Gabi is heading towards the finish line?!?!

5-27-2009 Hello everyone, again sorry for the delay in posting... I always like to begin by thanking everyone for their thoughts and prayers! The amazing support we have received will never be forgotten! Gabi is so lucky to have all of you in her life! On a side note Kathy thanks for sharing Ashley's story with me, it brought tears to my eyes, Ash is one special girl with a wonderful family!As all of you can see from the last pics posted our little girl has no nasal cannula... she no longer needs it! She is breathing on her own! She breathes faster than a normal infant but it is expected since she is working with a smaller lung! But her lung will continue to grow until about the age of eight. Gabi has also began eating PO(orally) with a bottle and I have also tried breastfeeding! She is up to 70ml of breast milk every 3 hours.. Today she set a record of taking 61ML by mouth(bottle fed) WOW ! Daddy got the credit of feeding her that! The rest of the feed is given through her feeding tube! If she is unable to take full feeds orally she will go home with a feeding tube. We were taught how to place the tube through her nose which then descends through esophagus and finally end in her stomach! Fil took the test today and passed.. he soo good. I will have to go next which freaks me out because Gabi gets so upset but I have to realize that she gets over it quickly! Her most difficult moments are when her reflux sets in.. she cries so much and u could see that she is in pain and there is not much to do expect keep her upright and pat her back roughly. It is so hard to see her suffer but this too will pass. Reflux is something she will grow out as her esophagus grows longer. Well the time we have been waiting for might be here soon... Gabi's only obstacle is gaining weight, she can not be discharged until there consistency in her weight gain. It is difficult for CDH babies to gain weight, since it takes more effort for them to eat they burn calories faster. Gabi gained 10 grams today so hopefully she is on an upward trend! She amazes us everyday, she continues to make strides even with all her challenges! She teaches us so much and makes us realize how fortunate we are!Please continue to pray that she gains weight so she can go home! Many thanks to all of you!Hope&Love,Joanna