Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and today Erica and I are thanking God for all of you. You've prayed for Mercy, loved our family well, and encouraged us on this marathon rollercoaster. I'm so thankful you're with us.

Mercy is doing somewhat better, we still aren't sure what is holding up her intestines, but after a second lower GI contrast test we again believe it isn't Hirschsprung's Disease. She's on low-flow oxygen and is looking comfortable. Praise God!

That said, there have been two paths from the beginning that could explain Mercy's issues. One possibility is that she's just small and needs to mature. The second path is that there's an issue that will need intervention of some kind. Now that Mercy is over 38 weeks gestation, it's increasingly less likely to be path #1.

We still don't know what the issue is. To get some new eyes on her, we're in the process of transferring her to Lurie Children's. They have intestinal specialties that could be very helpful as we figure out what's going on, and we're eager to complete the transfer so that the Lurie team has time to get to know Mercy.

Getting her transferred, however, has been really frustrating this week. It's been challenging to navigate the insurance/hospital admin journey - it's not as straightforward as the Evanston to Park Ridge transfer last month. We're hopeful - and praying - we can sort it tomorrow.

For today, I get to hold her and enjoy her. I'm thankful she's here, that she has no suction tube, that her PICC line pain seems to be subsiding, that her hemoglobin is rising, that she's breathing well, that she's here.

From Park Ridge Lutheran, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!