More Visitors!

Annabel had some more visitors today. Mommy's best friend brought her whole family by to see little Annabel. The Havins Family travelled from Wichita Falls and they were kind enough to bring MeeMaw Polvadore with them. MeeMaw is going to stay with us for a bit and lend a helping hand.



From left to right, starting with the back row: Jorge, Riley, Brian, Carrie, Taylor, Becca, MeeMaw, Annabel, Chase.

Still Smiling!

Just wanted to share a few pics of Annabel from this last week. The little stinker still manages to smile and talk even when she's not feeling so great. Beautiful!

Annabel update

On Labor Day, Annabel had a "spell".  It was the first time mommy or I noticed any breathing complications since she's been with us.  Her color never changed, but we could tell she was working hard to breathe and she was retracting, that is, her chest and ribs were visibly sinking in while she breathed.  Later that day, it subsided and we were relieved...temporarily. 

 

On Thursday 9/10, the retractions started again, but this time it was accompanied with nasal congestion.  We called our doctor (cardiologist) and her recommendation was either to sit back and "let nature take it's course" (I have a few problems with this, but won't go into it now) or take her to the ER at Cooks Children's Hospital.

 

I had a lot of trepidation about taking her to the ER.  I think mommy and I just assumed her heart was the cause of the retractions and weren't sure what to expect at the hospital.  We don't want our baby to have to deal with trachs or being intubated.  That's just not what we want for her at all.  I finally decided to call Cathy, Annabel Grace's mom.  Annabel Grace has T18 and is 4 years old.  If there was anyone who could give me some advice, it was definitely Cathy.  Cathy was so pleasant and helpful and gave me some reassurance that as parents, we are in control of Annabel's care.  She let me know that the retractions can be a result of her heart, or any number of respiratory issues and that a trip to the ER could help rules things out and answer a lot of our questions.

 

Well, later that Thursday, mom and I packed up and drove the 20 miles in the rain to downtown Ft. Worth.  I dropped my girls off at the ER entrance and told them I would park and rush right back to join them.  The staff at Cooks are great, and as soon as they noticed a little baby was waiting to be seen, they hurried them back to triage.  I eventually caught up as they were hooking Annabel up to the oxygen sensor.  She was at 100% oxygen saturation so that made me feel pretty good.  After they took her to a room, they sucked some boogies from her nose and tested for RSV -  result was negative.  Then they x-rayed her chest and they showed no signs of fluid in her lungs.  In the end, the fine Dr. that was seeing us let us know that we were dealing with nasal congestion and prescribed an infant nasal spray to administer every 6 hours.  The spray helps break down the mucus and then we use the suction thingy to remove it from Annabel's nose.  She hates that part :( 

 

I think that a lot of babies suffer from congestion, but the doctor made it clear that since Annabel is tiny and suffers from low muscle tone, as all T18 babies do, that no one can predict how things will turn out.  All we can do is continue to take care of her, clear her airways, and pray for the best.

 

That pretty much sums up the last 8 days of our lives.  We'll post more pictures soon.

 

J

Annabel is in a good mood today!

Watch out for the spit bubbles!

Happy 4 month birthday, sweet Annabel!

Tonight Mommy and Daddy celebrated Annabel's 4 month birthday. Her special present this month came in the form of a delicious cake given to her by her nurse Kerri.

Happy birthday, baby girl.

Sweet Message

My mom just told me to read this message that was on another Trisomy 18 blog. I read it and it is so sweet that I want to share it with everyone that checks on Annabel. I know that Jorge and I were blessed with Annabel for a reason. We may not know the actual reason just yet, but I believe we get closer to discovering the reason day by day. She has changed our lives in so many wonderful ways!

THESE MOMS SHARE SPECIAL GIFTS

by Erma Bombeck

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures, and a couple by habit. This year, nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger.

"Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint Matthew. Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, patron saint Cecelia. Rudledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."

Finally he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."

The angel is curious, "Why this one, God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," says God. "Could I give a handicapped child a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But has she patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she will drown in a sea of self pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has his own world. She has to make him live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think that she even believes in you."

God smiles, "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."

The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"

God nods, "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says Momma for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her blind child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations."

"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice...and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."

"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, pen poised in midair.

God smiles, "A mirror will suffice."

Good News!

Annabel weighs 6 pounds and 7 ounces! Yay! Dr. Z was very pleased with her weight gain and total growth and development. We don't have to see the doc again until Annabel is six months old. She got her second round of shots today and of course she didn't like that one bit! She cried in the office and a little on the way home. Now she's just resting and taking it easy. Take a look at the big band-aid on her (now) chunky thigh! Way to go, Annabel!

Little BIG girl!

Annabel holds on to her binky like a big girl now! Sometimes she pushes it out on accident...but sometimes she manages to put it back in, too!




We have some exciting events coming up: tomorrow we see the pediatrician and on Sunday we celebrate Annabel's four month birthday! We will update the blog after the appointment tomorrow, so check back in tomorrow afternoon to find out how much the little stinker weighs now!