Peaceful Princess

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 9:40 pm

We apologize for the two-day hiatus. The transition to UAB has been fabulous for Morgan, however exhausting for her parents. We will keep this update as brief as possible, but there have been some great happenings in the past couple of days!

While Morgan is far from being out of the woods, she has continued to improve. We are so thankful for the treatment she is being provided and that her little body is accepting every bit of it. She continues to be weaned off of the ventilator and as her settings get better and better, we are cheering and cheering that Morgan will be off of the ventilator this week and on th C-PAP...for good!

Her recovery from last week's surgery has been up and down, but it seems to be looking further and further up as time passes and her body heals. The results of her echocardiogram show that there is no hypertention in her lungs. As those who follow this blog may remember, that is the main reason Mo was transferred to UAB in the first place. This is major news and ray of sunshine as our hope exudes.

As a result of her improvement, I was able to hold this sweet child for the third time in her six week life. It is a feeling that is beyond any word I could insert. She is so tiny, yet the gravity of her feeling in my arms is so great. Each time, she is placed inside of my shirt and I can feel her soft skin on my chest. As she stretches her legs, moves her arms, breathes and squeezes my skin with her little hands I am magnificantly aware of how this precious child is changing my life. However, I must admit that each movement tickles me to death and I can only grin like a Cheshire Cat and have my first laughs with her. The ordeal of bringing her out of the incubator and placing her in my arms is a bit of a process, much like moving a VCR with all the wires plugged in, but I am so anxious before, during and after to feel her touch.

The past two days have, obviously, been good days for our daughter. We are so thankful and we can see your prayers reaching her little clear cave and healing her 2 pound, 15 ounce body. We can visibly see the sores that scared us of infection healing, we can watch her settings improve dramatically on the ventilator and we continue to dream of having her home to grow up before our very eyes.

As we pray, our focus continues to be on her overall improvement, but more specifically that she will, soon, be able to sustain her improvement off of the ventilator. Further, we pray that she continues to heal from her surgery and that her tiny ten stitches do not enable any type of infection. Also, pray for the entire team at UAB that is taking such wonderful care of our daughter. Finally, we pray that she is able to stay as calm and peaceful as we saw her resting today. It was an amazing sight that alleviated so much for her parents.

Morgan is a precious angel and we are so thankful for her. As I looked at her tonight, I could only think that the positioning of her stitches, on the side of her back, is a simple preparation for where one of this little angel's wings will soon be installed. She is so precious. And all of you, please remind me that I said this when she gets to Junior High.

I will tell a quick story to let you all in on how Morgan has changed our lives and the lives of others. One of the nurse practitioners from St. Vincent's came to visit Morgan tonight. She was so eager to read the machines and TRULY see how Morgan was coming along. She was so optimistic and provided so much relaxation to Elizabeth and me. After our visit, the three of us went to grab a delicious mexican meal and cherish a new friendship. We had margaritas, we laughed and we absolutely enjoyed our time together. We thank Morgan for all that she has done for so many in so little time. We were flowered with stories of how the wonderful people at St. Vincent's continue to follow Mo's journey. It is so special that so many people care. It would be so easy for them to say, "she's not here anymore...hope she's okay." But they are texting, calling, coming to visit and even putting up with my bad jokes at dinner. We are elated for our child and the relationships she has already brought together. And look out UAB Folks...if you guys continue to keep loving on us, you're going to have to put up with us for a long time, too!

Much love to all of you. Thank you for keeping up with Morgan's progress and for your thoughts and prayers.

Seth and Elizabeth McCoin