Monday

Sorry no pictures today. I'm on the iPad and in Kathryn's room. For pictures, you'll have to see Facebook.

It's been a long weekend, but our little fighter is officially three days old. Friday was long, Saturday was ROUGH, with lots of up and down, tense moments, yesterday was much more stable, and today seems sort of in between.

Here's what we know:
-the cause of Kathryn's hydrops is still unknown. She has a chest tube in each side draining her effusions. One side has more fluid, one side has a combination of air and fluid. Overall, the buildup of fluid does seem to be slowing a bit.
-Kathryn has swelling in her scalp and chest, which is obvious in pictures. Her face seems less swollen to me today, but who knows if It actually is.
-Kathryn is on "minimal stimulation," which means unless the doctors and nurses are doing things to her, BT and I are the only ones allowed to touch her. She is very sensitive to touch right now, but she has opened an eye to look at me as well as squeezed my hand.
-there's a lot of talk of kidneys right now as the doctors work to figure out the cause of the hydrops. We know she is having some problems with her proteins right now, but they're not sure if it caused the hydrops or if its because of it.
-her platelets are low, so she's receiving platelets today. Possibly why today she has some bruising on her left arm and the left side of her neck and face.

I'm sorry I don't have more to report. Right now it's a constant challenge to keep her stable, and at the same time, trying to figure out the underlying problem. The good news is that she's made it this far. This proves she's a fighter and it's a great sign. I am so proud of her.

Thomas is coming over here soon to see me. We're missing each other terribly. I will get discharged tomorrow, then the real journey begins.

Please pray that doctors can figure out a cause for the hydrops, pray that Kathryn's levels stabilize, and that the fluid in her lungs will continue to decrease. Please also pray for Kathryn's continued perseverance, and for me and BT as we learn to balance this new normal in our lives with home, Thomas, Kathryn, and each other.

Thank you for all of your support. We'll keep you posted!