Everyone's smiling

Today was a very good day! Gracie did great all day long and was extibated this afternoon and did wonderful. She was still mad like she has been the previous times she had her breathing tube removed, but this time I think it was because they put her back on high flow at 6 liters (higher than she has ever been on before, I think). But after her gas came back with some great numbers she was taken down to 4 and almost fell asleep instantly.

I held her about an hour after she was extibated and she loved it. I even was able to hold her up chest to chest--I wasn't sure how she would like it, but she fell right asleep and slept in that position for about 40 minutes. Gracie then woke up and was content just looking around and eventually giving me her first social smile--talk about melting my heart. I walked out of the hospital on cloud nine--she is smiling and feeling good, what more can I ask for aside from having her home?

The doctors think she just might make it to the floor this time and even said as early as a week away!! Of course it all depends on little Miss Grace, sometimes I think she loves the PICU so much that when we mention sending her to the floor she finds ways to stay. She just has to get home and then she'll see how wonderful it is, even if it means leaving all of her favorite nurses and doctors; she'll see them all again soon enough.

I'm posting a little video we took of Gracie tonight--she is working up to smiling and we would have gotten it on film but our memory card was full so it cut us off. We hope you enjoy seeing our little beauty.