Weekend Update

Since I updated our move to 15 from my blackberry - I thought I would throw in some pictures from our last few hours in CV ICU and then Elle's Animal Print Friday outfit.

Hanging out with nurse Elizabeth before leaving CV ICU (Elizabeth was the primary for the baby that was next to us in the NICU - we spent many long nights when Elle was first born talking with Elizabeth...and eating all the candy she used to keep in the NICU!)

Elle's new hat..it is still a little big...

Animal Print Friday!

Friday night was the longest night EVER! Our poor nurse was taking care of 5 patients - too many patients to do a good job. It was a frustrating night for us - but it all worked out ok in the end. Saturday morning the doctors came in and the plan for the day was to decrease Elle's oxygen and change up her feeding schedule to get her back on her regular feeding schedule. Her surgeon also came in and the first thing he said was "this girl's on a trip - we need to get her off these meds." I am so glad he said that - when he came in - he sat right next to Elle and she wouldn't make eye contact with him. She had been given methodone about an hour before he came - so she really was out of it. She was staring at the ceiling and in la la land. So they also decided to slowly go down on her pain medicines. Thankfully, the swelling in her tongue went down over the day. We're not sure what it was that caused her to constantly have her tongue sticking out and to be blowing raspberries. I was throwing everything at the doctors - thrush, allergic to medicines, side effect from methodone and adavan, something she got through the milk, side effect from being off the breathing tube, a tooth coming in...everything. They had no idea - it could have been any number of things. Physical therapy and occupational therapy came in and did evaluations. When the occupational therapist came in to give Elle the bottle - Elle would have nothing to do with it. The therapist thought that now would be a good time to try Elle out on baby foods - so she asked the doctors and they agreed. Whoo hoo for baby food! Physical therapy came in for a bit on Saturday just to give us some ides to work with Elle on strengthening her neck/head control doing things other than tummy time. Because of having open heart surgery - she can't do tummy time for 6 weeks. The therapist gave us some good ideas to work on. She is coming back on Monday to work with Elle.

One of the nurses in CV ICU is a huge Alabama fan. She was our nurse for a day when Elle was first born and then again this most recent visit to ICU. It was so great to see her and talk to her again while we were there last week. Some how we got on the topic of tutus and she told me that she knew how to make them and would show me how. Sure enough, she came into our room yesterday with red and blue toole, elastic (already measured to Elle's size) and scissors. She showed me how to make the tutu and I was off. I had so much fun making Elle's tutu - it made the day pass by so much more quickly! Elle was decked out in her tutu for the start of the Ole Miss - Vandy game. I can see many more tutus in this little girls future! The Lord has definitely blessed us by putting some amazing people in our path.

Playing with her balloons on Saturday

Sunday was a gloomy day outside and a great day for napping inside. The doctors made rounds late today and decided to change Elle's pain medicines from going in through the iv to going in through her feeding tube. They also bumped up her feeds. One of the surgical nurses came in later this afternoon and removed the last few stitches from where Elle's chest tubes and pacing wires had been. We also got a visit from one of our favorite surgical nurses, Carmen. She said we are close to going home. She works tomorrow and then not again until Friday and she is hoping not to see us when she comes into work on Friday. I couldn't agree more! Elle is very slowly returning to her old self. I think her throat is still pretty sore from being intubated for so long. Her voice isn't back to normal yet but she is starting to get a little more life back into her. She spent a good part of the day yesterday playing with her balloons and today she got to experience bananas for the first time. It was pretty funny to watch her experience a new food for the first time. She only took a few bites but I think she liked it! Hopefully I will get some more footage tomorrow of Elle eating!

We're still praying for poop. I hate having to depend on medicines to help her go to the bathroom when it could be medicines that are hindering her from going! Our prayers are continuous for our little lady! We pray that each day may be better than the day before!