Cautiously optimistic...

Well, it's been a full day. Currently it's about 7:30pm and Payton is still extubated and doing well. At round three of trying to get her breathing tube out permanently, we're hopeful but I know I'm pretty guarded in that hope as it's been very disappointing when they've had to put the tube back in. At this point, though, she's doing really well. She's breathing good; her blood gasses look good (getting rid of the carbon dioxide which was a problem on Sunday); and she was even sucking on her pacifier - a very good sign since we'll have to teach her to feed as well. So today... they picked her up at noon to take her to the OR. They took off the dead skin on her neck and put on a wound vac - this is supposed to do a lot to help in healing and helps remove excess fluid there. Then the ENT doctors looked at her passages and everything looks good. Then they extubated her, and she's been okay since then. ENT came up again later in the afternoon when she was more awake to look at her vocal chords, and one side is paralyzed - they'll see if this resolves itself in time or if more attention is needed in the future. So that's where we're at right now. If she's able to remain extubated, there's a good chance that we could hold her tomorrow, and that would be wonderful :).