Its been a long wait as we knew this day would come. A friend told me the extra holes would allow me to let the extra love pour in, and now I figure we will trap it inside forever by closing those holes. It's a day we were anxiously awaiting but never wanting to come. The road has been long and hard, but worth the joy it will bring her in the years to come. Let me start this entry by saying a gigantic thank you to all those who have prayed, danced, cried and supported us through everything our family has endured. We are forever grateful. Daddy and Eleanor are having a laugh after 7 hours of preop appointments. Eleanor was not happy after the testing, but daddy cheered her up before her bath. The calm before the storm... we had a chance to snuggle up prior to surgery Tuesday morning. Eleanor was quiet and calm- straying from her usual early morning business. Surgery began at 7:30 and went until around 12:30 or so. After waiting an eternity, we found out Eleanor did a beautiful job and was already extubated. We went to see her, and were shocked at how strong she was. She had a very uncomfortable first few days. Despite that, she made incredible progress and was ready for the step down unit by day two. Holding her for the first time was INCREDIBLE. ❤️ On day one, she moved to a few oral medications, was taken off heavy narcotics, and we found out her blood pressure (which was high after surgery) began to normalize. She had some bleeding concerns that slowed as well. Look at me opening my eyes so big! Day two was even better. I moved floors and lost a few more IV's. I was more uncomfortable today as I started to become more aware and get less pain meds. But it also brought me my first baba. Mmmmmm I moved to the step down unit by mid day on day two! I'm so strong! but healing is hard work... Im a fighter. It's gonna take a lot of hands to keep me down!!!
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It's hard to believe that our little girl is eight months old today. I look back and her entrance into this world seems so far away, yet it also only seems like yesterday. I remember her quiet little cries and holding her tiny body close to my skin.
Now, she is eight months old. She is strong and doing things that I could never imagine. She crawls like lightning, and stands on furniture and shuffles back-and-forth and try and rip the electronics down. She is full of pep and spunk. She went for the first dip in the pool yesterday, and loved it! This kid is a champion! There isn't anything that can keep her down. This last week, she has started to show signs of affection. She will crawl over and climb up on us and put her head on our chest like she's giving a hug. It is seriously the sweetest thing! I fall more and more in love with her every day. Next week at this time, we will be at U of M Motts for our pre-op appointments. We will have lots of bloodwork, sedated echocardiograms, and will meet with our team. Our suitcases are laid out and we are beginning to pack. Everything is getting very real and the anxiety is building. Even though I know this is something that needs to be done, I'm struggling to choke down the reality that our little girl will have open heart surgery next week. I have nightmares about wheeling her down the hallway with scared eyes, not knowing exactly what's going on and where her mama and daddy are. But she is strong. She is a fighter. She will struggle far less than we will and she won't remember it. We are so grateful that we have friends and family near and far who have prayed for her and sent words of encouragement along the way. I'm not one to ask for prayer, but if there was ever a time... please keep Eleanor and our family in your heart. Pray for our strength to get through this, and for her successful surgery and recovery. We appreciate it so much! We love you guys and will see you when she's healed up and can finally meet everyone! I can't wait to show this girl the whole wide world we've had to hide her from to keep her safe and healthy. Pool party at our house!!! |
AuthorHere we are! Adam, Lauren, Nora, and of course our fur baby Baxter. This is our story. Archives
June 2018
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