Progress...

For those of you who may not have heard updates, Avery is doing well and making some good progress. Over the weekend they were able to take out the breathing tube. Once the tube was gone they took her off of the sedatives that were making her sleep all the time, so she became much more awake and aware. She hasn't been on any pain medications since Saturday and she doesn't seem to be in a lot of pain. She is getting more and more active but we still havent been able to get her to smile yet. Her voice is pretty hoarse and raspy from the breathing tube being in her throat.

This picture was taken over the weekend on the first day she had gotten all the sedative out of her system. She was still a little lethargic, but she was looking at us and you could tell she was much more aware of her surroundings.

As of today she isn't getting any medication except for antibiotics, she started bottle feeding again and stopped getting fluids from the IV. She has been gradually losing some of the monitors, sensors, and tubes. Hillary was also able to hold her for the first time since the surgery!

Hopefully tomorrow she will be able to move out of the ICU into a regular hospital room. They have also talked about possibly removing the central line in her neck, and maybe even the drainage tube in her chest tomorrow. These are all big steps closer to being able to come home soon!

I forgot to bring a memory card for the camera to trade with Hillary when I came over the weekend, so for now these 2 pics from our cell phones are all I have with me at home. Thanks everybody for you continued prayers and support!

A Mended Heart- Ch. 2

Chapter 2- Surgery Day

We were told to be at the hospital at 9 am. So we got there, checked in and were taken to an examination room. The Surgeon had another case before hers so we had to wait for him to finish. They told us it wouldn't be long... They were wrong. We sat in that small uncomfortable exam room for over 3 hrs. waiting! Avery did remarkable well for how long whe went without eating, all together she went over 8 hrs. She hardly whined at all!

She Played

Slept an hour or two

Woke up

and played some more

This is about as upset as she got...

Then they finally came and got us...

We gave her hugs and kisses and said our goodbyes. There were a few tears, but we were happy and confident that the Doctors and Nurses would take good care of our little girl.

She even gave the nurses some good smiles as they left. Which made us feel even better!
(and brought a few more tears!)

They had told us that the surgery would take about 3-4 hrs. It was actually quicker than they thought it would be. They patched the hole between the 2 chambers, and widened the valve area leading into her pulmonary artery (takes blue blood to the lungs). They said the artery itself was actually large enough, it was just the valve area. They can't give her a new valve now because she will just out grow it. The surgeon said she may never need to have a new valve put in. If she did it wouldn't be until she is a teenager when her heart has stopped growing.

The surgeon said that she did very well and the surgery went very smoothly. As you can see she is very plugged in at the moment. She has drainage tubes, multiple IV's, a stomach tube, various sensor probes, some temporary pace making wires (which they never had to use), a catheter, and she is on a ventilator until they hopefully let her wake up tomorrow. Her heart seems to be recovering very well at this point and we are happy and relieved to say that at this point the surgery was very successful. The last two days have been very long, as i'm sure the next couple of weeks will be as well.

Here is our sweet little girl asleep and all plugged in-

We want to thank everybody for their concern and support for us! The blessing I was able to give her, and all of your prayers have all been fulfilled and answered. We have felt strengthened by everyone that has expressed their support and thank God for all the blessings we have been given. We have been helped through some tough times. We appreciate your continued prayers for a smooth and swift recovery!

A Mended Heart- Ch. 1

Chapter 1- Pre-Op

Yesterday we went in for pr-op testing. I drove seperate from Hillary, Avery, and G-ma Griffiths so that they would have a car still when I came home to go to work. I had to run a quick errand and hillary had to get gas. So we parted ways and when I was done I pulled over just up the road from the gas station to wait(where I could still see them filling up). So I waited... and waited... and waited... Eventually I got so impatient I turned the car around and pulled into the gas station to figure out what was taking so long. I wish I could say it was a prompting or something, I'm pretty sure I was just impatient and slightly irritated. Turns out G-ma (don't feel bad, I just think it's kind of funny!) had inadvertantly locked the Jeep door on the way out. So the keys were locked in, the cell phones were locked in, and most of all, the baby was locked in. They didn't realize I was still within sight, and Hillary still didn't have my Ph# memorized. So by the time I pulled up the cops had been called! Ha ha... So I gave them my key and we were back on our way just a few mins. late (before the cops came). Sorry I had to tell that side story...

So we got to the hospital a few minutes late, but got in pretty quickly. They went throught the normal routine of weighing measuring and examining. Which to Avery is usually a fairly painless and fun experience-

Playing with toys.

EKG Stickers...

...and wires.
Stethascopes.

Examining... (both of them are doing a little examining here)

...and friendly and fun Doctors and Nurses.

I will skip the unpleasant needles, blood drawing, and tears part. So everything checked out. She was healthy and ready for surgery!

So we left the hospital and checked into the Ronald McDonald house next door and relaxed until morning.

The big day is here!

It seems like we have been waiting forever but now Avery's heart surgery is finally here. Bright and early tomorrow (Wednesday) morning we will head to the hospital for a day of Pre-op testing to prepare for the surgery on Thursday morning. Still after 10 months of knowing, it's hard to believe that our little girl is having a full open heart surgery in a few days. We are a little apprehensive, but confident that everything will go well. We are excited to see the outcome. We will hear a clean heart beat when we put our ears to her chest instead of a swishing one.

All of your thoughts and prayers will be very appreciated over the next few days!

We wanted to get some fun pictures of her tonight before the surgery and the scar to prove it, plus she just turned 10 months old a couple of days ago. So here's some picture overload-

We couldn't get her to smile very much once the camera came out, but we did manage to catch a few of her silly faces.

We love our happy little girl and are thankful for the happiness she has brought to us.

(Even with all the stress and trials!)