"Our Little Miracle Boy is Having a Great Day"

I headed into the NICU around 1PM.  I dropped my stuff in Lincoln's room, and headed off to the pumping room to find a pump to take back.  On my way to the pumping room (on the opposite end of the NICU from Link's pod), I saw Dr. Eche sitting at the desk.  I stopped to say hello, and he greeted me with, "Our little miracle boy is having a great day!"  Now that's what I call a greeting!

Lincoln's infection had Dr. Eche concerned that the PDA would re-open, so he ordered another echo.  Today's echo showed that the PDA had remained closed and Link's heart looked good.  They also discovered that yesterday's pneumothorax (a pocket of air outside of the lungs, perhaps a small tear in his lung had leaked some air out) was gone.

Lincoln is on two antibiotics to get rid of his infection.  He apparently does not respond well enough to a two-day antibiotic, so he's on a seven-day antibiotic treatment.  That's fine, so long as he keeps getting healthier and growing to be big and strong.

It's amazing to me how down and scared and worried we were yesterday, and then today is such a great day.  It's so trite to say that the NICU experience is a roller-coaster, but I can't think of another way to describe it.  There is a little hesitation in the celebration, though, as I know tomorrow can be different.  We'll keep up our "cautious optimism" for now.

*Someone at work today was telling me about their experience with their preemie today.  I hear "other preemie" stories all the time now.  This one ended differently, however, and tragically.  This person's child was born at 25 weeks and after 13 weeks in the NICU, the baby didn't survive, nor did their marriage.  It definitely adds to the "cautious" part of cautious optimism.  I know there are dozens of success stories, but it is quite a reminder that no matter how confident and excited we get, the possibility is still there.  I just keep praying for my baby boy and hope our story is success.