7/11/06 Yipee...No Leaks!

Baby Burke has had some very exciting and positive happenings over the past 2 days! On Moday the 10th, he had his esophogram. A radiologist put a dye contrast down his esophagus to test for any leaks in the repair that the surgeon did 2 weeks ago. Nate and I anxiously watched the procedure (it was intense...we think Burke handled it better than we did)! We received the great news that his esophagus has healed well and is not leaking fluid out into his lungs or abdomen!! The esophagus remains small so there is some pooling of fluid that causes him to gag a bit but the surgeon seems to think this will go away with time. Since then, his chest tube was removed and he was weaned completely off the ventilator! He is such a trooper! He is now breathing well on his own without support (he just gets a little oxygen (the concentration of room air) through a nasal canula in his nose)! He looks much better without all that sticky tape on his face! He has a NG tube (feeding tube) that goes from his nose to his tummy. He started getting more of my breastmilk today through the tube so this will help him get stronger. He is already very fiesty and tried to literally stand up in his crib today when he got upset...I didn't think a 33 wk old baby could be so strong! He has a sweet little cry...it's a bit hoarse from the ventilator tube being near his vocal cords but it is the sweetest sound we've ever heard....we LOVE to hear our baby boy cry! :) Now that we can see his face a little better, we've decided he looks even more like his daddy and even has his handsome dimples!

Nate and I are back in the parent apartments here in Tacoma until Saturday. The doctors are already discussing the option of moving Burke to Children's Hospital in Seattle sometime soon (this could be days to weeks as "time" has it's own meaning here in the NICU). We are thankful to be so close now that Burke is more awake and active....we hope to be able to hold him tomorrow if all goes well!

Please continue to pray that he gets stronger and that his breathing is maintained without the need for more support. Praise that his esophagus is healing and that he started feeding today. Our little boy is such a miracle!

Thank you for your support and love....we are so grateful! Lots to come in the next few days...we'll keep you posted!