I got me some fiesty girls

So, update on Livi first. She is still stable and doing relatively well, though still "critical". Saturday night on our way to the hospital the nurse called and explained she wasn't doing as well that evening as the previous day as far as getting oxygen through her lungs, so they were putting her on a different ventilator. They have since switched her over to a ventilator that works differently (for those of you with experience, the oscillating ventilator) and she seems to be stabilizing on this machine better. To put her on that machine mostly they give kids a paralytic on a drip because it kind of shakes their bodies gently back and forth--hence oscillating. She is alseep and unable to move now because of the medication, which is nice, because I really don't want her remembering any of this when she gets better. Because she is out of it all the time, Brian and I are cutting back (a little bit) our time at her bedside. She will need us there more when she is awake, so we are trying to rest and be gone more, but it seems like the most unnatural thing in the world to leave your kid on a machine at the end of the day and try to do "normal" things. So, to recap, she is not really doing better in the sense that she has improved, but she has finally hit a plateau and is not seeming to get "worse" anymore, so we are pleased. I promise we will post a pic of this soon, but she is looking SO cute while she is knocked out: the nurses have put pigtails in her hair with ribbons (that get changed out every day) and multicolored barrettes AND hot pink nails. Until we get that pick up, you can gaze on this beauty from before the ventilator last week. This is what we like to call "gowning up" or "keeping your other little one from being admitted to the hospital too"

And Gabs, we have not forgotten you. Happy one month birthday last Saturday! I didn't put you in any cute onesies or have your picture taken by a professional. You're really lucky to be diapered and dressed lately, but don't feel swept under the rug by your sister's drama, we absolutely ADORE you too! You are hilarious and very definitive about your feelings. Your expressions are finding a wider scope but we can't always show people because you refuse to smile when you see the camera. You're still "small" but long and lean and I am so proud of the one fat roll you have in your mid-thigh. You're a great sleeper and an even better eater. You're starting to like hanging out with your parents more, which will disappear soon, so we're hanging onto that hard. We love you, doll. You are such a delight to us! Here are some pictures this week of "not" smiling when the camera comes out