1 Week Old

How time flies when you're having fun!! It's hard to believe that a week ago today McKenna was rapidly brought into this world. How I had what the nurses call the "Deer in the headlights look" when I ran into the hospital. How I was half undressed when the nurse took me to the recovery room right across from O.R. and when she told me that I wasn't going into the room with Suzanne I decided that I best put my clothes back on. How I watched as the NICU staff hooked our beautiful little girl up to all of the machines, put wires down her belly button and down her throat. Then once I couldn’t watch what they were doing to my little girl anymore, I went down to the recovery room to see my wife and the first thing she says to me is “Sorry I screwed up your plans today” because I was supposed to go over to a friends house to watch the Iowa football game. We cried together as we talked about the newest addition to our family. I tried to remember everything the doctors and nurses were telling me at the time so that I could relay that info back to Suzanne. A short while later, Suzanne was brought up to see and touch her daughter. It was a very emotional time for both of us as McKenna squeezed mommy’s hand for the first time. Later that day, Fr. David O’Conner from All Saints Catholic Church, came up to baptize McKenna. He splashed quite a bit of water on her, but she didn’t seem to mind at all. Her vital stats were the best they were all day after she was baptized. How time flies!!

In the past week we have seen McKenna through a few bad times but mostly she has had a really good first week of her life. Over night they turned down the amplitude on her vent a little more and it is at 10 now, they went back to feeding her 3cc’s of breast milk every 4 hours instead of every 6. McKenna has had her first Thanksgiving and we are all so thankful for her and her health.
Since we have received so many prayers, I would ask all of you to keep my co-workers family in your thoughts and prayers after her and her son were tragically killed in a car accident last Friday the 18th. She fought for her life for almost a week down at the U of I hospitals and her son was dead instantly. As both Mother and Son are laid to rest this coming week, please say a prayer so that her family can make it through this very trying time.