Another bit of news!!

Amy has asked me to update the blog as there are still some internet problems at the RMH...its Amanda here (one of Amy's Calgary friends).  Both Amy and Shawn are so thankful for your continued prayers and support, and have a few pretty exciting things to update you on...

Today was another great day for their precious little Hope - she had a couple of her more invasive lines removed, her LA line (this measures the pressure within the heart) as well as her PD line (this drains fluid from her body).  Earlier in the day the staff had seen some blood pressure drops, but eventually determined that they had been due to faulty lines, and thankfully not Hope herself.  So, they moved forward with the plan, removed the lines, gave her another blood transfusion, and she's done very well.
There had been an idea to extubate her today, though the doctors felt that with all the progress, she had an already big day, and are now hopeful that tomorrow will be the day she can finally have her breathing tube out.  This would be such a blessing both for Hope and for her parents - finally able to see her beautiful face again!!

Hope is doing very well and getting stronger everyday...the power of prayer is so evident and so amazing!  They're already talking about having her transferred back to the NICU as soon as a bed becomes available!!

While the day did indeed have its wins, there were also some very real struggles for Amy - she awoke this morning with a raging mastitis (for the sake of all the men reading this, I won't get into too much detail), and "feeling like death".  Its excruciatingly painful, and even with starting antibiotics, it wasn't until this evening that she was rid of the fever and beginning to feel a bit better.  The infection and awful feeling kept her away from Hope all day, and she can't wait to get back to see her baby again.  Shawn also had very limited time with Hope today as the PICU had been closed to all visitors while another child was having some sort of procedure done.  It is clearly God's timing that Sadie returned home only a couple days ago, helping to relieve the awful feeling of being away from Hope for so long.

Please continue to pray for Shawn as he'll be working 1/2 days beginning tomorrow.  This will be difficult for him for sure, but a welcome change from all the waiting over the last while.  The office is about 20min away from the hospital, so please continue to pray against any problems that would make him have to rush over.

As for big sister Sadie, she is trying to adjust to being back in Edmonton again, and becoming more familiar with her new little sister.  She's been having a hard time sleeping, and a difficult time with all the changes in her life, so please pray that she'll soon feel more at home and secure.

Thank-you all so much for your continued prayers, please don't stop.  We all look forward to further updates on little Hope and her progress!