Update on Little Harbor:

Since first requesting prayer for my cousin's baby (Harbor), he has successfully come off the ECMO machine (Heart/Lung Bypass) as well as the ventilator. He is still in intensive care, but plans are now being made for a move soon down to the regular floor. I received the following e-mail update from his mom, Elisabeth, today:

The ECMO baby two doors down died last night. Her name was Chloe and we've run into her parents a lot. They are young and obviously close to one another. Please pray for them. The room is empty, so we won't be seeing them again to tell them how sorry we are.

Harbor's recovery is something miraculous and wonderful. I'm so grateful we have him. We saw an art picture of a newborn with butterfly wings. I told Cliff, "That's the problem we're dealing with- our baby was born with wings and we're trying to get them off." I don't like that place- that hospital is a place where children fly away. It hurts. So many sad stories come together there. Cliff says, "Yes, but that's also where wonderful things are happening, and where children who have hurt for years are healed." I know it's true. I feel like I'm walking into a house of horrors sometimes, though. A place where reality comes in whether you want it to or not.

We have, I think, very good news. They are calling a care conference tomorrow at 1:30- it will have his current dr. his new dr. Cliff and I, a nurse, a social worker, and maybe a few other people. They are meeting because they're planning on moving him down to the regular hospital tomorrow afternoon. They said he could be coming home as early as the end of the week! Of course, it will depend on no setbacks. Often children move down from ICU, and then back up. I really don't want that. He still has his feeding tube, but he's taking little sucks on the bottle from time to time. You can tell he's all excited about the bottle, but he just doesn't know how to suck.

Please pray his sucking instinct (suck, swallow reflex) will come back.
Also, please pray that if he shouldn't go down to the regular hospital, they will see signs of it before tomorrow. Pray that if he does go, he will not pick up infection while there. It's a germy place, and kids are there who have viral infections.

They told me to bring clothes up to the hospital today! He doesn't have to be a diaper only guy anymore. Yay!
Also, his blood pressure seems to just keep going up. I don't think anyone knows why. It concerns me because if he comes home, how will I know? Please pray they will figure out why. I don't like that. Yesterday when I sat him up, twice his heart rate dropped down to 65 for no reason we could see. He also kind of paused in his breathing. I really want to be sure he'll be ok at home before they send him.

Later this evening, Elisabeth wrote a bit more:

For the first time in his life, Harbor is breathing regular air! They took the oxygen out of his nose this morning. He's been doing well all day. I will try to get a picture tomorrow. He is happy to have the oxygen out of his nose, but now he feels the feeding tube more and keeps trying to take it out, even with his mittens.

We tried again to feed him today and he is not getting it. He doesn't know how to suck, and forgets to swallow when he has milk in his mouth, and chokes. They don't want him to breathe the milk. The are planning on moving him downstairs tomorrow, but he'll still not be allowed visitors. Looks like he won't be allowed visitors for the winter, and Ford IV will also have to be isolated because he'll just carry home everything. I'll know more about that later in the week.

Please pray for three things.
1. That his blood pressure will come down.
2. That God will enable him to drink his milk and get rid of his feeding tube.
3. That he will continue to breathe well without oxygen.