Baby Ethan Update

Baby Ethan was born August 1. (Go live date - go figure!) And here's the news so far:

Well, baby Ethan is doing better than anybody has expected. He was taken off his ventilator (only for a few moments) today while they did a little maintenance on him, Tia and I call it chores. It may not sound funny to all you, but it sounds funny to us!

When he was first admitted, he was breathing 60 times per minute, and the ventilator was cycling at 30 times per minute. We had gotten him down to 10 cycles per minute which is low enough for for him to breath on his own and not even need it. So at this point, they have turned off the ventilator and they are just blowing positive air down his air passage. He is strong enough to exhale past the air pressure (that is a GREAT sign).

The surgery is scheduled for 10am tomorrow (Monday) morning. We all expect a speedy recovery, but it is still a delicate procedure. Please keep the prayers up. I truly believe that the reason he is doing as well as he is, is attributed to the amount of prayers he has been receiving.