Annabelle – Day 27

Annabelle has GREAT news again today (but still some pretty big prayer requests!)

Since the last time I posted, her color looks better and her eyes aren’t quite so dark. They have lessened the frequency of her pain meds so she is awake more and active (kicking her little feet and waiving her arms… SO good to see!)

Her blood pressure has been good now for almost 5 days now, much because she is less sedated and is a little more active, which keeps it up. This is a HUGE success since we’ve struggled so much to keep it in the normal range!

On the not-so-great front, they did an ultrasound a few days ago and found that she has 2 blood clots in her chest. NOT great news. They started her on some medicine for it, but it has to be given as a shot twice a day. They put a port-like thing in her leg so she doesn’t have to be poked every time, though. She’ll have to be on it for 6 weeks… probably even after she goes home (HOPEFULLY she’ll be home by THEN!) Please pray that the medicine does it job and makes the clots go away, and that she has no other complications from them!

They also went ahead and put her on the special formula. 🙁 Good news though, they will only do so for 4-6 weeks (vs. many months which one nurse had told me), then she can go back on my milk and see if she can handle it again. I figure that gives us four weeks to pray that she does!!

Now for my BIG news!

One week ago yesterday, Annabelle was taken off the ventilator in the morning only to be put back on that afternoon when her lung started to collapse and all her #’s were going bad. It was a not so stellar of a day.

But we tried again yesterday, and so far she is doing GREAT! EEEEE! I am SO excited, but I’m also trying to be realistic, because it is not uncommon at ALL for babies to do well for hours then have to go back on. Her lungs have a LOT of work to learn, and with her heart condition, it makes it much tougher (and much more important!) for her lungs to do their job correctly. This morning she’s still doing well, although her breathing/numbers aren’t quite as good as they were last night. Please be praying that she continues to do well throughout the day, though!

AND, I woke up this morning to find that they took another of her chest tubes out, which means she only has ONE left! WOOHOO for that!

Today, we are basking in our little bits of being able to hold and rock her, in her little baby cries that we can finally hear, and just at the sight of her beautiful face!

Oh, and Annabelle LOVES LOVES LOVES her binky, which is a REALLY good sign. Some babies have a heard time learning to suck after having the tube in for so very long, so that she’s going to town on that binky is a really good sign for the future.

Here are some pictures!!!

8/12/10 – Got me some new blankets and a princess hat!

8/13/10 – I’m styling in my new bib today… It’s cause I keep spitting up gunk!

8/14/10 – I kept pulling at the tubes with my fingers, so they socked my hand!

8/15/10 – It’s TUBE FREE day! I dressed up for the FIRST TIME just for the occasion! (her shirt buttons to the side… so we can still style it even with all the tubes!)

EEE! Me without off the ventilator! I’m snoozing comfortably, WOOHOO!

And my aunt Jami came to visit!

Me and my Daddy rocking away! Ohhhh, it felt SO SO SO good for him to hold me again! It had been almost THREE WEEKS since he held me last (night before surgery.)

So, mom got to hold me last Sunday, but still, a week is a long time!

A close-up of my gorgeous face!

I.LOVE.MY.BINKY! (Not to mention snuggling with Mommy!)