time for surgery, right?) while she still gets the nutrition she needs.

But enough about that.

We did have some fun visitors today! Downtown Millie Brown (Becca's first nurse ever and seamstress extraordinairre) checked in on us, and "Pammy" came and played with Becca so that I could hike down to Franklin and hear John's first sermon at the new church and shake a few hands. (He did very well, I thought!) He and I also grabbed a quick lunch together so that we could try to talk about things without Becca. I was wonderful, even though all we talked about was our home warranty and the plumbing issue that it won't cover (ugh) and medical stuff. When we got back, we heard that one of our favorite doctors of all time, Dr. Weitkamp, had stopped by to see Becca, and he was able to come back by when we paged him. He was Becca's first attending in the NICU, and he took care of her for her first - crucial - 6 weeks. And then (I told you it was a fun day!), two of our favorite nurses, Leigh and Mary Emily came by! Leigh was one of our primary nurses and Mary Emily was often close by (and is hilarious, by the way). It was fun to see them and catch up briefly before they had to go back to saving sick babies.

How about some cuteness? Becca has found a favorite spot to play in our room. The back of the couch/pull-out "bed" is a cabinet, so it's got a flat top to climb up on. It's flush with the windowsill, which is actually about 6 inches lower, so together they form a little seat and play table for her. Here she is playing with Noah and his ark. So cozy and cute!

All in all, a good day. Rumor has it that the 8th floor has a great view of the fireworks, so we're going to check them out later. Should be fun!