This morning we had a special little blessing. Hannah was wide awake, content, and even smiled at her Mimi (Lori’s mom)! She is much more alert now and seems to be getting somewhat used to her situation. We were hoping to have the ventilator reduced to minimal effort this afternoon, but an x-ray of her left lung showed some fluid. This is happening because the left side of her heart, which is enlarged, is pressing against that lung. The possibility of a collapsed lung is very frightening, but we rebuke that in Jesus’ name! They increased the pressure of the breathing machine and tilted Hannah on her right side in order to keep that lung open. We are praying that the mucus will break up and the next x-ray will show improvement. We are so anxious to get her off the breathing machine. Without all those tubes, we will be able to pick Hannah up and hold her. What a wonderful Christmas gift that would be!
A few other blessings happened today: they removed the IV from her foot, they removed her catheter, and they increased the amount of formula she is being fed. We are thankful that she is more comfortable today than yesterday. We continue to expect God to do great things and are trusting Him completely, even when we hit bumps in the road.