Doing Well!

Hi everyone! So, Elena has been home for almost a week now and she is doing great! Here are some of the changes that have been happening since her surgery last week.

CHANGE 1: Elena has WAY more energy now than before.

CHANGE 2: She has finally found her lunges. Not sure if that is a good thing or not...she's definitely LOUDER than she used to be.

CHANGE 3: She finally has the energy to actually have tantrums.

CHANGE 4: She's eating more! YAY!

CHANGE 5: She has the energy now to do things like keep herself upright (mostly) and do other things that have to do with her milestones at this stage.

Sooooo, all in all, I am SO thankful for her progress and the increased life and appetite she has but this is an adjustment to say the least. I'm realizing I have a lot of unraveling of spoiled behavior to do but I would rather love my child too much than put too much strain on her little heart while she wasn't able to function at full throttle.

Thank you all for everything. If you would like to stay involved and updated about our family and what our little one is up to, please follow my family blog "The Not-So-Secret Life of "Mom"" at http://theresnobusinessliketheesplinbusiness.blogspot.com/

(I haven't really started it yet but will soon!) H

Happy Posting!

Leaving Today!

They say we can go home today! Yay! It's been a long morning with Elena getting really ticked at one point because the Ibuprofen just wasn't enough but then she got the good stuff and went off to sleep for about 20 minutes...O.o

I was finally able to go get some breakfast about a half hour ago and am in need of a nap BADLY but at least it was because she has started to eat more...even if it has been in the middle of the night. I guess no more solid nights for a little bit. :(

 OVERALL!

We've had a pretty good time during our stay helping little girl and joking with the nurses. Elena has especially enjoyed being famous around the ward. Inevitably, a different group of nurses not assigned to her came in to see the "incredibly adorable baby" each day. ;) The funny thing is, every time they came, I usually happened to be in the bathroom.

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We've got the papers! Now all we have to do is pack up and we are OUT OF HERE!!

Just a side note, we are going to wait on visitors at home for a couple of days because she is still recovering and susceptible to exposure. We would like to keep our place as sterile as possible but we are going to come to church for sacrament. Please no touching and keep your distance if you're sick. ;) We will have a sign on her carrier to remind you! Thanks!

Central Line Removed

They took out the central line! It was the one they had in the right side of her neck and probably the most uncomfortable since it was stitched onto her neck to keep it from moving. She's still recovering right on track so now we're just waiting for tomorrow morning. :)

Just About in the Clear!

Just before the meeting this morning, the surgical PA examined Elena's drainage tube as well as her output and confirmed that it was ready to come out! So, the nurses gave her some morphine and the surgical PA took out the tube as well as the defibrillator wires. She was really fussy (understandably so) for couple of minutes but then she was happy as a clam.



During the meeting, they discussed her status and were thinking that she might be out by tonight but they decided to keep her over-night just to be safe. So, for now we are looking at being released tomorrow morning.

 

 "No pictures please!"                    "Yes? Do you want something?"      

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 Just met with a physical therapist to receive instruction on the proper way to pick Elena up and how to handle her for the next 6-8 weeks. We are suppose to treat her like any other baby, but we are not allowed to pick her up from underneath her arms. She will gauge when she is ready to do things so if she rolls on her own, sits up on her own, plays well (all without wincing) then she is ready to do it!

On another note, the therapist was impressed that she was sitting up and reaching for things and playing with them with no problem. :D

For now, we're going to see how the next 24 hours go and try to get her to eat more. She still eats like a bird. :P Silly girl. 

Latest News...

Another tube has been detached! Not yet removed because it is part of a major IV that contains two lines but yeah, one step closer! They are currently checking her drainage tube to see her progress.

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Alright, they checked it and are going to leave it in for another day. The output is just a little too high for it to come out just yet. As of right now, they are projecting her release for Saturday. Fingers crossed!

Daily Update

Juliana ended up snuggling and napping with baby Elena so that's why this update is so late.

Elena had her wrist IV removed (now her hand isn't a club anymore), and with any luck, her drainage tube will be removed later on today. Apparently, the drainage tube was the most uncomfortable part of recovery.

~Thomas

"Feed me Semore!!"

She just drank 5 ounces of formula from a bottle on her own!!