Happy 1 Week Birthday Jordan!

Jordan is 1 week old and hanging in there.  Overall, today has been a very good day.  Jordan has barely received any blood, which is very surprising for a baby on ECMO.  They are still taking blood samples to test his blood gas.  His saturations and hemoglobin all look good.  The ECMO technician said he is making her job boring - which is good news to a parent!  Now that Jordan is on ECMO, he always has a NICU level 3 nurse watching him and an ECMO technician - 24 hours a day.

Jordan - 1 Week Old

As you may be able tell from the picture above, Jordan has swelled a little.  Again, this is expected due to the inflammation of fighting the equipment.  He may be eligible in a few days to receive a stimulant that will help him shed some of the extra fluids.

You may also notice that Jordan is opening his eyes.  He looked right at us today - including his big brother Caleb.  We're not sure who liked that more, Caleb or daddy.  Big brother Caleb blew him a kiss goodbye today and told Jordan to get better.  He understands what is happening.  Jordan also opened his mouth and licked the tubes, his lips and the Q-tip while we were giving him oral care.  It was very cute.  Grandma really liked seeing him open his mouth and stick out his little tongue.

It may sound strange to say, but today we started to feel more comfortable.  We are starting to settle in at the Ronald McDonald house and get on a routine - as much as we can with everything going on.  Caleb and Grandma walked with us to the hospital today.  We are starting to time the shuttles well so that we can have a ride back and forth without paying parking fees.  The terms that are thrown around by the medical staff  are becoming more familiar.  We are so proud of Jordan and wish we could take this away for him.   But, we love him and thank God for him.  He was wonderfully and beautifully made - we believe he can pull through this.