Glenn Operation - Day 1

8:10 am - My heart was heavy this morning as we sent Addie off. They are getting all her anesthesia and lines ready right now and will update us in about an hour.

9:45 am - It took awhile to get Addie's IV's started, but they have made the incision and she is doing well.

10:40 am - Addie is on bypass now. They are about to start the repair. She is doing good.

11:50 am - Addie is out of surgery, and everything went as planned. We are about to get to see her. We will post more updates after we see her and are settled in.

9:50 pm - Addie has been resting comfortably in the CVICU since about noon today. We were greeted by one of our favorite nurses, Katie, upon arrival here. So glad to have a sweet, familiar face for the first few hours! Addie hasn't gotten her breathing tube out yet but hopefully soon. She is really sleepy so they are just waiting for her to wake up so they can take it out. It has been a long, emotional day, but we are so glad to be on this side of surgery. Dr. Forbess stopped by and was really pleased with how Addie wasn't too swollen, how pink she is, and with her sats. They are running low 90s. They are keeping her pain under control, and she seems to be very comfortable. Hoping for a good night's rest for everyone.

Thanks be to GOD! Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Pre-op - Glenn

Addie had her pre-op appointment today at Children's. It included an x-ray and labs. We had an ECHO and EKG last Thursday so luckily we didn't have to repeat those today. We also met with a surgical nurse practitioner and an anesthesia nurse practitioner to go over the details of tomorrow. Looks like everything is ready to go. We are set to go in at 6 am and the surgery is scheduled for 8:15 am. We will be updating the blog throughout Addie's surgery so for those of you who want to follow, please check back here.

5 months!

Addie was 5 months old on the 16th. My how time has flown. Addie, you are still the best baby. So calm and happy 99% of the time. Smiling at anyone and laughing a lot. You love your big sister so very much, and she loves you too. Your face lights up when Ellie walks in the room and you don't stop grinning until she leaves your sight. Your feet and hands have become your favorite toys. You play with them constantly. You are also pretty fond of your Sophie giraffe. I keep thinking you are getting a tooth because you chew on her so much! Haven't found one yet though. You can sit momentarily without support, drag objects towards yourself, and always turn towards new sounds and voices. What a precious joy you are, Sweet Adeline! 

We had our last clinic appointment today before Addie's surgery next week. Everything went perfectly, and we are good to go for next week as long as Addie stays well. Lots to thank God for today: Addie had a leaky valve that is no longer leaking because of the collateral that was recently plugged in her cath, her last holter showed no pre-excitement which means she might be growing out of her SVT(this is a big one), and she is 13 lbs 3 oz. All in all, a great appointment! 

Dedication

Sunday  was such a special day for our family as Addie was dedicated to the Lord at church. I knew it was going to be super emotional for both Scott and me (and our families) because there was a period of time when we didn't know whether or not we would get to have this moment with Addie. She did great and looked beautiful. Our church family has been so supportive of our family and we were glad everyone finally got to see Addie. We did take her out of the service right when her dedication was over for fear of germs, but those 5 minutes she did get to stay were precious! We also had a bunch of non-Wilshire friends that we wanted to thank for coming. It was a truly special day for everyone involved! God is so good!! 

Too close for comfort

In 16 short days, our precious baby will have her 2nd heart surgery. It already makes me sick thinking about sending her back into something that we have no idea how it will turn out. We have been home for almost 4 months, and it seems like 2 weeks. It really hit me today how close it is when I was grocery shopping. I was buying milk, and the expiration date on the milk I was buying was October 21. Yikes. That is 4 short days before she goes in. I was that weird girl crying in the dairy section. Good thing my eyes have been bothering me so I had my glasses on today and you really couldn't tell. :)

We are dedicating Addie this Sunday at church, and honestly, I wasn't sure we would ever make it this far. She has been such a blessing and has brought us so much joy. It is really exciting for our family. We made it extra special and asked many friends who have loved on our family the last 10 months (and really, a long time before that) to be a part. It should be something extra special for everyone involved. 

As you say your prayers, please say one for Sweet Adeline and our family in the coming weeks. 

4 months!!

Holy smokes, our baby is 4 months!! She looks amazing and is doing amazing. We had a cardiology clinic appointment last Thursday and her 4 month well check yesterday. She checked out well at both places. She only had an x-ray at her clinic appointment and it is still so crazy to see her coiled mammary artery on there. Those platinum coils look bright and huge in her tiny chest. Anyway, I asked a few questions of Dr. Ikemba mostly regarding the next surgery. I asked if we should get an MRI after her surgery to get an idea if her brain was affected at all during surgery. I love Dr. Ikemba because she is so positive. She said this wouldn't be beneficial because of anesthesia risks and would be no indication of how Addie would learn, etc., but I reminded her that this is something that I would like to know in the future if Addie exhibited any signs of delay. We pray that Addie is one of those kids that doesn't have delays (or disablilities) from all her surgeries. At her 4 month well check with our pediatrician, Dr. Linderman, Addie was 25-50% in everything. I looked back in Ellie's baby book and Addie is almost a pound heavier than Ellie at this point. Ellie was a little longer but not much. Addie is on target for everything else (advanced in most things). She got 2 shots and maybe cried 10 seconds. Addie recognizes her name and is a huge fan of her hands and feet. She hasn't rolled over yet, but is still so close. She likes to hang out on her side!  There is a special place in my heart for all of Addie's doctors. I knew Dr. Linderman before I even knew I was pregnant with Addie because she is Ellie's pediatrician. She is an amazing doctor and person. She was so encouraging and had some really kind words to say about our family. We have been so fortunate to have doctors we feel are so personable, comforting, and most of them Christian.

We have a little over a month before Addie's next surgery, the Glenn, on October 25. Please keep our family in your prayers. It is going to be so hard going back to Children's. That place holds so much hope, but it is also the scariest place in the world for me. Right now, I can't imagine being back there. Hopefullly, we will all be prepared for round 2 when it comes time. Until then, we will just be enjoying the happiest babe on the planet!

3 months

Addie was 3 months old on August 16th. She is such a happy baby. Her little laugh is the sweetest sound ever. I feel like I try to make her laugh all day just to hear it. She also loves to be smooched and held. Her favorite time of day is bath time. She is so content in there and just smiles and kicks around. She squeals, gurgles, coos, blows bubbles, can grasp a toy, brings her hands together, and bats at toys. She smiles at the sounds of Scott's, Ellie's and my voices. She is pretty close to rolling over, which is amazing since she wasn't allowed to do tummy time until July 2! Addie is pretty much sleeping through the night, and she might if we didn't have to wake her up to eat once during the night (what a blessing this is since Ellie is still such a non-sleeper). She is such an amazing little girl! Probably the most amazing thing that happened last month was that Addie got her NG tube out August 28. She is making big strides towards eating 3 oz at all her feeds. Addie is thriving! God is good.