Happy Fourth of July!

Charlotte is 9 lbs now and growing! We had a wonderful Fourth of July as little family party of 3. We watched Team USA win the Women's World cup! (Well, Charlotte mainly slept through it.) Charlotte has started smiling now, although its hard to catch on camera because it happens so quickly. The nurses have a running bet going on about who can get her to smile at them the most. She loves to sit up in her boppy and watch everything that the nurses are doing. She is very observant and doesn't let anything get by her. Maybe she will be a nurse some day, just like her Nana. When we had the sleep study, the assistant was an Aquarius, just like Charlotte. She was as a respiratory therapist training to do sleep studies. She informed us about typical Aquarius traits. Apparently, Aquarius signs are intelligent and always looking for intellectual stimulation. They also have a varying array of interests. Sounds like Charlotte! It's been another busy 2 weeks medically. The surgical team placed a line in Charlotte's neck for 2 weeks called an IJ line, so that she could get her antibiotics without being stuck for an IV in different limbs over and over. Well, Charlotte has always had a mind of her own, and she is very strong. So, after 2 weeks, she had had enough, and she pulled the line out of her neck. The surgical team quickly decided it was time for the big central line and G tube surgery. Way to get things done, Charlotte! The surgery went very smoothly. The antibiotics for the meningitis are done because it has been 21 days. Charlotte is back to her old self. The central line in her chest will stay in until she has her bone marrow transplant, so that she can receive her platelets through it. The G tube is a tube in her belly that will allow the NG tube in her nose to come out, and we will feed her through it. Once she passes her swallow study (hopefully in August, which is her next one) the G tube will be removed. Both the central line and G tube are small, so you can't see them under her clothes. Charlotte looks even more beautiful without the tape mustache and tubing on her face. She almost looks like a different person. Hopefully now that the tube in Charlotte's nose is out, she will be able to breathe better. She's still on a little bit of oxygen now. Hopefully her doctor will trial her without it soon. This week we will do training to learn how to care for the lines and use the G tube. We may have some exciting news coming up this week!

 

 

After 45 years as a NICU nurse, one of our favorite nurses, Elaine, is retiring. Charlotte was her last baby.