Out of Surgery

All 5 doctors just came in and informed us that Emerson is out of surgery. She has been wheeled into ICU and we will be able to see her in the next hour. I'm really nervous to see her with all the lines, tubes, and machines....but I can't wait to see our baby!

Keep those prayers coming for the road to recovery is just beginning.

TUESDAY!

We just got back from pre-op at Arnold Palmer. After a few pokes, lots of tests, and many questions, we got the go ahead for surgery tomorrow morning. We need to be at Arnold Palmer at 6:30 am to start the sedation process. Most likely the surgery will begin around 8:30 am. Dr. DeCampli believes the surgery will last anywhere from 5-7 hours. His PA will be coming out every 1 1/2 hours to update us on Emerson's progress.
We'll be updating Emerson's recovery throughout her stay at APH. I'm assuming that I will have Grammy write the updates because I might be too emotional.
We know that Emerson is in wonderful hands and has a dedicated medical team working to make her heart healthy.
Our family is grateful for all of your support and kind words.

Happy 6 Months

Happy 6 month birthday pretty girl!



I can't believe that Emerson is 1/2 a year old. It feels like she has been a part of our family forever! I surely can't imagine our lives without her!

Change of plans....maybe

Dr. DeCampli's office called late this afternoon wanting to re-schedule Emerson's surgery. We are now scheduled to go pre-op on Monday, March 30th and surgery Tuesday, March 31st. Travis said that this stuff happens all the time at hospitals. Apparently the ICU is really booked up so they need to move some procedures around.

I will know 100% by Monday when her surgery will take place.

Guess Who is Sitting??

Big Girl Emerson! She has been sitting independently all week and gaining balance each day.

Hair Fairy

The Hair Fairy seems to be visiting every night. The hair just keeps coming!



Emerson is looking more and more like a Frosch :-)

Social Butterfly

Young love! It's hard to believe that Will is 10 days younger than Emerson!




Some of Emerson's favorite girls- Aunt Jo Jo and Sweet Ella!

She's Awake

Today started very early for us! We began the morning by waking up Emerson at 1 am for a last minute feeding (she was not allowed to eat past 2 am). Of course Emerson was able to go back to sleep but anxious mommy was not! We woke up again at 5:30 am to get ready for our trip to Arnold Palmer. Getting out the door is much more complicated after having kids! After waiting for an hour, Emerson was brought back to begin the procedure. To determine the amount of choloralhydrate she would need, they had to weigh/measure her. She is weighing in at 15 pounds 1 ounce and is 25 3/4 inches long!!! The nurse injected the choloralhydrate into her mouth very slowly. Emerson wasn't a big fan of the taste but she didn't put up too much of a fuss. Once she was asleep, they began to run the echocardiogram machine. The silly girl woke up in the middle of the procedure but layed nice and still for them to complete the scan. When the scan was complete she was laughing and playing on the "big girl bed/table." The nurses couldn't get enough of her sweet personality.
After the scan we met with Dr. Fleishman to ask some last minute questions before surgery. Being back at the hospital brought back some emotions. I remind myself that all of our experiences will better prepare us for the future! I did mention to Dr. Fleishman that we are NOT going to be extending our stay at Arnold Palmer :-)

We are finally home and things seem back to normal. After a very long nap Emerson is playing on her mat and rolling over like usual.

Emerson is such a champ! Even with all of the pokes, monitors, and needles she continues to be the sweetest little girl. I know if she can handle all of this.....we can!!

Another FUN weekend

This weekend we decided to blow up Emerson's baby pool to see how she liked swimming. She seemed to enjoy herself! I'm hoping she'll be a little swimmer like her mommy.




On Sunday we had Emerson eat her first "big girl" breakfast. She would much rather eat my finger than the rice cereal. We're thinking that teeth are on their way!!





Emerson attended her first Down Syndrome Clinic. We met with many different doctors, therapists, and specialists. It was very informative for our family. Emerson was a HUGE hit!!

April 1, 2009

The surgery date has been set. Emerson will go in on March 31st for her pre-operation procedures and we'll return on April 1st for the surgery. We'll learn more at the sedated echo on March 19th (yes, this date has changed). They estimate a week in the hospital if all goes well. We are very optimistic that we won't be extending our stay at Arnold Palmer!!

I love this little face!





Travis finally set up Emerson's bouncer! She absolutely loves it! Thanks Lenn and Curtis :-)