Not much new, for once!!

He is officially off of ECMO and doing well. He kept getting bumped b/c he was non-emergent, but at about 3:30 yesterday afternoon, they took him off. We were so amazed that he was off after just one week, especially considering we didn't think he would be able to go on ECMO to begin with.

He is on the ventilator, and probably will be for a while. I would imagine at least until they get the liver back in the abdomen. Dr. Rouse told us the liver was still "firm" yesterday when they checked, so it would likely be 4-7 days before they could put it back in. He had a good night. His O2 levels stayed normal with 50% O2 support from the ventilator. They will likely wean him some more from the ventilator over the next few days, but gradually. Our understanding of what the "50%" support means is this: The air we breathe from our surroundings is usually 21% O2, so he is getting 30% more from the vent. He is breathing at a rate of 44 per minute, as regulated by the machine.

Please continue to pray - it is obviously working!! All along, we have had a Guardian Angel (a gift from Bill and Marty Keim) in his bed. Grandma Maggie, Aunt Brooke and Aunt Kaci found a beautiful cross that said "Believe in Miracles" on one side and "Believe in God" on the other side. It is so appropriate in any situation, but especially in this one. We are trying to figure out a way to safely hang it at his bedside. We have never asked "why" throughout this whole ordeal, but I would have to say with all of the lives Gabriel has touched and all of the faith he has either strengthened or restored, we know the answer.