"You got a little spit right there"

Thomas still writing.

Okay, so Whitney spit up a lot of formula yesterday early morning, and I do mean a lot. They even gave her a bolus of saline to keep her blood pressure up. But no big deal. They did say that they were rapidly increasing the amount they were feeding her rather quickly (adding an additional 5mL every 12 hours to her feeds), just because Whitney seemed to be doing just fine, but after this huge puking session, they decided that they will take it a little slower. Again, no big deal. We just have to be patient.

She's still doing really great on her breathing. Her high flow nasal cannula is pumping in 2 Liters per minute, which they say is really good compared to the sometimes 5 or 6 or 7 Liters they have to pump into other babies. So that's good to hear.

Whitney was fast asleep the last couple times we saw her, with the occassional heavy eye lids opening to take a peak at who's touching her. I still can't believe how beautiful and amazing my little girl is. I love to see her looking around, and she has that purely innocent look on her face, full of curiosity as she explores the world around her crib. I have to admit, she's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. But I suppose most all dads/parents must feel this way about there own, I'm very biased in favor of my own little sweetie pie.

I have some unwelcome news for perhaps some of you. When we talked about bringing home Whitney someday, they advised us that because she has an underdeveloped lung, she is more prone to respiratory illnesses. If she catches a respiratory illness, it would be more dangerous than if a healthy kid got sick. So they cautioned us against taking Whitney out into the public until the Flu season is over, which unfortunately doesn't end until April 2011. I don't think Flu season has even started yet, but she's still going to be in the hospital for a little bit and then when we get home we still have to be very cautious about her health, and not exposing her to harmful germs too early.

So basically this means that on doctor's strong recommendations, she isn't to go out into the public, especially crowded places, including the supermarket, social events, and even to church. Basically anywhere where she would have a higher chance of getting a respiratory illness from somebody else. At least not until the Pediatrician feels its safe and okay to do so. So she'll basically be living in a bubble for a while. Sad, but at this point I'd hate to jeopardize all the progress we've made with an illness that would compromise her already fragile lungs.

I really hope I don't sound strict, but I have to be. When Whitney comes home... Absolutely nobody who has even so much as the sniffles will be allowed to visit Whitney. Any visitors will have to "scrub down" before touching her, this includes both Alicia and I. If we sound overprotective, its because we are overprotective, and I hope nobody gets offended. Even though Whitney is having a miraculous recovery, she is still considered to be a sick baby. So yeah...

PS: Can anyone guess what movie I quoted the title to this post from? (I love playing this guessing game).