Good morning everyone!

Lauren had another good night, and is doing just wonderfully here.  She has started to turn her head (expecially when she's aggitated or trying to get her soother).  And we learned something else she can do yesteday morning:  On her ventilator upstairs, there's an access plug in the vent tubes above her trach in case she needs to be suctioned.  If she needs to be suctioned, this plug just gets popped out, and a suction catheter can slide down and remove any obstruction.  Well, I guess Lauren has seen Mom and Dad do this, and the vent makes fun beeping sounds when the plug is out, so, she popped it out while I was changing her!  Little monkey.

I think we're starting to get into a routine, and we're getting the hang of what has to be done, when, and how.  We have to be clean with Lauren because of the vent and trach, there's no real line of defense against bacteria and viruses.  So, our hands now smell like hand sanitizer all the time. 

On a side note for a second here, I went out to Buffalo yesterday and registered for teachers college at Medaille.  I start next month, but thankfully it's only two days a week.  The registration went well, and I definetely feel that I'm going to the right school for what I'm looking for.  It's a very welcoming community, and it's not too far away.  I timed the drive yesterday at 45 minutes.  I believe classes start Jan 17th, so for I'm going to try to enjoy the holidays, because as busy as I am, it'll be the least busy that I'm going to be for a while!

Lauren's off to meet her pediatrician today (Dr. Burger...or is it Berger?) His office is just down the road from us, literally!  We're 83 Vine South, and he's 180 Vine South!  It's only a 5-10 minute walk (depends how long your legs are). Tomorrow, we have an Occupational Therapist coming over to take a peek at Lauren, and Wednesday, we're heading back to Hamilton for a few appointments and probably some visits in the hospital.

I'm off to work in a couple of hours, but I'm going to try to grab a little more sleep now that Lauren has settled back to sleep.  Have a good day everyone, and we'll talk to you again soon.  Thanks again for your never ending thought, love, prayers, and support.