Here is what has happened in Iowa City so far:

Jackson was able to stay on a standard ventilator on fairly reduced settings until Sunday evening.  He began to have a few “spells” that made his blood gas numbers go in the wrong direction.  They have since given him another dose of surfactant to help his lungs properly “flex” (Surfactant is a substance that babies begin producing around 30 weeks) they also put him on the “jet” ventilator – this is much like the high frequency vent that he was on at Mercy.  The Doctor called this their  “growth vent” that they typically put micro-preemie babies on to help them grow.   After putting him on this vent, they slowly lowered the settings to where Jackson liked them, as well as getting the blood gas numbers where the doctors wanted them.  Both of us are a little disappointed that he was not able to stay on the standard vent, but we know what they are doing is for his benefit.

Sunday Jackson had a test to see where there might be a leak in his urinary system and an ultrasound to see if there was any further detail they could get.  Basically we found out that the junction between his bladder and ureter (tube that connects kidney to bladder) has ruptured, and urine is leaking from this rupture into his abdominal cavity (and out through the drain that was placed there Wednesday).  The ultrasound was unable to determine much, as Jackson is still too small for really precise imaging.  Either way, the doctors have the opinion that it is something that Jackson’s body will heal by itself for the time being.   They also told us that this particular issue is a relatively common one for little boys.  They said it is not entirely uncommon for this to happen within the womb and for it to begin to heal on its own before he would ever be born.  They also mentioned that this is not something that was caused by him being born early, but that this would have probably happened if he were still in the womb.  The doctor mentioned that being early may have been a blessing in disguise (for this issue)  as it could have resulted in a much worse outcome if he was still in the womb.  They are still watching his kidney’s, but his creatinine levels have gotten very close to the level they want it to be.  We are feeling confident that the kidney’s are functioning, but want to watch them to be sure they are functioning to their full capacity.

We are both happy to be in Iowa City as the Doctors & Specialists that we’ve talked to really seem to know their stuff.  We are feeling confident that things are headed in the right direction.  We do miss Jackson’s nurses at Mercy, and are looking forward to bringing Jackson to visit someday. 

On a fun note – Jackson has really been opening up his eyes lately.  It’s so crazy to see him look around and look at both of us. 

We feel like God is answering a lot of prayers for us – We are so thankful to all the people praying for us.  We hear about all the people who we don’t even know – from places so far away that are praying for us, and who are following our story.