August 4th Update

Hello, Riverfolk! Hope your weeks are off to a glorious start. Major developments ahead:

Over the weekend, River started latching better and seemed more alert—looking around, tracking, and orienting to voices. Her MRI got pushed due to weekend imaging availability, so we sat in a holding pattern for a couple of extra days.

Thanks to the generosity of everyone here, Mercedes and Manny were able to stay at a hotel close to the hospital that whole time without a single worry about it. (The gravity of that gratitude is hard to put into words.)

After more than a week of waiting, the critical moment for answers finally arrived yesterday: River got her MRI Monday around 4:00 PM. Shortly after, she was moved upstairs to the 'step-down' NICU unit.

Then came the plot twist. Last night, as I was watering the roses on my balcony, I got a call from the hospital—I'm apparently listed as an emergency contact, an honor I got to experience firsthand—and I immediately three-way called Mercedes.

The night nurse introduced herself and said she wanted to give a quick feeding update before Mercedes and Manny headed back for the evening. Mercedes asked if the MRI results were in. They were. But the nurse said it'd be best for the doctor to walk them through the findings directly. The suspense didn't feel great, but at least we knew answers—one way or the other—were coming.

While Mercedes and Manny were at the hospital last night, the doctor delivered the results: her MRI was normal! Tears of happiness were shed. Her prognosis is "great," and we're starting off on the best possible foot.

She'll still be followed closely for the first two years of life as a precaution, especially with her upcoming CPAM surgery—but this is the ending we were hoping for. (Better than Scream 3 closing out the original trilogy, and that's saying something!)

The only thing standing between River and discharge now is feeding. She needs two full days in a row without needing the gavage tube—the feeding tube that runs through her nose to her stomach. If she hits that, we're hoping she could be home as early as Thursday.

Thank you isn't enough! You didn't just ease a financial burden, you gave two exhausted, worried new parents the ability to be fully present for the hardest and now happiest week of their lives. We are eternally grateful for that. Thank you for rallying around the newest member of our family the way you have—it has been deeply felt every single day.

We'll let you know when River finally makes it home—love to you all!

PS—I asked why I wasn't receiving photos of Mercedes holding River. Apparently, it's because her boobs are usually out when she's holding her. (For feeding, not just for fun.) I told her to send one anyway, as I figured it'd appeal to an entirely untapped demographic. Didn't get one. Instead, here's a cute shot of River: calm, content, and ready for the next phase of her life.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!