Fun on the Weekends

Abby has been doing pretty well lately and we have enjoyed the last few weeks with our big girl. We have been hesitant to get her out around other kids because it's cold and flu season so we have been somewhat isolated.  She got over whatever bug she had at the first of the year and we aren't exactly ready to risk her getting sick again any time soon.  At the same time, the weather the last few weeks has been unseasonably warm so we have been able take her outdoors.  We have been taking Abby to the park down the road which is great because it isn't too busy with lots of kiddos.  She seems to enjoy being outside and we try to get her out of the house whenever we can.

With all of her surgeries she has been behind in some areas of development and we are working to catch her up the best we can.  She is currently doing well with sitting up on her own with no assistance, rolling over, and occasionally getting after solid foods when we attempt them.  She has physical therapy once a week, an occupational therapist comes twice a month to help work on feeding, and a dietician comes once a month to check her growth. Abby is 11 months old now and she is currently 28-5/8" tall and 18lb and 6 oz.  Her latest direct bilirubin level was 1 and that is fantastic.  Her first birthday is coming up and we are really looking forward to celebrating her big day.  Here are a few photos of the last few weeks.

Learning how to sit in the high chair by watching her friend Audrey

Swinging in the park with mom

Cooper's favorite part of the day.  Bath toys!

Holding on tight.

I'm 11 month's old look at me.

Happy girl

Neither were wanting to have their picture taken.

A New Year

The start of 2012 wasn't that fun for Abby.  She was sick with congestion, a cough and some low grade fever for the first week or so. Not much help was to be had because the doctors office was closed for the holidays.  She is finally getting over those symptoms and is returning more each day to her happy self.

She was well enough this past weekend to take a trip to the Fort Worth Zoo for a while.  The weather was a bit brisk but she did good.  Neither of us had been in several years so it was a good time for us as well.  The flamingos were Abigail's favorite because they were bright, loud and flapped their wings a bunch.  She babbled to them and squawked back a little, which we got a kick out of.

Big Mama

Taking a break

Flexible Giraffe

Our little critter

Meerkat

Sloth Bear

Indian Rhinoceros

 

We hope to enjoy many more trips to the zoo but I'd say the first trip was pretty successful.  We look forward to taking her in the warmer weather as well.  It's so fun watching her discover new things.

Abby is currently working on solids and still getting feeds overnight through her g-button to help gain calories. We are trying to beef her up and get her back to working on developing strength in her arms and legs with tummy time and other activities.  She has a mouthful of teeth and needs to put them to work.

Playing with my food

One thing that has been on our minds quite a lot lately is the passing of Abigail's Cardiologist.  We received news last week that her heart doctor had passed away while riding bikes with his son. His name was Dr. Benjamin Siu, he comforted us as we faced very scary situations this past year and loved our daughter. More importantly he prayed over Abby with us before her heart surgery and on our follow up visits. They were the kind of prayers you don't lift your head up from without tears. Our family was blessed by knowing him and I thought I might let you all know so that you all would say a prayer for his family. I didn't know him that well but I'm certain where he is now.  If you read his obituary here or watch this video of him here, you can tell he touched many lives.

As we finally got to put away Christmas decor and take down the lights we can look back on Abby's first Christmas as super busy but incredibly special. 

A Reflection

Our family had many ups and downs in 2011: The loss of a job, the joy of welcoming of a child which turned into a scary event, several life saving surgeries on our baby, the loss of a grandparent, bringing our daughter home, the health scare of a parent, getting to show off our pride and joy, watching her grow, getting a new job, and celebrating Christmas as a family of three.  Ready or not though, 2012 is here, and we have to keep on trucking.  As we reflect on the year it seems like it was pretty rough but the special moments truly were incredible.  God is good, all the time.  Thanks for sharing in this journey with us.

Jody & Steph