Ella: Day 2

I can't believe Ella is only 2 days old! She seems so much a part of everyone's lives so far, that it is hard to imagine what it was like before she arrived.

Today, Aiden met his sister. Oh yea, baby scrubs!!!

She was intibated last night because her oxygen was dropping low and the doctors have said they will most likely leave this tube in until after her surgery. That's right, she is eligible and ready for surgery. This is extremely exciting. Everyone was worried about her, but her heart rate is steady and she seems strong enough to travel to Palo Alto where she will be stabilized and they will run a few more tests to be sure they know what to expect before surgery, and then she will have surgery next week some time.

She will most likely leave tomorrow with one of her parents on a "life flight". The other parent will fly commercial immediately after.

This brings about another way you can help Chris and Emily. If you have unused airline points that you would like to put towards a ticket for them, let me know. Ella will be there for 4-8 weeks and Chris and Emily need to stay as long as possible, but they will have to fly back eventually and if this surgery is successful, there will be another surgery in 3-6 months. Then there will be another one in about a year or 2. There is lots of flying involved, so if you would like to donate a free ticket, please let me know and I will start coordinating this.

I have a few corrections and things to add to my last few entries. First, Ella has an awesome godmother. Me! I am so blessed. Her godfather has been proven to be a good guy too. It is Fred Landavazo III, my father. Next, Ella was born with an extra rib. I have decided that this is to help protect her from a broken heart. Finally, Emily and Chris are rock stars. They are taking great care of Aiden, Ella and each other. It is a wonderful site to see how they have grown as a family during all of this. I am blessed to have them as my compass in all of this. I would be lost without them and I am supposed to be helping!

The next phase of my help is to set up an online calendar. I will have open dates for watching Aiden, bringing food to them, mowing the lawn, taking care of the pool, checking the mail, etc. We are set for about 2 weeks, while Emily's parents will be here to do most of that, but the calendar will allow you to sign up for what ever you feel comfortable contributing.

Thank you all again for your prayers and support. I have been keeping track of all of them and relaying them to the family. I'll create a book with all of your support and comments for them to refer back to when they need the extra push, so keep them coming.

love,
-maria
on behalf of Christopher, Emily, Aiden and Ella