unexpected change

when i got back to the hospital from my quick break at home on wednesday, ezra's oxygen levels and heart rate were beginning to get crazy.

over the course of the afternoon, it became clear that his little body was in distress. he was filling with fluid just as quickly as they could suction it and before long, the pediatrician was called and the nurses were preparing me for the possibility that we would be moved to wolfson children's hospital that night.

by the time the pediatrician came, there was no doubt in my mind that he would want us transported to jacksonville. another x-ray and some blood work confirmed that ezra's lungs were fluid-filled and working very hard. he was still manageable, but the safest course of action was to move him to a hospital that was equipped to handle him if his condition were to worsen.

a couple of hours later, the transport team arrived with a huge hospital gurney covered in intimidating equipment. they placed tiny ezra into the incubator and he and i took the ambulance to jacksonville while steve went home to see to gabe. when i arrived at the hospital, my mom was already there. thank goodness! i was already exhausted and a bit of a nervous wreck, and having her there made the whole experience better.

the next morning, ezra had already began to improve. the doctor who saw us that morning told us that the x-ray images that previously suggested pneumonia in ezra's right lung were most likely actually showing an obstruction (mucous) that was blocking a portion of the lung from getting air. once that obstruction was knocked out, the lung was able to work more effectively.

today, ezra continues to show improvement. his color is better, his breathing sounds better, he is eating well again and he is sleeping well. we are still waiting on some lab results and ezra will have to show that he can maintain good oxygen saturation in his blood without the aid of an oxygen mask before we can take him home. it is likely that we are still looking at a few more days in the hospital before ezra is home-ready.

we have received so much love and support over the course of the week. so many people have offered to help out with gabe that i don't think i could even name them all. we feel so blessed to have such great people in our lives, and have been reminded during this time of just how incredible the body of Christ is.