Nov 17

Audrey had a follow-up visit at the Cardiologist today and she is doing great! At her last follow-up visit she had some fluid in her lungs and had to be put on a diuretic (medicine to make her pee). Her chest x-ray looked better this time so we are able to take her off of the medication. Yay! No more "water-balloon" diapers!

She is also growing like a weed. She gained another 3 1/2lbs in less than a month and is now up to 9lbs 10oz and 21 inches long. With this jump she managed to hop on to the growth chart in the 5th percentile for weight, haha! No wonder people still mistake her for a newborn! Everything looks really good for now, so she doesn't need anymore check-ups until the end of January when she will get another chest x-ray, EKG and echocardiogram (ultrasound picture of the heart).

Audrey has settled into a little routine at home and seems to be getting less fussy by the week. She is smiling a lot now and starting to reach for her toys. She's also exploring her hands in a way that makes me think I'm going to have another little thumb-sucker! Every once in a while I get a little coo from her that makes my day! It is so amazing to watch a baby grow and change from week to week. We are really enjoying each other and Caroline is still very much in love with her baby sister. She likes to run in to check on Audrey in the morning and stand on her tip toes to peek into the bassinet. If she reaches her arm over the top she can touch Audrey's back. Then she loudly exclaims "Audrey move! Audrey wake!". Luckily, Audrey is pretty good about going back to sleep after this affectionate interruption.

I probably won't post anything more on this site, but please feel free to call or email me anytime. I really appreciate all of your concern with everything that Audrey's been through and, of course, I love to brag about my beautiful girls to whomever will listen!

-Linda

23 September - Finally Home

Title says it all! Finally home! Audrey is doing great and her sister and furry brother were thrilled to meet her. More on that later. It's good to be home.

22 September

Audrey's feeding tube came out today! Her pacer wires are out too! That makes NO wires, lines, or IVs left anywhere! We are truly hoping to take her home tomorrow. Here's a picture that I call "the Foussa are coming!"
Much love to all!

21 September

Audrey is finally gaining weight! She weighs in at 5 lbs and 5 oz. She's doing better with the bottle and is nursing well. We are still waiting for the medical staff to see enough progress feeding to release her home. Currently, she's still using the NG tube a little bit, and the doctors want her to take complete feedings on her own before she leaves.
There's not much else to report on really, just eat, sleep, poop, and grow.

19 September

Today was another good day. The last of the IVs was removed, and now, she only has the NG tube and the pacer wires in her body. She is working on eating on her own, and when she can accomplish that, the NG tube will be removed. Right now, she's eating half her food on her own, and the rest is fed to her via the tube. She weighed in at 5 lbs and 4 oz today, which was great! Lastly she is now responsible for regulating her own temp as the heat lamp was turned off. Almost forgot, but she was moved to a "big girl" crib today. Also, apparently Linda endured her screaming "like a banshee" for about an hour today. I say hooray for good lung function!

18 September

Sorry for the missed day, I'm back to work and flying at night.
Audrey is doing well, and it is great to be able to deliver good news everyday. We don't have a time line for when she'll be released, and we don't expect that for a while.
Audrey is now completely off oxygen and her PICC line was removed yesterday. She is still a little uncoordinated with her feedings. Right now, she's eating half her meals, and the other half is being feed to her through the NG tube. Believe it or not, she's meeting with an occupational therapist today to work on her eating.

16 September

More improvements today. Her central line (last tube in her chest) was removed, and she had her stitches taken out of her sternal incision. Additionally, she started eating from a bottle. Linda was even able to hold her for about 45 minutes. She was moved to the "regular" section of the NICU. It definitely feels like Audrey has turned the corner.
We are looking forward to posting even more improvements as they occur.