Things are going pretty well. We went for a post op and the doctor was pleased with how Kiya is healing. She recently had her six month check-up. She is in the 5% for height, but is no longer on the chart for weight. We are increasing her volume to try and get her weight where it needs to be. So far it hasn't been going too well. She has increased vomiting when we give her larger amounts of food. We may have to go to a continuous feed at night so that we can get the appropriate amount of calories in her. The physical therapist came today and was impressed with Kiya's progression. She is bringing her hands (mid line) which means to the center of her body. She can also hold some plastic rings and brings things to her mouth. She has almost mastered holding her head up as well. Very exciting stuff! She has been through so much and is proving to be such a champion. Matt and I went out to dinner the other night for the first time in 9 months. We took Kiya with us. It was strange to be out in public again. Everyone had just been living their lives like nothing had happened. Here we are with our whole world totally shaken. It felt good to have her with us. She pooped right as I was going to eat just to make sure that I remembered she comes first. Mason found the tigger Halloween costume. I hope he will take it off soon.

Happy Easter

The kids made some awesome eggs this year. I think that the first one is the spitting image of Richard Simmons

This egg is clearly me. Mason made it and I think he captured my essence perfectly. Hope everyone is having a great Easter. This is Kiya's first! We are so happy that our brother Jesus loved us enough to understand our hurts and provides us with hope for the future.

Like Mama Like Daughter

Kiya in Camo

Cheez-It!

Rule #1: Never take your eyes off of Mason
Designer Camouflage

I realize that most people don't know what a g-tube looks like so here is a picture of Kiya's. So far everything is going really good with it and she is healing well. I am really having fun accessorizing her long hair.

Home Sweet Home

I am so glad to be home after another stay at the hospital. Kiya was discharged from Primary Children's on Friday in the afternoon. She was an absolute champ! As usual she was so sweet and gracious. The first day was kind of rough so I kept on the nurses about pain medication. It was hard for us to see her g-tube. It is strange to have something that has been surgically implanted in her tummy. Hopefully it wont be long before we are feeding orally. Now that she has the g-tube her feeding therapist really wants to move forward with her oral feeds. So far the g-tube is working really good. No infections and her vomiting seems to be less. We made it almost two days with no vomiting. That hasn't happened since she was born so it is kind of a big deal. The g-tube isn't that different for us than the NG. I certainly hope it never comes out, but once all of the soreness is gone I think it will be much better than having something in her throat when she is trying to swallow. Once again I am so glad to be home. The infant unit in the hospital is right across from the NICU. Brings back some painful memories that I haven't quite had time to bury yet. We shared a room with another family while we were at the hospital. They seemed to think that it was actually a venue for hosting a family reunion. So glad to be home! Sorry for the picture overload, but she looks so pretty with no tube on her face!

Kiya's first time in the Baby Bjorn. She loves it!

Get me out of here!

I am so glad to be home after 24 hours of testing! What a pain the PH probe test proved to be. Poor Kiya had a second tube placed down her nose. It took the nurse about six times to place it. She is lucky I didn't go kung foo on her. I had some major anxiety being back at Primary Children's again. It reinforced how lucky I am to have my sweet Kiya home. Kiya was sad to be at the hospital as you can see from the first picture. She was such an amazing baby the whole time. I tried to convince her that we were on a vacation together, but she knew otherwise. Surgery is on Wednesday and I am so nervous. I really wish we didn't have to do it. Thanks for the continued support and prayers!

I did it!

I made it through my first Neonatal follow up clinic. It is a great program where you see about five different doctors all in one day and they monitor Kiya's success. The only down side is that I was at the doctors office for over four hours! Kiya is such a champ. She didn't cry once and went about her day as if we were at the spa. Grandma Squishy came and helped me. She carried all of my junk and fanned me off when I was having a hot flash. She didn't bring any grapes to hand feed me, but I forgave her. Who is the baby? me, or Kiya? Anyway I am glad to have that appointment under my belt. I will go back in four months. Kiya now weighs 12lbs! Yippie! Tomorrow feeding therapy is coming, but other than that it will be a quite day. Yesterday Mason sprayed my plants with Vinegar cleaner so I hope that they keep growing. Some parts of my life are still remarkably normal.

Well looks like the surgery will occur on April 13th. I am going to the hospital this Thursday to have a PH probe test performed. The test will give us more exact data on the amount that Kiya is refluxing. It is an overnight test so I will be staying at the hospital with her. I wish so much that she could just eat and that we didn't have to have more surgeries. Tuesday we have a neonatal follow up appointment. The appointment lasts for about four hours and Kiya will be seeing about four different specialists. It will be good for her to have an overall assessment. The follow up program also tracks her success. Feeling a little down these days, but this too shall pass. I cannot wait for the day when Kiya eats by mouth and we wont have anything foreign in her body except for the shunt.