The Search Continues...

Reagan had to undergo surgery today to get a biopsy of her intestinal lining. The procedure had to be done under general anesthesia, and took about 45 minutes. We were very relieved when it was over. The biopsy will hopefully give us some answers as to why she is having trouble passing stool. We will hopefully get the results back in a few days. Renna is doing great at home and we have had less issues with the monitor. We will be taking her into our pediatrician tomorrow for her first check-up. It will be our first trip out of the house with her since the ride home. I will be acting as the chauffeur and Mendy will be acting as the EMT. We'll have all sorts of monitors and O2 tanks on board, of course, and hopefully will have a fairly uneventful trip. Both of our mothers have been helping us out around the house, which has been great. I must admit that grandmothers are awesome at just about everything. Our house is cleaner, the meals are delicious, and even the clean laundry smells better when grandma does it. I would like to hire them both on as full time assistants, but I'm not sure that we will be able to afford it after the hospital has their way with us. Thanks to everyone for the thoughts and prayers.

One down, one to go!

Reagan with her lovely IV catheter in her head.

Renna asleep at home in her swing.

Renna ready for the ride home!

We are very pleased to say that Reagan had a bowel movement on Friday and quickly went through four diapers at one sitting. Since that time, however, she has not been able to go again, and the Nurses start to get worried after about 24 hours with no BM. Her belly has also started to get distended again and she hasn't responded to two suppositories that she has been given today. The doctor called us today (while writing this post actually) and let us know that our Reagan is not passing stool and that they will be holding her feedings and be putting in another IV. They will also be doing a contrast enema on her to look for a stricture and/or lack of movement in her colon. We are very scared for her and hope they find something out with the films. Please keep her in your prayers. We also have some good news to go with the bad. Our little Renna got to come home from the NICU on Saturday afternoon. We have been hoping this was going to happen since earlier this week, and now that she's home its almost hard to believe. We were able to bring her home with the condition that she will be on a pulse ox monitor (measures O2 saturation in the blood). We have survived the first night, but just barely. We had a wonderful ride home in the car, which Renna missed because she slept the whole way. Once we got home I got to hold her on the couch for about an hour, which was incredible. We, however, have come to hate this little pulse ox monitor. Unlike the monitors at the NICU, this monitor is very finicky, and sounds the alarm at every opportunity. The alarm (which is the most annoying sound ever known to man) sounds during the following events: The slightest drop in O2 saturation, if you move Renna in the slightest amount, if Renna moves in the slightest amount, if the probe is not positioned on the foot just right, if the wind blows from the east, if there is a slight overcast, if there is anyone present who is trying to get a wink of sleep during the two hours between feedings, etc., etc. So needless to say, the alarm kept going off every 5 minutes last night, which is almost impossible to ignore due to the fact it's horrid screech summons up images of blue faced babies. So hopefully we will get this situation rectified, and have already put in a call to both the company renting us the unit, and the NICU nurses. That being said, we love having Renna home and can't wait till her sister gets to join her.