Mia's Story: May 2007

Home

Okay, finally. Mia is asleep, the dishes are done and I have a minute to post some pictures from the past week. We had an apointment at the hospital today. The docs looked at Mia's G tube and everything is a-okay with it. In 6 months we'll go back and they'll put in a shorter, more manageable version of it called a Mickey.

Tomorrow we have our first appointment with Mia's pediatrician and then later this week we get to go back and see our friend Dr. Berry. Anyway, here's the pics.

Silent in the morning.

Mia gets adjusted to her new pad.

"Hey momma! I like it here!"

Grandma gives an early feed.

Francesca was asleep hence the one and only time you'll probably see Mia in the Phish beanie I bought her.

Was I in your Dreams?

"Mom, the docs aren't here, why I still gotta wear this thing??"

Grandma's got the whole world in her hands.

Home, it's where I want to be.

Sneakin' Out the Hospital

Well, we didn't really have to sneak, they let us go although they were sad to see us leave, and in some strange way so were we. We formed many close relationships with the doctors, nurses, and clinical assistants, as well as other families also facing extreme tests of faith. We were leaving them as well as the security of knowing they were always there should we need them. Now it's all up to us.

Testing the car seat before departure.

Life in a hospital is all we've known for the last three and a half months, and when it came time to leave it was actually quite emotional. It was only fitting that as we were literally walking out the door, Dr. Berry, the man we came to Boston to see, was on the way in and was able to see us off. He told us we were tremendous parents, a wonderful compliment coming from him, both a tremendous doctor and human being.

Katelyn, Mia's primary care nurse! We love her!

We'll still see Dr. Berry, as well as some of the others from time to time. Mia will need follow up appointments at the hospital for a while. Because of this we have decided to stay in the Boston area for a while to make sure Mia is getting the best care she can get in the treatment of her metabolic disorder.

With Katelyn and Amanda, the bestest clinical assistant!

These shoes were made for walkin', right the heck outta this hospital!

We have waited a long time for this moment.

I'll get some pics from home up a soon as possible. Even with Grandma Martha here lending a very helpful hand, Mia still manages to demand 110% attention. She's doing really great and loves being with us all the time. Stay tuned.

Final Daze

Sorry for the lack of posting, but the last week at the hospital was pretty packed getting everything ready to go. Here are some new photos, with pics of the Homecoming to follow at some point. Mia is doing great and getting adjusted to her new home just as we are getting adjusted to having her here.

3 Generations

All wrapped up

Cousins

Instant friends

Asleep in Daddy's bed at the hospital.

With Aunt Mimi

Momma

Early morning with Daddy

Holding hands

Happy Birthday Blog

Mia sings Happy Birthday to Mom.

Today is Francesca's 34th birthday! We all had a great day together. Martha, Jerry, Mary and Kai came up to visit and celebrate with us and Roberta, who came to Boston yesterday despite her car breaking down right as she got to the Orient Point Ferry!

Tube Girl

So far so good with the G tube. The docs came to examine it today and said everything looks great. We've already started using it. Mia is taking most of her feed by mouth, and the little bit that's left over goes right in the tube. It's also handy for giving her her meds.

Mia gets her party dress on.

We should be getting discharged either Friday or Monday. We're still working out the details but it's getting close!

Mia and Kai, together at last!

It was awesome to have Kai and Mia finally meet. Kai was excited to meet his cousin, but was really excited to see all the cool toys and stuffed animals she has around her crib.

The girls.

Cha cha cha!

We celebrated Francesca's Birthday at this wonderful little Italian restaurant in Newton, near where we're staying. A perfect ending to a wonderful day!

Tube Update

Mia is resting right now in Mom's arms. She's doing great. All the docs have come by to check her out and they are very happy with everything. Finally the nose tube is out and Mia is very happy about that!

They are already giving Mia fluids through the G tube to keep her hydrated. She hasn't had any formula since 3 a.m. this morning because of the surgery. She'll resume getting her formula tomorrow.

If all goes well, they say we may be able to take Mia home by the end of the week. Thanks again for everyone's prayers! You give us the strength we need.

OPERATION: BIG SUCCESS

I'll have more details later, but Mia went into the surgery early, around 10:00 am. The surgeon just came out and told us that everything went perfectly and there were no complications. Mia is still asleep from the anesthesia and will going into recovery soon, where we can see her.

Thanks for all the well wishes and good vibes!!

Give Thanks for the Moms!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers we know!

Mia is doing great. She's going into surgery tomorrow to get the G tube at long last. We've put it off as long as we can, but Mia is still not taking all of her formula by mouth so at this point it's necessary. She is due to go into surgery at 11 a.m. tomorrow (Monday) so please say some extra prayers!

New Pics at 3 Months

Mia sleeps through her physical therapy.

"Do I really need to be awake for this??"

Awake and not happy!

Some Reiki feels good.

"I love my binky."

From last week's excursion outside.

Some New Pics

Blowin kisses with Grandma.

Time to eat.

Time to shampoo that helmet head.

Her transformation to Darth Mia is almost complete.

Mia at 12 Weeks

Mia 1 Day Old

Mia 12 Weeks Old

It's truly amazing how far Mia has come in twelve weeks. She now weighs over 8 lbs, almost double her birth weight. She has been very stable lately, but very gassy. Both good things as far as we're concerned. She's got quite a feisty attitude these days and a lot of personality.