It's been a rough few days, but a lot of big changes!

On Sunday, Riley got the green light to get her chest closed!  She was finished by the time the boys and I arrived at the hospital, but she was still very much out.  The boys were disappointed that she had not woken up much since her surgery, as they were returning to school today.  Before we left, she was getting a respiratory test to see if she could tolerate being taken off the intubation tube.

Good news- she passed!  She had her breathing tube removed today!  She started to wake up pretty quickly, and it was very obvious that she was ready to get it taken out.  It took a while to figure out what type of mask would be best for her to transition to.  The scary part was that they were concerned about a collapsed lung, as they heard signs of the lungs not fully expanding when she breathed in.  However, by the end of the day, she is using one similar to what she uses at home, so she's progressing in the right direction.  The overall respiratory transition took a lot out of her, so she slept most of the afternoon.  She did get to see her Pop-Pop briefly visit before going back to sleep!

While she was sleeping, I slipped out of the hospital to go to- the Ronald McDonald House!  We were able to get in!!!  We are very grateful and thankful that we are able to be in the house, and it will help us stay closer to Riley as she heals.  I will be returning to work later this week, and Kyle will be able to stay with Riley as he works remotely.  The boys and I will join them on the weekends.  When I walked in PRMH, I felt relief.  This will help make things a bit easier.

When I returned to the hospital- Riley was awake!  The nurses said she was asking for me, and I was even able to hold her for a bit!  It was nice having some Riley snuggles after so long.  After she got tucked into bed, she was asleep for a little, then sat up!  When I went over to see what she needed, she pulled me in for a hug ❤️  Then Kyle walked in, so he got a hug too!  It was amazing seeing Riley be Riley for the first time in days.  I got really teary!  She was able to resettle and go back to sleep.

They are hoping to start PT with her tomorrow, and hopefully start to reintroduce food.  Great steps forward for our Riley girl!  Still a lot of hurdles to get through, but she's got great support and a lot of prayer!  So proud of the steps forward she's taking every day, no matter how small or big.  She's a miracle!