Slow and Steady

Those are the new words we're hearing and they are much easier to hear. Luke is much more stable now and is showing very slow and steady improvements and that is going to be the story for a long time. The doctors have taken a look at everything and since he's been doing fairly well on the settings he is currently at, even though they are on the high side, they're going to pretty much leave him alone for awhile and just watch his progress.
It's basically going to come down to time, which seems to be what he needs. His lungs still have a lot of developing to do and so while the doctors like to try and ween him off the machines a little quicker, sometimes with premies like Luke, they just need more time. And we're fine with that. If time is all he needs, that is a nearly limitless medicine. There are still concerns with long time side effects of prolonged exposure, but if he continues to show this slow and steady improvement and growth, he should be ok.
They've taken him off of the antibiotics that they were giving just in case of the pnemonia, which has been ruled out for now, so he's only on basic nutrients and one medicine twice a day that helps him continue to urinate well, which helps eliminate any build up of fluid in the lungs.
So just as the famous tortoise in his race with the hare, slow and steady will be Luke's approach to the finish line. Please continue to pray as we will and we'll do our best to keep everyone updated. Thanks again to everyone.