Emma's ready for Thanksgiving

Emma's agenda for Thanksgiving is just like everyone else's:
1. eat
2. gain weight
3. nap

A bout of pneumonia in the past couple of weeks means Emma has to make up for some lost ground. She had been hovering around the 2 lb. mark but the pneumonia--which included one of her lungs being collapsed for a while--made it necessary to lay off on her feeding, which of course put a stop to her growth progress. Di reports that she's basically back to normal now and that she'll soon be able to go back to her regular ventilator. (She had to be put on a higher frequency vent while her lungs were recovering.) And after that switch is made, they'll look to put her on a CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) breathing device, which involves tubes up the nose instead of a tube down the throat. (Note to any respiratory therapists reading this: No, I don't really know what I'm talking about. Feel free to correct me.) John said they did a practice run of installing the CPAP and the tubing does indeed fit Emma, so it's just a matter of her having some stable days before they continue to liberate her from the more active breathing intervention.

The physical trait that's easiest to quantify in babies like Emma is weight, and her parents and docs are hoping she'll start put on pounds (or even ounces) faster. Because Emma's at a whiz-bang academic medical center, she has access to geneticists who are able to run tests to rule out any genetic quirks that could be affecting her ability to grow. So far they haven't come up with anything, but some more tests over the next 6 weeks may (or may not) suggest new things to try to get our little girl looking more like a Butterball.

So in Emma's honor, this Thanksgiving, have an extra helping of stuffing and an extra piece of pumpkin pie. Say yes to cranberry sauce and gravy. Let's all set a good example for the littlest pilgrim in our midst. Bon appetit!