Scheduled

MUSC Children's Hospital called last Wed. to schedule Emma's surgery. It will be Thursday, March 26, but of course we don't know what time yet, hopefully early in the morning since she will have to fast for 8 hours. We do have to go down on Tuesday since she will have 4-5 hours of pre-op on Wed. morning & we will also get to meet the surgeon who will be working on Emma. We have also been put on a waiting list to stay in the Ronald McDonald house while we are there, which would help a lot with the expenses since we will be there at least 1 week.

Emma also went for her RSV shot on Wed & she weighed 10 lb, 13 oz, so she gained 9 oz in 2 weeks. We are very glad that she is continuing to gain but her Pediatrician is still concerned that she isn't gaining at the rate she should be. Emma does have a follow up appointment with her Pediatrician & Cardiologist next week so we can discuss her weight issues with them both then.

Adoption update

If you remember we put our adoption contract on freeze last June due to me being pregnant & it was to last for 9 months. Well the 9 months runs out on March 2 & I was starting to get concerned that we wouldn't be able to divide our time, mind or hearts between adopting a baby & Emma's current health issues, so we contacted Lifetime. I wanted them to be aware of what was going on with Emma & see if they had any advice for us. So Chris called them last week & told them Emma had a heart condition that would require surgery in the next few weeks & possible more surgeries in the future. They offered us an extention to our frozen contract without question. They extended it 6 months (till Sept) & said we could extended again if need be.

I am very relieved & thankful that Lifetime is working with us. They totally agreed that we need to be focused on Emma & her health.

Heart Cathe Update

Emma did go to MUSC Children's Hospital in Charleston & had the cathe done, she did great. It only took them about 1 1/2 hours & she didn't have to stay overnight. She was discharged by 5pm the same day.

We did find out that Emma is going to need surgery in the next 2-4 weeks. The VSD's (holes in her heart) are pumping too much blood to the lungs & causing the lungs to have 4 times as much pressure as it normally would. So it is as if Emma is running a marathon 24 hours a day & that is why she is burning off so many calories, her little heart & lungs are working overtime.

So the surgery they have planned will be inserting a band around her pulminary artery to reduce the pressure to her lungs. This band is temporary while they wait & see if the VSD's in her heart close on their own. She will wear the band from a few months to up to her 1st birthday, it all depends on how she grows, gains weight & if/when the VSD's close.

Emma will be in the hosptial for about a week & the surgery will be done in Charleston at MUSC. They have one of the best Children's Hospitals in the country & the Pediatric Heart Center has some of the best technology available. The staff we encountered while we were there on Tuesday were outstanding & I know they will take good care of Emma.

Emma nappying yesterday with her Glow Seahorse, her favorite toy. It helps her go to sleep almost every night & she just love it.

3 months old, belated

Emma turned 3 months old this past Saturday & I decided I wanted to have professional pictures made, so that is what we did. She did great even though we were there for 2 hours & they took a ton of shoots. Overall we were pleased with the shoots they showed us & ended up spending more than we had planned but I love the poses we chose. They actually gave us a CD as a part of the package we bought & I will post our favorite.

Emma is now laughing out loud & Chris says she sounds like Woody Woodpecker but its really cute. She is kicking her little legs all the time & I wouldn't be surprised if she rolls over soon. Right now she is on the floor playing underneath her gym & she has almost done a complete 180 due to all the kicking she is doing.

This is our favorite. Look at that sweet little smile.

Weight Check

Yesterday Emma went & had another weight check & she is finally over the 10 lb mark. She came in at 10 lbs 4 oz, which is only a 4 oz gain in 9 days. We are all very glad she gained but it still isn't as much as she should have gained. Her pediatrician is really eager to hear what her heart cathe will reveal next week & if it comes back with no major abnormalities she plans on running additional tests to try to find the cause of her lack of gaining weight or even changing her formula again.