The Common Cold

All the hand washing, avoiding sick people and not letting strangers touch Hope did not work.  She was tested and it is confirmed that Hope has a cold.  Some of you may test positive right now and still feel pretty good.  Hope's body simply doesn't handle the little things, that's why we try so hard to keep her healthy.  They don't believe that she causes a risk to others as she is not coughing or sneezing and has no way to spread her germs.  Regardless, she remains in isolation for the weekend.

Hope has not tolerated her feeds today and has been taken off formula and put on Pedialite.  This will give her tummy time to settle before they try giving her formula again in the morning.  Her belly measured at 47cm today.  That was disappointing, but understandable if her tummy isn't feeling well.  I'm hoping it will be down tomorrow and that she'll be able to kick this quickly.  It's better for her to have it now and not closer to her surgery.  

It does cause some problems with her MRI though.  Until her stuffy nose is gone, we won't be able to find an anesthetist that will work on her.  Probably because they are smart and cautious, for which we are thankful for!  For us, it simply means we might have to stay here longer than we'd liked.  We're looking forward to having Hope out of the hospital and it's more difficult to get through the days when you know you'll be leaving soon.  We're hoping that she'll be able to have the MRI on Monday or Tuesday, but nothing will be booked until she's over the cold symptoms.

Abbey (our friend from Hawaii), spent the day at the hospital with Hope after a sleepover with her!  I was able to wake up with Sadie and spend the day with her.  Shawn came home (RMH) later in the day so I could get back to the hospital as we needed to get set up with oxygen, talk with the doctors about Hope's care and figure out what the plans for her were.  I'm usually ok to discuss Hope's care on the phone with Shawn, but some days I get extremely overwhelmed and need him with me to advocate for her.  

Sadie and I had a pretty good day at the Ronald McDonald House.  They had a fall party for the kids that was very well done.  She got her face painted, some balloon animals made and even made a trip to the magic room!  Ronald McDonald showed up later and did a magic show for the kids.  What an awesome place the RMH is.  They work so hard to make it a fun environment for the kids and it is such a blessing for the parents.  We are truly thankful that this place exists and look forward to volunteering sometime in the future.  

Please pray that Hope recovers quickly and can start eating again soon!  We're enjoying the good sleep in our private room in the meantime!