06.07.13

What a roller coaster the last couple of months have been! 

April was our best month of therapy yet! Hannah is getting stronger and more vocal- she has open happy laughs that just melt my heart:)

May brought a bit of frustration for this mommy. An ER trip at the end of April revealed a wicked case of pneumonia- no fever, no fussing, just a sleepy little girl who didn't want to open her eyes for four days. Unfortunately, when Hannah sleeps like this, it's almost that her body slows down in all ways. She's lethargic to the point of not being able to hold up her head and even her food processing slows down, so much that she ends up not getting enough to eat. After a round of antibiotic for the pneumonia, Hannah's lungs were still a little crackly, so the doctor decided on a second round to clear everything out. Hannah's belly disagreed with that decision and as protest, she shut down again. After a second trip to the ER, we discontinued the antibiotic. Finally, things improved and we could get back on track with therapy and getting stronger!

Until Hannah got another cold. Her lack of ability to swallow secretions caused Hannah to choke and gag and do something that looked a lot like small seizures. Trip three to the ER was quick, but only because they sent us on to Mayo. Three days later, it seemed that what could have been seizures were probably (and hopefully) not neurological. Once Hannah was closer to normal, we got to go home just in time for my last day at school! And, then trip four to the ER. Hannah didn't feel good and as usual, decided to go to sleep. After three days, she was too dehydrated to stay at home and we took her back in for what ended up a four-day hospital stay. We got home yesterday, and Hannah smiled, laughed, and made lots of happy noises all night to let us know she was happy to be back home.

Yes, it's been a bit stressful in our house lately, but we've also got a lot to celebrate:
-Will is officially graduated! He's done, done, done with school! He's VERY happy.
-At the banquet for his graduation, Will was awarded with runner-up apprentice of the year! We are so proud of him!
-Eli is super excited about spending some time with Hannah and I this summer. Story time, walks, a blow-up pool, and loving on Hannah are all on his horizon. His favorite word is 'no'.
-Hannah got the go-ahead to start trying oral feeding. It is slow, but it's a start, and we will get there!
-I've been able to connect with another mom of a CDC daughter. Olivia is a beautiful little girl that inspires me and what we have to look forward to with Hannah. Her mom, Tiffany, is fantastic as well, and has been a great support in honesty and answering questions that I've had. What a blessing to have found her and her family's story!
-We have summer ahead of us, beginning with a trip to Milwaukee for a baseball game, a trip to the zoo, and some much needed relaxation at the hotel pool!
-Best of all: I slept in my own bed last night...Take that hospital window bench! :)