Pink is a Lovely Color

Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The First Day of March
12 Days from my Wedding Anniversary
7 Days from Juliette's 4th Birthday
1 Day Closer to Cayleigh Coming Home


Today has been an uneventful day. Praise God! Nic and I called to check on Cayleigh a few times today. At 7 am I was told that Cayleigh's blood was drawn to check on her levels. They won't have the results until around 8 or 9 I'm told. Good news- she's been stable all night. 100% O2, good heartrate, nothing significant, she's doing well. I was half asleep so I really have no idea who it was I talked to. I imagine it was Cynthia (Cindy) because she was on when we got up there this afternoon. They work 12 hours shifts up there... those women who are like angels sent from the Lord to watch over, care for and (I hope) pray for our sweet babies when they are in the NICU.


We decide to head to the hospital around 2 so that we can be there at 3 and meet with Pastor John. He is the Pastor we talked to on Sunday who agreed to come up the hospital and pray over our sweet Cayleigh. Nic and I truly feel blessed having the Pastors, our family and our friends pray for our sweet girl. She is getting better because we've gathered together - across the United States - in prayer to lift this baby girl up and place her at the Lord's feet.

Along the way we are stopped because there is an accident on the side of the road. Nic says a prayer for the folks in the accident. I do too. Despite the accident, we make it up to the hospital at 3:07. He didn't speed, I'm amazed at the timing. We got there in time and, actually, before Pastor John. We walk to the security desk and the guard hands us passes - he recorgnizes us now. I don't know if that is heart warming or not ... but I'll take it. Less time between us walking in the door and getting to Cayleighs 'bed'.

We take the elevator, floor 2, head down the hall, to the camera/lock NICU doors and then sign in. Quick potty stop and we're off to Cayleighs side. We see 2 people standing by her crib - a very quick, short lived panic strikes me. Fear Not For I am With You. I shoot it down. We walk in and I notice it's Cindy (Cynthia, the long haired, blonde NICU nurse) and Jennifer (the Speech Therapist).

We say hello, use anti-bacterial sanitizer and stand by Cayleighs crib. I'm happy to see Jennifer is working with Cayleigh. Is she sucking? No, well not right now she isn't. That isn't to say that she hasn't sucked because she has just not right this minute she isn't. Oh, I thought I saw her sucking. Well, she is moving her tongue around and touching my finger. Her mouth moves when she moves her tongue. She shows me how her mouth moves and Cindy starts telling us we can do these oral therapy moves with her too. We do them, but its always nice to have refresher. Jennifer tells us that she is doing a good job. Nic asks her if Cayleigh clamped/bit down on her finger. Jennifer said that she did at first but then loosened up and hasn't done it since. It makes me feel good - we are improving!

Cayleighs color looks so good. She's that healthy, pink color that babies are supposed to be. I feel so good today. She is looking great. Cindy tells us her O2 has been 100 and her heartrate has been normal all day. She's doing terrific.

Dr Glasses comes in. He's got on his red vest like always - at first, it was how Nic and I deferentiated him from the other doctor. Their names are similiar. They both kinda look alike. Once, I told Nic he probably keeps his vest at the 'office'/hospital. Or he has a couple of them and just changes them out like Mr. Rogers.

While Jennifer is finishing up, I ask her if I can take a picture of her for Cayleighs blog. Absolutely. She says this without stopping her work. That's dedication.




Dr Glasses says hi to us. Cindy is at his side as he tells us, with a (no way, is that a....) smile on his face, that her color looks great. He tells us the infection has come down and we listen as if we weren't already aware of that. He then tells us that he won't be doing a spinal tap on her today. He says that because they have restarted the feedings (20 ml of mommy's breastmilk) he doesn't want to roll her up into the shape of the letter C and jab a needle into her spine. Okay, so he didn't put it that way but he says he doesn't want to do the spinal today. I look at him and tell him good, because we weren't going to. I don't think he hear me. He says to us "no, I decided not to". Nic speaks up. Actually, I didn't sign the consent form so you can't. Oh. Dr Glasses says, that's ok because they won't be doing it today. Nic and I look at each other. We're glad we didn't sign those papers. God IS healing her and that 4.2 will be ZERO (0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ) tomorrow. PTL (praise the Lord!)

I ask the Dr if I can take his picture for Cayleighs blog. "It'd be nice for people to see you". He sort of stiffens up, then leans forward and adjusts his hair. Nic laughs, I laugh. He calls Cindy to his side. She's my twin, he tells us. We look at each other. Cindy tells us they were born on the same day. Two years apart, Dr G says. I laugh inside. Sure Dr G, sure. They stand together and I tell Dr G I will tell everyone this is a picture of Dr G and his twin. So, here they are


:) While we're with Cayleigh today she is very alert, more alert I think than she ever has been. Her eyes are wide open. Nic and I sanitize our hands and put them through the little openings on the side of her crib. We pray over her. Lord thank you for her healing. Thank you for her blood count coming down and Lord we just ask that tomorrow it is at zero. Lord we pray for normal O2 stats, normal heartrate, normal sucking and swallowing, normal movements and normal everything over this precious baby girl. We thank Him over and over for the works He has already through her, His precious child. We talk to her. Daddy strokes her little hand. Then it starts. She winces up her little face as if to cry. She does this about 10 times and Nic tells Cindy. I wipe a tear from her right eye. Nic says to kiss it. I do. Cindy says she might not be comfortable and that she is going to turn off the IV in her foot and switch to the one in her left hand. The IV that was in her right hand last night is now out. A little piece of gauze is taped on in its place now. I stroke her sweet little hand and she looks at me. Nic asks if we have to leave while she switches them out. Cindy says no. Nic responds that the other nurses always ask us to leave. The nurse across the room, tending to another sweet baby, speaks up.

She tells us that Cindy is just switching IV, not putting one in. When they put an IV in a little baby like these its very stressful - and not just for the parents, but for the nurses. She tells us its especially hard when the baby is really sick because it almost never works on the first try. I hear myself thinking that's probably for the best.

Cindy is done switching the IV out and she takes Cayleigh in her hands and turns her on her right side. I ask her if this will cause her to have reflux, since she just got done being fed. She assures me that it won't. Actually, she says, turning her on her right side might even help her digest better. Fast Forward to 30 minutes ago when Nic checked on Cayleigh: No reflux, No Residuals. All is well. PTL!

Cindy moves on to another baby and Nic sees Pastor John at the door. He comes inside and you can see he feels for the babies in the room. He stands at the foot of Cayleighs little plastic bed and stares at her. He talks about how he's been reading her blog. How everyone is praying for her and that he's glad he could be here to pray for her today. He tells us it's amazing how far we've come through our journey and that God has done great works in this precious child. We all talk a bit, mostly all about Cayleigh and the Lord, and I have my forhead pressed against the plastic bed top, staring at my Cayleigh bug. She's looking at me too. I say that I don't think she can hear me. Pastor John points out the flappy parts of the crib where tubes go through and that there is hole areas there - and that she probably can hear us, it just sounds muffled like a seashell. It dawns on me - probably how she heard us in the womb! Nic starts talking (he's behind me to my right) and Cayleigh's eyes are drawn toward his voice. I shove Nic (ok, I may have hit him) excitedly and point it out. He talks to her and her little gaze remains his way. He starts talking to Pastor John again and she smiles. Then she makes the wince face. Scary looking, isn't he baby girl? Who me? Nic says that wasn't nice to say. I laugh.

Then, we all gather around our sweet Cayleigh and Pastor John begins to pray. He prays for her healing. The Father knows her, He created her, He knew her in my womb. We lift her up to Him, for healing, for His grace and continued progress in this sweet child. He prays for our family, our children, the doctors and nurses and for Nic and I. I am touched, deeply. We close prayer and I hear Cindy say "amen". It warms my heart.

We chat a bit more and Pastor John excuses himself. It's nearing 5 now. We thank him for coming and he says the girls in the office will be excited to hear about her progress. I ask him if he wants to take a picture of her to show them. He gets this look like "why hadn't I thought of that" and I laugh inside. He asks us to stand behind her crib and he snaps 2 shots. We say thank you, shake his hand and he leaves.

Nic and I are again at Cayleigh's crib and I begin to pray over her. Then, we just gaze at her as she sleeply begins to fall asleep....


Wince/Angry Face (she looks like daddy here)

Sweet baby girl, wide awake

My sweetheart

Prayer Request
Please pray for Cayleigh's blood level tomorrow to come back from 4.2 to 0
Please also lift up Cayleigh's eating - we pray that she begins to swallow! Swallow those secretions and begin to eat little one.
Please pray for strength, peace, patience, faith, love and for the Lord to carry Nic & I through this all (and our sweet girl)
Please pray for Cayleigh's doctors and nurses - for Him to give them wisdom in caring for her
Please pray for Cayleigh - that all levels and systems function totally normal and that she comes home SOON!

A word from our Father (and my Father-in-law) :)
Romans - 8:26-28
26 - And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God what’s us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words. 27 – And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28 – And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.