(3,526 grams or 7 lbs. 12.4 oz.)

Well you're not going to believe this, but I spent most of the afternoon at room air (21 percent oxygen). Mom and Dad have never seen me oxygenate so well. They were able to wean down my vent settings quite a bit and if all goes well, hopefully I will be able to come off the vent by Saturday. The secretions from my ET tube (vent tube) are growing something. They aren't sure what it is but they suspect that it could be viral pneumonia. What ever it is isn't giving me too much trouble as I'm doing much better than I was. The doctors aren't sure whether the problems I was experiencing earlier in the week were an infection or simply pain from the laser surgery I underwent. Nonetheless, everyone is relieved to see that I'm bouncing back. Dr. Carver (eye doctor) came back to check up on me tonight. He said that my eyes look the same as they did last week (which he was pleased with). Although he has cut off the source that produces the growth hormone in my eyes and causes the blood vessels to branch uncontrollably, we have to wait for my body to use what it has already produced. There is still about a 20% chance that my retina could detach which would cause blindness (and more surgery to prevent it.) Chances are, however, that it will work itself out.