Day 96

Ava's gas was 46 this morning. They took her off the vent and on CPAP again. Praise God! I'm hoping we can make it to cannula and stay off the vent. Ava is still on steroids so that is why she is doing so well. Her gas was 65 after being put on CPAP, which they are happy with. Her O2 is 80%. Hopefully her lungs will be permanently better.

I can't come in today because I have a sore throat, but we are all doing a bit better so I am praying we stay better. I always get sick when Ava is doing better. =(

Ava's neighbor that was born the same day as her (two weeks older) went home today. We are very happy for him and pray for him to have continual success. His mom has been such a wonderful friend to have during this trying time. Hopefully they can celebrate their birthday's together years from now.

Ava weighs 5 lbs. 10oz. - just 2 oz. shy of what Ariana weighed when she was born.

Praying for her lungs to get better and stay better and for my family to get and stay healthy...

Day 95

Ava's blood gas was 47 this morning and the same at 6pm after they lowered her rate by 10 to 30 breaths per minute, and her pressure down as well. They had to up her O2 a bit to 75%. Tonight her O2 is 70%.

The girls and I did manage to get sick today, but they don't have strep throats. I did manage to get sick at their doctors office and on the way home. Fun time was had by all. I wasn't able to go in and see Ava but hopefully I can tomorrow. I am feeling better now and the girls seem a bit better as well.

Ava's weight is 5 lbs. 8.75 oz. - 2514 grams

Praying for Ava's lungs and growth...

Day 94 - Oxygen is going down...

Ava's gas was 49 this morning. Her O2 was also down to 65% this afternoon. If they can get her O2 down they may put her back on the CPAP. She also has not needed any insulin today. She has been pretty angry lately due to the steroids - "roid rage", but they gave her a bit of a sedative to help her.

Alexandra has a bit of a runny nose, so I am concerned that I or the rest of the family may get sick. So, I am praying that Ali can get better and we all stay healthy.

Ava weighs 5 lbs. 7.25 oz.

Praying for her lungs to permanently be healthy and strong and that she can live longer than us all...

Day 93 - Eyes are better!

Ava's gas was 47 this morning. She is still on 85% O2. They put her down to 80% tonight. Her rate is 40.

The eye doctor came in tonight and Ava's eyes are better. Thank you God! They will check her next week again but they are getting progressively better.

Her IV came out tonight by accident, my poor honey! But she is so strong. Her infection was not in her blood, just her trach, so that is really good. Ava weighs 5 lbs. 6 oz.

Praying for her lungs to grow and she can breath without help of any machine...

Day 92

Ava's gas was 50 this morning and her O2 was back to 85%. They put her rate down to 40. She was desatting this evening in the 70s. After coming back after 8pm so I could hold Ava, she was sleeping peacefully when I left. 4 hours in the car for maybe an hour and half of time with her. This is really tough.

Ava weighs 5 lbs. 8 oz. The eye doctor never showed up today.

Praying for things to get better, easier and a huge miracle to happen...

Day 91 - 13 weeks old!

Ava's gas was 53 this morning and 43 this evening. They are decreasing her rate on the vent every day. She was sleeping pretty well most of the day. She is on 80% O2 and satting in the 80s and 90s. She is on 47 ml of food. She only needed insulin once today because of the steroids.

Ava now weighs 5lbs 4 oz - she lost some weight because she was bloated and they put her on laziks. She is 39 cm long - 15.35", and her head is 30.5cm - 12".

Tomorrow is her eye exam, so please pray for good results.

Looking forward to the day that God sends Ava home to us in our arms and praying for a good eye exam tomorrow.

Day 90 - 37 weeks - 3 Months OLD!

Even with all the odds against Ava, she turned 3 months old today. Her gas was 44 this morning and 46 this evening, so they put her vent settings down. She is on 88% O2 (was still 100% this am), but she is on the move down with the steroids. She does have an infection from her tube so they put her on different steroids.

I didn't get to hold her today for the second day in a row because she hadn't slept all morning. She also is very irritable from the steroids.

I also figured out how to change settings so anybody is able to comment. We love to hear comments. I feel like I am writing to nobody sometimes but I am always hearing that people have read Ava's blog. I hope it has a huge impact on everyone as well as us.

Ava weighs 5 lbs 7.5 oz. - 2488 grams.

Praying for amazing miracles to happen and Monday's eye exam to be great...

Day 89 - Unchartered Territory

Ava's gas was 59 this morning and later it was 56. That is really good for the amount of CO2 in her lungs. Her O2 saturation though is at 100%. She has been satting in the eighties most of the day, so they are hoping this will get better. They have started giving her the steroids through her IV and changed her antibiotics to something different. He said that Ava was on a tightrope and getting an infection can put her either way. They still haven't gotten results back to determine if she has an infection.

Alexandra and Ariana got to come in today to see Ava. We were finally a complete family again. The nurses couldn't wait to see the girls and they made little baby bags for them that contained diapers, a bottle, the leads that go on Ava's chest and a pacifier. Ariana was telling us how cute Ava was. She wanted to kiss her, but she couldn't. The girls brought the toy they bought Ava a while back and Ava gave each of them a gift. The girls were wonderful inside and Ava even had her eyes open so she could see them. They even got to meet the neonatologist.

I spoke to the doctor again after they girls left and he said that we are in unchartered territory with Ava. He has never seen a baby that has this bad lung disease as Ava, live this long. He had no idea what was going to happen. I asked if there was any other hospital we could go to, one that maybe specialized in lung disease and he said they would be in the same dilemma as here. They also couldn't move her because she isn't stable.

Praying for a miracle, bigger than anyone ever thought we would need...

Day 88

Ava's gas was 76 this 6am. They retook her gas a little bit later and it was 78. They upped her settings. She was at 85% O2. I went in to hold her this am after my board meeting, and the eye doctor came in. They were all prepared to give Ava eye surgery for her retinopathy. I was pretty upset this morning and even the nurse is noticing my lack of smiles.

The eye doctor came in and checked Ava out. She said that her eyes were the same and maybe even a bit better. She will be in on Monday to check her again. Praise God for more time! The retinopathy peaks at 36 weeks.

They started steroids on her since she wasn't doing too well on the vent. They also think she may have an infection because her hands are peeling and there is a bump near where she had an IV. The first blood test didn't show any results, but we will get the other test results in a couple days, so she has been started on medicine on an IV.

After our parents meeting that we had to start to establish a parenting group for Sister's NICU, I went in to check on Ava. She was at 100% O2 and was satting in the 70s and low 80s. I didn't think I could hold her but the nurse allowed me to, and Ava seemed to have enjoyed.

Ava weighs 5 lbs. 7 oz.

We did get good news today that Ali and Ari can come see Ava on Monday. They will love it.

Hopefully this time around the steroids will help her lungs be permanently better. Praying... A LOT!

Day 87

Ava's gas was 72 this morning. Not good. She also has been at 85% O2. They put her on higher tidal settings. Tomorrow is her eye exam so pray for amazing clarity in her eyes and peace for Ava.

Ava weighs 5 lbs 2.5oz.

I spoke to the doctor this evening and he said that he still doesn't know how she is going to turn out. They are going to give her at least to 42 weeks before they will put a trach in her throat. I asked worst case scenario would be and he said that she could be on a vent for a long time and may not ever come home but stay at Children's. He said that she looked like babies from pre-surfactant days. Those babies would be on vents forever and may not come off of one. Some kids are on them until they are 2.

I really don't know what to think. This is a crazy nightmare that I wish we could wake up from. But we still have hope that she will get better soon and come home to us. After all, she is "Amazing Ava."

Praying for her lungs and eyes...

Day 86

Ava's gas was 68. It was up this morning from 65... She is also on 83% O2. Sounds like she's having a rough day. She is also getting some blood because she is getting low and also in anticipation for the surgery. I really hope that they will be surprised and she won't need the surgery just like when the hole in her heart was open.

Ava's eating 43 ml of food and off the diuretics. They will just give her lasiks now and then if she gets bloated.

Ava weighs 5 lbs. 3/4oz.

Praying for more miracles...

Day 85 - 5 pounds!

Ava's gas was 65 again this morning. Her O2 is at 73%. She has been satting in the high 80s and 90s again as well.

She had her heart xray (echocardiogram) this morning, but we still haven't heard the results. Everyone tells me though that is a good sign.

She had her eye exam around 7pm this evening. I was able to witness it. She was quite upset because the doctor was pushing her eyes open. She was satting in the 60s and 70s at certain points. When I started talking to her and telling her about the cute clothes we saw at Target today (we saw a really cute pink outfit with tutu that said "Little Angel" with angel wings on the back, didn't buy it, but it was so cute! They had a bunch of cute ones), her O2 level went up in the 80s and she calmed down for a bit. The nurses had these surprised looks on their faces, and I said "well, she is definitely my daughter." After the doctor was done, she even said that Ava knew my voice. The doctor told me that her left eye was worse and that she would see Ava on Thursday again. Please pray that she doesn't have to have surgery - we need another miracle again, and we have gotten them before, so hopefully it will happen again.

Ava is officially 5 lbs! 12 oz away from being what Ariana was born at. Other good news is I can finally hear a bit out of my ear. Yeah!

Praying for positive eye growth and her lungs to grow and be healthy...

Day 84 - 12 weeks old!

Ava's gas was 65 today. One percent less than the past two days. She did pretty good today. Grandma and Grandpa got to come in and visit her. I was happy to see that they weren't so scared to see her like everyone was in the beginning. She looks like a baby that we can bring home (and we will.)

Her O2 is 68% and she has been satting well in high 80s to 90s. She is on 40ml of food.

Ava now weighs 4lbs 14 oz. She is 38.5 cm long - 15.16" , and her head is 30.5cm - 12". She gained a ton of weight tonight - over 120 grams.

Tomorrow is a big day - her echocardiogram on her heart and her eye exam (I think the eye exam will happen). Please pray for her to be perfect in every way.

Day 83 - 36 weeks!

Ava's gas was 66 again this morning, so they are unable to make any changes on her settings. She went up and down on the amount of O2 (desatting) in her blood all night for the nurse. They were giving her albuterol treatments to get it better. Today she was ok, and they were able to have her O2 at 80%.

Tonight the nurse was saying she was desatting again. This is so frustrating. I had a Pastor come in and pray over Ava again. She did well while I held her and when he was there.

Ava weighs 4 lbs. 9oz.! Yeah!

Praying for healthy lungs and eyes...

Day 82

Today was a pretty uneventful day. Ava's gas was 66 this morning. Not great, but not the worst. The nurse got her O2 down to 68% tonight. She was desatting when I held her - her O2 saturation was sometimes in the 70s, but the nurse said it could have been because the tube was in an odd position. Overall she was satting in the 80s and low 90s. They are getting a echocardiogram for her heart on Monday. I believe her eye exam is Monday as well. I still can't hear out of my ear yet but will be going to an ear, nose and throat doctor.

Ava weighs 4 lbs. 6.5 oz. - halfway to 5 lbs!

Praying for her lungs and eyes to get stronger...

Day 81

Ava's gas was 65 today. Her O2 was at 80%. Things were a bit better today. She didn't desat very much when I held her. She satted in the 90s while I held her. They have stopped physical and occupational therapy until her O2 goes down and her CO2 stablilizes.

The baby across from Ava who was born at 24 weeks and at 1 pound, died early this am. Yesterday I was complaining on how much better her lungs and stats were compared to Ava. Now I am sad for her family, and appreciative for the days we have had with Ava. Praise God for everything he has given to us. Every day is a blessing with Ava.

Praying for better lungs...

Day 80

Ava's blood gas was 72 this morning. She was satting all day and night in the low 80s to low 90s. Her O2 is at 80%. There is even talk about her going back on the oscillator. I am very concerned. We have come so far, yet we have so far to go.

There is also talk about a tracheostomy and a tube in her stomach to feed her so she could go home. That will be a few weeks. Maybe a week or two after her due date before they know that for sure. It would eventually come out, after she can breath on her own. I don't want that to happen, but at least she would be alive. It would only leave a minor scar.

Ava weighs 4lbs. 5oz.

Please continue to pray for Ava's lungs, eyes and overall health. I still can't hear out of my right ear as well.

Praying for better days again...

Day 79

Ava's gas was 88 this morning. They finally got it down to 72 at 1pm. It was 67 this evening. They probably won't do one again until 6am. They had to put her settings up and they also gave her Prevacid for her acid reflux in case she is refluxing into her lungs. There is talk of steroids again.

I am definitely concerned. She satted all of the place when we were in there tonight (O2 saturation in the blood for those that don't know) - 60s up to 90s (it needs to be around 100). She was on 63% O2. We were hoping she was on her way home. There are positives of course, like her eyes didn't get worse, she looks good, and she's growing.

Ava weighs 4 lb.s 4.5 oz.

Praying for a change for the better to get a healthy Ava home and in our arms...

Day 78 - Back to the Vent again!

Ava's CO2 blood gas was in the 80s this morning. They checked her "arterially" and it was 77, so they decided to put her back on the vent. They didn't want to give her steroids because she will need them if she needs eye surgery. She did fine being put on the vent, but they had to put her on 60 breaths per minute. She is at 60% O2 still.

The eye doctor came in today because she is taking a vaca later this week. She expected to do surgery on Ava, but was pleasantly surprised that Ava's eyes were the same. I wonder though, if they were the same as three weeks ago, when a different doctor looked at her. The doctor will check her next Monday. She did tell me that 80% of preemie's eyes get better. The neonatalogist said they only have to do surgery on approximately 2 babies a year. I hope we are not one of those statistics.

The neonatalogist was saying that Ava is still fragile, but I thought it was really good that she was off for a week especially since they expected her to be back on the vent sooner. I'm confused, and I think I should never bother talking to a doc.

Ava weighs 4 lbs. 3oz. today! She is on 38ml of food.

I still can't hear out of my ear, but my cough is gone. I am very glad that her eyes are the same and I have hope that it will be better next week. If her eyes are better, and her lungs are better than she can possibly be off the vent again. Even if her lungs are better, they probably won't take her off the vent until they see how her eyes are.

Praying for some recovery and healing...

Day 77 - 11 weeks old!

Ava's gas was 72 this morning. Praise God! Another Surprisingly Super Sunday! Hopefully it will continue to go down.

I got to hold her for awhile today. I heard her cry today. Her vocal cords are getting stronger. I still can't hear out of my right ear, but I think it may be getting better.

Ava now weighs 4lbs again. She is 40 cm long - 15.75" , and her head is 29cm - 11.5".

Praying for her eyes to get better, and her CO2 gas to be in the 50s tomorrow.

Day 76 - 35 weeks

Ava's CO2 blood gas was 76 again this morning at 6am. Since it stayed the same, they didn't make any changes. They actually didn't make any changes all day.

I got to hold her for about an hour and a half today. I still can't hear out of my right ear, but they didn't seem to think I would get her sick. I wore a mask and a gown again to make sure. Praying that she doesn't get sick. Her cheeks actually were smaller because she lost so much fluid. They also said her groin area looked not as puffy.

The doctors are still concerned about her high blood gasses, but if they stay the same or decrease they will keep her on the CPAP. They are also very concerned about her eyes. But they are pleased that she has been on the CPAP for a week. Her O2 ranged from 57-60% today.

Ava weighs 4 lbs. 1.25oz. She lost again because of her excess fluid. Hopefully that will help her lungs.

Praying that Ava's CO2 goes down, she's healthy and the abnormal cells in her eyes go away...

Day 75

Ava's blood gas this morning was 76. They didn't take her off the CPAP, but they are going to wait a day and see if she will be better tomorrow after all these treatments. She had a very good day. Both the day and night nurses noticed the difference. They got her O2 down to 53%, but it is now up to 57%. I went in to hold her. It was the first time I could hold her in my arms. It was wonderful to look at her face even if it was with a breathing mask. Her cheeks are huge!

Ava is down to 4 lbs. 1.5 oz in weight because she is taking diuretics.

I still can't hear very well out of my right ear, but I have been on antibiotics for over 48 hours so I am not contagious. I am going to go in and hold Ava for a very long time tomorrow. Pray that she can stay on the CPAP and her blood gas is in the 50s tomorrow.

Day 74 - Another hard day

Ava's blood gas was 73 this morning, but they kept her on the CPAP. They decided to do aggressive treatment on her today so that she can be kept on the CPAP. She is on a CPAP that has a bit of pressure on her lungs like the vent. Instead of 40 breaths per minute she is on 15 breaths per minute. They are now giving her a larger dose of albuterol and pulmicort for her lungs every 3 hours. Before it was every 6 hours. They also changed her hat to better fit her. Ava also is not getting the 27 calorie additive to my milk but rather 24 calorie.

Ava's wonderful day nurse and our social worker set up a web cam so we can see Ava on Skype. The girls and my parents got to see Ava. Ariana was quite emotional and pretty upset about seeing Ava. She got over it and sang "ABC's" to her and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". It was wonderful to see her since I haven't seen her since Tuesday. I am hoping tomorrow to get in there, but I still can't hear out of my right ear.

Tonight Ava had her eye exam at 8pm. The doctor called me back and told me that her eyes had gotten worse. For the doctor to call me, I knew it wasn't good. She is on Zone 2, Stage 2 of the retinopathy. She has made it to 50% of Zone 2, and 80% of preemies do get rid of these abnormal cells in the eye. If she gets to Stage 3, they will have to give her laser surgery and she will lose her peripheral vision. They will be coming in every week to check on her to see if she is on Stage 3. The neonatalogists told me that if the eye doctors ever come in every week, that it's not good. All I can say (which it's hard to say), that at least she's still here and she's not blind. I don't want anything to happen to her and it really bothers me that her vision may not be perfect. She will probably have to wear glasses. I wish things could get easier and I'm hoping that we don't keep finding out worse things. I have been hoping all this time that God will make these problems go away and make Ava perfect in his image.

Ava now weighs 4 lbs 3oz. tonight. =) She is on 60% O2 and is satting in the high 80s and low 90s.

Please pray for Ava and that her blood gas is low in the morning.

Day 73

Ava's gas was 75 this morning. It then went up to 78 after the nurse did some therapy and a breathing treatment. At 8am, the next nurse got an arterial (sp?) gas and it was 66 so they kept her on the CPAP.

I have a "nasty" ear infection (that's a quote from the doctor) so I am not allowed in to see Ava until Friday after 4pm. I am missing Ava like crazy. She is definitely off of the steroids right now and she doesn't seem to have regressed. Praise God!

Ava weighs 4 lbs. 1.5 oz! She got a second blood transfusion today because her blood crit was low, followed up by lasiks. Hopefully this is the last blood she needs.

Pray that her eye's have gotten better for the eye exam tomorrow and that her blood gas will be in the 50s are lower...

Day 72 - 4 pounds!

Ava is on CPAP for another day. They still talk that she will get tired and go back on the vent. Well, hopefully God will get her better sooner. Her CO2 blood gas was 66 this morning. The same, but it needs to go down. Please pray for it to go down.

She is now at 4lbs 3/4 of an oz. Unfortunately because I am sick and now even have an ear infection, I could only come in and check on her. She is now in the "Ritz Carlton's" of cribs. Her nurse today decided to change her out of the giraffe and into a crib with a nice music fish bowl. It was great to see that. Even if she does go back on the vent she can stay in this because she is so warm. She is even in onesies now. She also has been off steroids for a whole 24 hours.

Praying for her continued healing and for our family to not get sick and for me to get better so I can hold her again.

Day 71

Ava is still on CPAP. I don't think that anybody expected her to be still. She is on 35 ml of food, up from 32. Her eye doctor appointment is on Thursday now, so keep your prayers coming. She had one "spell" today of apnea (where you stop breathing). But that is typical of preemie's. In fact, I have heard more of the other mom's up there talk about their older babies doing it at least 6 times a day. They just wake them up gently and they start breathing again. If it does happen frequently or her blood gas gets higher, they will put her back on the vent. Today at noon was the last day of steroids. So we will see tonight or tomorrow if she regresses. She was on such a low dose so they don't expect her to.

The physical therapist and occupational therapist both saw her today and they are quite impressed with her. There doesn't seem to be any problems so far. Sometimes the tube makes a dent in the upper roof of the mouth which makes feeding hard, but she didn't have a dent. The nurse said that she could possibly be breastfeeding if she stays on the CPAP and goes to the cannula in the minimum of 10 days. They are going to keep her on the CPAP a bit.

She weighs 3 lbs 15 oz - 1800 grams. So close to 4 lbs!

I also couldn't go in a see her today because I have a bit of a cold. They told me since she can maintain her temperature, I can hold her like a normal baby (in my arms). I'm sad that I wasn't able to. But I'm hoping I can tomorrow.

Praying for her gas to go lower (like in the 40s) tomorrow at 6am and to get over my cold...

Day 70 - 10 weeks old! Easter Sunday

Praise God for this wonderful day! Ava has had the best day ever! At 3am this morning, she extubated herself (pulled her tube out by moving her head). They put her on CPAP (steady stream of O2) where she actually does all the breathing. Her breathing can be fast at times, but her first blood gas was 60 which is pretty good. Her next blood gas was 67 at 9am, which is getting higher. They said if it didn't go down that she would go back on the vent. I had everyone praying all of the place like church. We decided to run into the hospital to see her in case we couldn't see her face if she went back on the vent. I checked her out and she seemed to be doing good and they told her that I could hold for about 2 hours today. I am feeling a bit sick so I wore a mask. I don't have any real symptoms, just a scratchy throat. Anthony went up after I came down (since we had to sit in the car with the girls) and we waited while they got her blood gas. The gas was 63! Praise God it came down. So they kept her on the CPAP and I got to hold her almost two hours today. What a blessing. Ava was so happy. She has this crazy hat with the tube going over her head but she can finally suck on her pacifier easily.

At 6pm, her gas was 61, so they were happy with that. The Nurse practitioner said that they are very happy with her progress. When her steroids are done, she may regress a bit to a higher percentage of O2 (she was at 55% today), but they are not expecting her to go back on the oscillator. I am praying she doesn't get sick, but she is getting my breast milk. If she does go back on the conventional vent, they at least know that she can do the CPAP and is capable of that. They told me that she may be on the CPAP a week or so until they know she can go on the cannula.

Ava weighs 3lbs. 14 oz but she was wearing her hat. She is 38 cm long - 14.96" , and her head is 27.5cm - 10.83".

Praise God for all he has done. I was just hoping for Ava to be off the steroids and doing well today, but now God has exceeded my expectations on the day that we celebrate Jesus rising from the dead. Maybe he had us go through the horrible back and forth a few weeks ago just to get us to this glorious day where Easter means so much more to us and make Ava's story even more incredible.

Praying for an incredible week and for Ava's eye exam on Tuesday to go perfectly.

Day 69 - 34 weeks

Ava's gas this morning was 52 so they lowered her settings again to 35 breaths per minute. The nurse told me later this afternoon that Ava's tube is leaking air around it because it's getting too small. They are not going to change it because they are hoping to get her on CPAP very soon, maybe in a day or so. They don't want to change it yet because a bigger tube could hurt her throat and vocal cords. She even heard Ava cry around her tube. My baby! She knows that because the tube is leaking that she is on much less support than what she is getting so she is better than the stats say. When I held her today, most of the time she "satted" in upper 80s to 90% O2 and even hit 100% O2 saturation. Praise God - I have not seen that in awhile.

She can't breast feed on CPAP but they would "sprint" her to a cannula. "Sprinting" is when they put Ava on the cannula for an hour one or two times a day, then they would up her to 3 hours a day one or two times a day, then two times a day, then 6 hours a day to 9 hours a day until she is on the cannula. She would then be able to breast feed.

I believe she has two more doses (once a day for two days) of steroids left, but they always seem to change it.

Her gas this evening was 53 which they took so they could closely monitor her. She is now down to 30 breaths per minute. They will take another gas at 6am.

Praising God for these wonderful changes and hoping they will last long term...

Day 68 - GOOD Friday

Ava's blood gas was 48 this morning which is really good. They lowered her breaths per minute (bpm) to 40 and change the setting of her volume of air and how much pressure it is on her lungs from tidal to a lesser amount. She is on 32 ml of food.

She will get her last dose of steroids at 12pm Saturday. So we will know how she is doing on Easter Sunday. What a big day!

She now weighs 3 lbs. 11 oz. She gained 40 grams. I actually have heard "talk" of putting her on a cpap (where she would just receive a constant stream of O2). Next would be the cannula. Can't believe that I can finally mention that.

Praise God for all he does and we are praying for her to get home to us and that her eyes and lungs grow perfectly (along with everything else.

Day 67

Ava had a good day today and her blood gas was 53 this morning. They were able to put down her breaths per minute to 45. Hopefully they will be able to do that again tomorrow. She didn't gain or lose any weight today.

For the first time today I got to speak about my testimony along with Ava's at the MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) meeting. I had no trouble at all on speaking about Ava and I really hope that I showed everyone how wonderful God is, prayer is, and people that God can put in your life to help you. A lot of the ladies that have helped our family and Ava were there today and it was great to talk about how much we appreciate it. I hope that God and Ava are proud of what I said and I also hope that Ava one day can completely tell the story herself. She should feel so loved. Thank you to everyone that has kept us in your thoughts and prayers and helped us some way or another. We love you all!

Praying that Ava's eyes are free from problems, and her lungs are strong and healthy soon... And of course that she will live.