The twins have figured out that their baby sister is here to stay and it's been fun watching them grow every so slightly attached to her. They've also become attached to her stuff. The odds of Stella ever getting to sit in her own bouncy seat or bumbo are slim. But Ellie does an excellent job taking care of her babies like Mommy, and Connor does an excellent job making noise and ensuring no one sleeps soundly :)
In Love with Baby Wearing ;)
Meanwhile, Stella is doing great! Every other week we visit the cardiologist for a check up and her doctors are thrilled with her weight gain and oxygen saturations. As she approaches her three month birthday it's time to start preparing for the next open heart surgery (the Glenn). Ahead of the Glenn Stella will have another echo, EKG and then a Cath to determine that she is indeed ready for the surgery. As of now the Cath is scheduled for March 28, and then the Glenn on April 12th. We are told the average hospital stay for a Glenn is about one week - barring any complications. We pray Stella's recovery will be as remarkable as it was after the Norwood and she will be back home in no time.
Once her second surgery is complete, we can all sigh a breath of relief. The "interstage" period will officially be over and Stella can be treated more like a normal baby. No more weighing her every morning or checking her O2, and no more freaking out every time she sneezes or sweats more than usual. We can try and live like a typical family, take her places, and say goodbye to the doctors for a while. Will I still spaz out about her all the time? YES. There is always a chance she could get sick or her heart could deteriorate. We will pray that she remains healthy and her body continues to handle a single ventricle heart, but recognize that we might not be that lucky. If all goes according to plan, after April Stella won't need another surgery until she is 2 or 3 years old. So have I wrapped my head around another open heart surgery? Nope. But am I ready to have it behind us? YES!
And we remain very hopeful that after the Glenn, Stella will take a bottle! Feeding is the only area she has failed to progress and while it has been frustrating, it isn't the end of the world. For whatever reason, bottle feeding makes her uncomfortable and she now gets visibly agitated when we try to get her to eat. I wouldn't say I've given up, but I try less and less and am just grateful that we have the option to feed her with the NG tube. We are told that she should "come alive" after the next surgery and that is when most HLHS babies are able to be completely bottle fed. FINGERS CROSSED and prayers are welcome!
Once her second surgery is complete, we can all sigh a breath of relief. The "interstage" period will officially be over and Stella can be treated more like a normal baby. No more weighing her every morning or checking her O2, and no more freaking out every time she sneezes or sweats more than usual. We can try and live like a typical family, take her places, and say goodbye to the doctors for a while. Will I still spaz out about her all the time? YES. There is always a chance she could get sick or her heart could deteriorate. We will pray that she remains healthy and her body continues to handle a single ventricle heart, but recognize that we might not be that lucky. If all goes according to plan, after April Stella won't need another surgery until she is 2 or 3 years old. So have I wrapped my head around another open heart surgery? Nope. But am I ready to have it behind us? YES!
And we remain very hopeful that after the Glenn, Stella will take a bottle! Feeding is the only area she has failed to progress and while it has been frustrating, it isn't the end of the world. For whatever reason, bottle feeding makes her uncomfortable and she now gets visibly agitated when we try to get her to eat. I wouldn't say I've given up, but I try less and less and am just grateful that we have the option to feed her with the NG tube. We are told that she should "come alive" after the next surgery and that is when most HLHS babies are able to be completely bottle fed. FINGERS CROSSED and prayers are welcome!
So that's what is on the docket around here! In the meantime we'll continue to add more rolls to our little chunk of lovin. As always, some recent pics of the chaos.
In Love with Baby Wearing ;)
Queen of Hearts!
Ellie Loves Her Morning Milk in the Bumbo
Happy Birthday, Connor and Ellie!
Rolls on Rolls - Clearly Not Starving
Such good news all round! Sorry I missed you last week, but look forward to getting together after the Glenn!
ReplyDeleteSending prayers, prayers and more prayer along with our love,
Aunt Mitzi and Mark
I was so excited to see the post and hear all the good news. Your family is continuing to travel the path of life and grow!! Wow, the twins are 2 years old. That will really make life exciting. Stella is a lucky little girl to have such fun siblings. Looking forward to good news after the cath on 3/28 and then the Glenn in April. My prayers continue to be with Stella and your entire family!
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