Hanging in there

It was a long day. Ups and downs. The nurses and I helped clean Elizabeth up and washed her hair with a special shower cap that is filled with soap that doesn't need rinsing. Just put it on her head and massage. Then I brushed her hair, the nurse braided it and she sat up in a chair for awhile. She ate a popsicle that was mashed up in a cup and mixed with Sprite. Then she threw up. I got her comfortable and then went back to the hotel room for a shower and 2 hour nap. I was gone from 11AM to 2:30PM. She was so happy that I came back. She hates being without me. A fellow triplet mom friend of mine that lives near here came to visit with us for 5 hours today. I think that is how long she was here. I lost track of time. She is great. Her visit was a nice distraction for both of us. She even got a couple smiles out of Elizabeth (at my expense because my sweet daughter was telling Becky about my snoring) I don't' snore.
They were finally able to feed Elizabeth this afternoon. They are dripping formula into her feeding tube very slowly. She has only thrown up a couple ounces. It's the first real nutrition she has had since Sunday. THey hope the feeds will get her digestive tract moving again. She doesn't want to be hooked up to the vent tonight. She is putting off going to sleep for the night because she really is trying to avoid the ventilator. The docs just worry that if she falls into a deep sleep, she will not breathe enough on her own. We will see.
I feel like I've been rambling. I'm quite tired so my writing is not flowing. The nurse just poked her head in to say that Elizabeth must be put back on the vent overnight. The doctors said the vent helps keep her lungs open even if it is only for 6 - 8 hours a night. They will give her the anti-anxiety drug and the fentanyl which will make her sleep and she won't care so much about the vent.