Now you see it...

It's finally time! Time to say goodbye to the ng-tube and hello to the g-tube. Lance and I are so excited to be rid of this tube, but I think Abbie is looking forward to it the most, if her constant grabbing, pulling, and clawing are any indication. We go back to Primary Children's tomorrow morning for the g-tube placement surgery. The surgery is pretty simple and quick but we may be in the hospital for several days to make sure that the g-tube is working properly. Anyway, the next time you see us, Abbie's face will be completely tube-free! Wish us luck!

Home Sweet Hospital!

Being back in the hospital brings back a lot of memories for us from Abbie's first few months of life. It seems like such a long time ago that we called Primary Children's our home away from home and I'm so glad that this trip is only a one night stay. Anyway, Abbie is doing awesome and is just resting now so she can get back to her normal crazy self.

Here's how our day has gone: We jumped in the car to head to the hospital at about 11am. Our surgery was scheduled at 1:30pm but while we were driving, we got a call informing us that the surgery was postponed and that we didn't need to be at the hospital until 2pm. So we turned around and headed back home. Finally, we got to the hospital and checked in. We waited in one room, then got called back to check Abbie's vitals and get her dressed in her little hospital gown, then we waited in another room until the surgeon was ready. When Dr. Kaza (our surgeon, who worked with Abbie when she was first born) and the anesthesiologist came to get her at about 4pm and we kissed her good-bye. Luckily, she was asleep when this happened. I don't think I could have handled it if she was crying as we handed her over to the doctors. Anyway, then we waited in another room for 2 hours. Dr. Kaza came in to talk to us when the procedure was finished and told us that Abbie did very well. He also told us that the skin on the spot where Abbie's pacemaker was had eroded and was very thin. He said it was very close to eroding all the way through the inscision scar and something like that would have been catastrophic. He echoed our thoughts when he said that God has a plan for all of us, and He knew that Abbie would need this surgery, even though her parents were trying to avoid it. Then we got to go and see Abbie and go to our room in the Children's Surgical Unit. She has been mostly sleeping and hopefully will continue to sleep through the night. We should be able to leave tomorrow morning sometime and then we'll come back in 10 days to get her g-tube placed and finally be rid of that rotten ng-tube (the one in her nose). Here are some pics of our little hospital diva.

Abbie modeling her hospital gown

Playing with toys, waiting for the surgeon to come

Finally, she gets to rest in peace

Surgery Date

We just wanted to let everybody know that Abbie's surgery is set for Friday, September 18th. We'll be at the hospital most of the day on Thursday for a full sedated echocardiogram, chest x-ray, and lab work to make sure everything with her heart and her overall health is good enough to undergo surgery. We don't know what time the surgery will be on Friday, but hopefully things will go well and we'll only have to spend one night at the hospital. Any thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated!

Time for an Upgrade

It's amazing how small a car can seem when you have to put a bulky carseat in the back, and a big stroller in the trunk. After 6 1/2 months of pushing the front passenger seat all the way up in order to make room for Abbie's carseat, and struggling to push and pull the stroller in and out of the trunk, we decided it was time to upgrade to something bigger.

We put an ad on KSL Cars for our '96 Nissan Sentra and a few days later, got one call, and Lance, our resident salesman, was able to sell it on the first try. The guy didn't even try to get a lower price. I got a little bit sentimental since I've had this car since high school, but we did get time to say our goodbyes. Hehe. Lance helped me feel better by letting me hold the cash for a little bit.

After a little more searching, we found a car that we were both excited about. We ended up getting a 2003 Nissan Altima that has a huge trunk for the stroller and a lot more room in the backseat for me and Abbie.

Just a quick update on Abbie. While the progress she has made with her feeding has been good, it just hasn't been enough. As much as we don't like to admit it out loud, this is going to be more of a long term problem than we had anticipated. Abbie has now had a tube down her nose for almost 6 months and she has let us know, in no uncertain terms, that she does NOT want it anymore. Unfortunately, this means another surgery. Normally the procedure to place a G-tube (a feeding tube that goes through the abdomen directly into the stomach) is very simple and quick, but nothing with Abbie is ever simple! Abbie's pacemaker happens to be right over her stomach so it will have to be moved to the other side of her abdomen. We don't know yet when the surgery will be, but hopefully it will happen within the next few weeks. We're not looking forward to the surgery but I think after she recovers, she will be so happy that she doesn't have a tube down her nose and layers of itchy tape on her face! We'll let you know when we have an actual surgery date.

Abbie riding her new car

Where to Start?

I hate when I get behind on the blog because we have so much to catch up on and then I get overwhelmed and then I put it off because I don't have time to catch up and then there's even more to catch up on because I put it off! Whew! Finally, it's Sunday night, Abbie is sleeping soundly in her crib, and after messing around with blog designs for awhile, I've decided I can't put it off anymore, so here goes!

Over the last several weeks, we've gone to three family reunions! We've had a great time introducing Abbie to her relatives, playing at the park, running around like idiots doing silly relay races, taking Abbie swimming for the first time, and just having fun!

A little hesitant at first, but I think she liked it

We've also been to several doctor's appointments in the last few weeks. We had a cardiology appointment and Abbie is doing awesome! Her oxygen saturation level was 100% meaning her little heart is doing a great job, pumping plenty of oxygenated blood to her body. We don't have to go back for 6 whole months! We're also still seeing a feeding therapist once every two weeks to try to help Abbie learn to eat. We've been trying some solids but she's not too keen on that just yet. She does drink a little bit of diluted formula from a syringe which is good. I'm trying to be patient and concentrate on the progress she has made instead of getting frustrated with the speed of her progress. She's starting to get really aggressive with her tube now and likes to yank it off, tape and all, in the middle of the night. Her poor little cheeks are so red and irritated from her constant rubbing and pulling and our constant retaping to prevent the yanking.

Teasing Mommy by pretending to drink from a bottle

The last doctor's appointment we had was for Abbie's 6 month check-up! Our little baby is growing up! She weighed in at 14 lbs. 10 oz. and measured a little over 26 inches long. She did have to get several shots and she wasn't a happy camper for a few days afterwards. She's keeping up with most of the developmental milestones and is just starting to sit up by herself. She's still pretty wobbly and can't do it for very long but we're working on it.

Abbie showing off her red cheek and her newly acquired sitting skills

Well, I guess that wasn't so bad. I'm sure I've missed some things but this will just have to do. Hopefully it won't take me another month to post again!

Mommy and Abbie ready for church

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was Lance’s 28th birthday! We had spent the previous 3 days at a cabin near Oakley, UT going four-wheeling and jet skiing with my family. This was Abbie’s first ever overnight adventure. I was a little worried that she wouldn’t sleep well in a strange place but she did very well. She loved being up in the mountains with all of the trees. She has a funny fascination with leaves and loves to watch them flutter in the wind. She also loved going on stroller bumpy rides with Grandpa, chillin’ in the hammock with Daddy, and splashing in the water at Rockport Reservoir.



We got home Saturday afternoon and Abbie helped Lance open his presents. Then we dropped Abbie off at Grandma and Grandpa Moss’ and Lance and I went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. We’ve never been there before but the food was great, especially the all-you-can-eat rolls! I accidentally let it slip that it was Lance’s birthday so he got to sit on the saddle while the waiters did a lot of yelling and yee-hawing. Poor Lance! He was a little embarrassed but he was a good sport and even forgave me after a little while! Anyway, I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband who is such a good Daddy to our little girl! We love you Lance! Happy 28th birthday!

5 months old!

I can't believe how fast time is flying! The days go pretty slowly but the months just whiz by. Our little Abbie is now 5 months old! She is doing really well in everything but the eating department. We thought we were progressing for about a week when Abbie started actually sucking on things but now she's kind of regressed to the point that she cries and whines when she sees the bottle, before it even gets to her mouth. Oh well, we'll just keep working. She is throwing up a lot less than she was before which is great! So, in honor of her 5 month birthday, here are 5 pictures of our little cutie!

Our little ballerina!

Helping Daddy with the laundry

Trying her best to enjoy tummy time

She already has a sweet tooth! (Not that she'll eat it, she just wants it because Dad has it)

And finally, one of her few perfectly peaceful moments. What an angel.