Progress!

Our little over achiever has come a long way since her open heart surgery - I can't believe it has been a week since she had her Norwood procedure. Aside from the initial complications, she has been on a really smooth trajectory the past few days and we are so grateful! As of now, the majority of the lines and tubes have been removed from her fragile body. After a failed attempt earlier in the week, the team was able to get a PICC line in her arm yesterday and are on track to remove the tubes from her torso today! And, she has begun to eat!!! She is being fed very slowly through a tube in her nose, but is tolerating it quite well. Time to plump those cheeks back up!

Yesterday her doctors had noticed some haziness on her chest x-rays and ended up draining fluid from her right lung (poor girl) - but hopefully this will enable her to breath even easier as she comes off of the ventilator. We had been told that could happen as early as today but as of this morning, she wasn't quite ready. The new goal is TOMORROW, so please keep her in your prayers! I can't wait to see those chubby cheeks without a tube and tape across her face!

We are doing our best to balance life at home for the twins while spending as much time with Stella as possible - which is physically impossible since all we want is to be in both places at once. We are trying to focus on the positive and celebrate Christmas with grateful hearts for all God has brought us through this week. I'd be lying if I told you I'm excited about waking up in the Cardiac ICU on Christmas morning ... or that I don't get angry that MY child has to suffer and is stuck in an impossibly small hospital bed instead of spending the day being spoiled by her siblings and cousins. But we are praying for comfort and quiet this season - and to spend it at HOME next year.

Stay tuned later today or tomorrow - hopefully Miss Stella will excel as they turn down the final ventilator settings and we will get to see all of her gorgeous face! Keep fighting, baby girl! Merry Christmas Eve!