Breathing Tube? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Breathing Tube!!

Ladies and gentlemen...Let me introduce to you...Max and his upper lip!!

That's right! Max was extubated today and he looks SO good! As you can see in the above slideshow, he did really well and is now on what is known as C-Pap. This is similar to the ventilator, but Max is now doing all of the work on his own. The C-Pap just keeps his airway open so when he takes his breaths in, it isn't as hard for him. It is also giving him a little extra oxygen!

We are seriously just praising God SO HARD for today. We have been waiting so long for this day to come, and it really could not feel better. :)

The plan is now to get Max some milk and see how his stomach will handle that. We will probably be able to start him with his feeds in the next day or so. He still has a tube going into his stomach pulling all the junk out of there. They need to get that out before they can start putting milk into it.

The nurses have told us that this is essentially the longest part of the CDH journey, but we are praying and hoping that Max can take the milk without any problems. The main issue is that most CDH babies develop acid reflux from having his organs all out of place. Some of these babies gave to have a feeding tube installed (a G-Tube) if the reflux is severe. We are really believing that Max won't have to much of an issue, but there is still a chance.

Other than Max stuff, Claire and I are SO ready to be home. We really miss our family and friends. We were very blessed last night to be given 2 tickets to the Florida Gators opening game. It wasn't really a "game" per say as the Gators CRUSHED Charlston Southern with a 62-3 win.

Ok, let me just tell Arizona something...we do NOT do football the right way!! Seriously, yesterday was SO much more than a football game. We experienced the "Gator Nation" first hand and I think that it is safe to say that we are lifelong Gators fans. Before the game, Claire and I decided that we didn't have the proper attire for the game so we went into the school store to get dressed properly. We ended up with stuff for mom, dad, AND Max!! No joke...I saw this 3 pack of Florida onesies that I just HAD to get for Max....and some UF pacifiers. Oh man...we are hooked. Here are a few pictures from yesterday:

Anyway...that was pretty much the update from yesterday and today. We couldn't be happier and more thankful. We truly are blessed and do NOT take it for granted. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.

Happy Labor Day weekend! Be safe and we will talk to you soon!!!

Jordan and Claire