March 26, 2010

Hope with Grandma & Grandpa Holtz

Grandpa and Hope showing off her new outfit



Out for a walk


My new pink hat (Thank you Jackie!)

More cuddling with Grandpa & Grandma


It has been quite a month for Hope. Hope spent last week cuddling, playing and visitng with her Grandpa and Grandma Holtz who came to visit from North Carolina. They spent lots of time catching up and Hope was so very happy to see them again.

We were all enjoying the beautiful weather last week and Hope didn't want to miss out so we all ventured out for a walk one day. She wasn't too thrilled about having to wear a hat and bundle up but once she got her pretty new pink hat she didn't mind wearing a hat so much. We are all looking forward to the warmer weather so we can take more walks!

We have made a few more trips to Ann Arbor in preparation for the cochlear implants. Hope, Daddy & Mommy met with the surgeon on their last visit. So far there doesn't appear to be anything that would stand in the way of Hope receiving the implant. We are now just waiting for the final insurance approvals. Once we have those, we will have a couple more final appointments (to pick out the actual implant device and to have a final pre-op meeting with the surgeon) and then the surgery should be scheduled within a month after that.

Hope has several appointments this week. The big one is with the pulmonologist. After Hope's last appointment with the pulmonologist they said that if she was doing as well at this appointment as she was at the last, then they would consider lowering Hope's ventilator settings. This is a HUGE step forward; it will be the first time Hope's ventilator settings will have been lowered since she left the hospital. Pray that eveything goes well.

The other big news that Hope has is......HER FIRST TOOTH has popped through! Actually the second tooth popped through just this morning! She is on her way to a mouth full of pearly whites :)

Daily Dose, Sunday March 8

Hope All Dressed Up

Hope had a great day today. She is doing very well breathing on the vapotherm. Although she isn't thrilled about still having prongs in her nose she thinks it's much better than the tube down her throat or the mask strapped to her face. Since she doesn't have those any more her nurse switched her feeding tube from in her mouth to in her nose. It doesn't sound very comfortable to mommy and daddy but the nurses say it's more comfortable for Hope.

Hope continued her breastmilk feedings today and is doing well with them. She is on small amounts right now (only 4mls every 3 hours) but they will slowly increase the amount as she tolerates it. She is still gaining weight steadily, weighing in today at 1790 grams (3lbs 15oz).

Hope cuddled with both mommy and daddy today, which made all three very happy!

Hope's great-grandma Vivian likes to dress up when she feels good so Hope thought that sounded good to her today since she was feeling so good. She put on a pretty pink outfit given to her by her friends Pat and John Durham and she put on a pretty pink hat sent to her by her friend Sierra and Sierra's mom, Penni. Hope (and her mommy and daddy) thank everyone for their beautiful gifts!

Daily Dose: Monday, February 23

Hope: day 78

Hope had a good day today, a quiet day. The report from Mommy said that Hope is still adorable, still in her hat (as you can see in the picture), still adorable, still weights 1520 grams (same as yesterday), and is still adorable.

Apparently Hope really IS the most adorable baby in the world!!!!!

Mommy & Daddy weren't able to spend much time with Hope today because another baby was having some complications so Hope's module was closed. The doctor's rounds allegedly went smooth. After Mommy & Daddy got to get back with Hope she was able to snuggle with Mommy for two hours.

Daily Hope: Monday January 12

Hope: Day 36

For those of you who have waited anxiously for an update, Emily apologizes. Her trip to Indianapolis proved not to be the tropical destination she had hoped for so after making sure that Hope got some bedtime stories from Christmas Bear and Kwanzaa Zebra, she boarded a plane and skipped the country. Emily envied the warm and humid atmosphere of Hope's isolette and so she has decided to spend a few days in sunny Mexico. She has promised Hope that she will bring back lots of new stories about the beach, sun bathing and cute cabana boys. So the blog is being written by a ghost writer (Hope's Mommy) in her absence.

Hope has had a great couple of days. Her nurse weighed her today and she has gained weight! She now weighs 900 grams - a whopping 1 pound 15 ounces!! They have also taken her off of the jet ventilator and moved her onto a conventional ventilator. This is less support for her and means she is getting stronger.

Hope is now getting all of her nutrition from her feedings, no more IV nutrition. She is tolerating her feedings well, which will help her continue to gain weight. All in all, everything is looking really great for Hope and she's making wonderful forward progress.

As you can see, Hope is sporting a new hat today. It's hard to see in the picture but this hat has a cute red flower on the top of it. She thanks Peggy, her wonderful, thoughtful respiratory therapist for this beautiful new accessory!