4th Birthday Photo Session

4th Birthday Photo Session

Monday, August 23, 2010

Surrounded By Family!

Andi is currently soaking up the love of her grandparents, whom traveled all day yesterday to be here with her.  They are taking turns holding and talking to her.  Last night, she had the love of her other set of grandparents, whom live here in town.  She is a very beloved little angel.  We've encouraged our friends and family to come spend some time with her, as after her surgery, we will be unable to hold her for a few days.  She will be intubated for the first few days.  She will have tubes, wires, a central IV, maybe another PICC line, all will make holding her very difficult and honestly, scary.  From the surgery, she will spend a few days in the ICU.  "It depends" is the general answer we get to most questions of timeline.  As "it depends" on Andi, it depends on how quickly she recuperates.  When she's stable enough, we'll move to one of two places in this hospital.  One option we've lived in for a few weeks and the nurses know us well, especially after we brought them banana bread still warm from the oven.  The other option is the last remaining hospital section we have yet to stay in... if we go there, we'll have hit every floor, every wing, every option this luxurious resort has to offer.  There's something for her resume!  The surgery will take 5-8 hours, although "it depends" on Andi how long it takes.  From our other surgeries, it was true that the person with the most time-consuming job was the cardio-anesthesiologist -- the one that puts her asleep for the surgery, yet is very cognizant of her heart defect and vitals.  We've been told that person has the most difficult job.  However, in this surgery, I would think it's the one or two actually working on her heart.  I'm sure all are equally difficult.

Today, we are awaiting the pediatric surgeon nurse practitioner, whom is apparently a G-Tube specialist.  Andi's G-Tube is leaking, and even more since some kid from surgery came up last night and inflated her balloon a skoosh more.  The bean has thrown up a few times since, and cries with a little 'ouch' to her cry.  It honestly sounds like she's saying 'ouch'.  Luckily for us, she "performed" this very act while the Dr's and med students were in her room for rounds.  I like it when she demonstrates something for them that I've babbled about trying to explain.  Makes us the perfect tag-team duo -- the next great mother-daughter act! 

The other people we're hoping will stop-by today are the surgeon's whom will work on her heart.  There's a consent form that I have to sign, and they usually review the procedure, the risk's, the recovery, the whole synopsis.  It will be nice to put names & faces to someone other than what our cardiologist stuck in my head, an Australian and a Dane, both with accents. 

In the meantime, the grandparents are reunited with the bean and loving on her.  They're watching her O-sat's and asking politely that she increase them when they dip.  It's what I do as well, and find humor in the realization that they are doing it too.  Ah, Poppa B and Ginga are here.  Makes me feel better for sure, being surrounded by our family.

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