12-11-08

Day three has been an eventful one for little Zoey. She is still doing very well. The medical team is very pleased with her progress. Her glucose levels have come back down to the range where they need to be. She has been pooping and urinating like a champ! This is important because it means her bodily functions are kicking in. She is out from under the UV light because her billirubin count is down where it needs to be. Her blood gas and oxygen counts are good. She still has the ductus valve issue, but they began the ibuprofen treatment this afternoon. They determined that the blood was flowing the correct way to be able to treat it. They are confident that the three day ibuprofen treatment will cause her body to close the valve on its own. Macy was able to hold Zoey for two hours today and see her again tonight. Macy has been very sore. Being with Zoey today helped to lift her spirits. She is still very weak and tires easily. Her swelling seems to be getting better everyday. We need to pray for God's strength and healing for her.They have covered her incubator tonight with a blanket so that Zoey will not be bothered. She was pretty worn out because of being held, EKG, testing, etc. Aunt Ashton, Uncle Taylor and Uncle Spencer also got some quality time with her this afternoon, touching her and talking with her. Zoey's weight is now 2 lbs 4 oz which is expected at this point in time. It will increase when they begin to feed her which will begin after the valve closes from the ibuprofen treatment. We posted pictures of her diaper that grandma Coll "lifted" from her room so that you could get an idea of her size. They still have to add cotton padding inside the diaper to get it to fit up next to her tiny hiney. As you can see it still looks big on her. Pray for her strength, valve closure, protection from infection and continued development. It is amazing to watch God's hand in her life. She now has God's word posted on her incubator. One from grandma and grandpa Dodson which is pictured above says "Hazaq" which in Hebrew means "be strong and courageous." Mark and Macy posted other scripture on her incubator tonight. Please continue to pray God's words of life over Zoey, Macy and Mark.