Jesse A. Schroeder

One month ago, Aleli weighed less than 3 pounds, had dry, red skin, struggled to breathe, and needed the assistance of an I.V., a breathing machine, and phototherapy. Today, she weighs over 4 pounds, needs no externals assistance to breathe, no phototherapy, no I.V., and her skin is a beautiful pink color. She has really come a long way in just a few weeks. 

To celebrate her one month anniversary, Aleli decided she wanted a new kind of crib. Actually, her doctor's finally decided she was ready for a standard newborn crib. But regardless, today she will transition out of her isolette into a standard crib (I'll get pictures later this afternoon and update this blog). 

As we move forward, the reality is that at any given point, Aleli is only 5 days away from being able to go home. However, during those five days, she must eat all of her food by bottle (on her own, without her feeding tube), maintain her body temperature, and have no "spells" (heart rate drop or oxygen level decrease). Right now, Aleli eats from a bottle about every other time she feeds, and sometimes she takes the whole bottle. Other times she only takes about half. The nurses and doctors continue to say they are looking for her to do more, but Kellye and I think they don't always take into account her age and her journey. 

Regardless, we would ask each of you to pray that she begins to eat really well. She needs to be awake, showing signs she is ready for a bottle, and she needs to take her entire bottle during the feeding. If she begins to do this consistently, then we will really be on our way out the door! 

Thank you again to everyone for your support. Your love, prayers and gifts are appreciated beyond what we can communicate through words. We know that in God's economy, he will give back to all of you in a way even more abundant than what you have given us.