Yesterday, as most of the country was navigating their kiddos 1st day back-to-school pictures, masks, and distance/hybrid learning systems...we were navigating our own "firsts" with our littles.
It was the first time that both Zach or I left Eloise at the same time. She stayed in Duluth with Zach's parents as we loaded up Vivvy-Lou at 3 am to check her into the OR at the U of M Children's hospital for her 6:30 am laryngoscopy procedure. It was a long day.
Viv was in great hands- we spent the majority of the time in pre-op with anesthesia. Due to her history of lung disease and meds, the team did a great job explaining to us how they were going to keep her safe and comfortable without her needing to be intubated. She was put in the tiniest hospital gown and we got to help wheel her in her bed to the doors of the OR before returning to the waiting room. Saying good-bye wasn't any easier than the last time we watched her get wheeled away. What was different this time was that there was only 1 anesthesiologist that walked her back, versus the 5 nurses that it took last time when she was in her NICU incubator.
The procedure took about 45 minutes. They put a scope down her throat, looked at the vocal folds, and into her lungs. We met her in post-op where she had to recover for 2 hours before they could clear us. Within an hour she was back to her smiling, wiggling self...scooting all over the bed with her wires attached. Of course we were very proud of her as the nurse kept remarking on how resilient she appeared to be. We know how resilient she is, but hearing it always helps! By the time we got home with both Eloise and Viv last night it was as if nothing even happened. Viv and El were excited to play together, and mom and dad were excited to sleep :-)
So, the good news is that everything looked normal, the bad news is that we've got to go back to the speech therapist and re-evaluate her need for a G-tube possibly while she learns how to swallow (if it is in fact a skill-related issue). So TBD for now....
We are working to keep her comfortable when eating, and cross our fingers each Friday when we do her weigh-in in hopes for weight gain. She is currently 13 lbs and is holding steady in the 4th percentile for adjusted age. Eloise is 14 lbs. 9 oz, and it's crazy how much of a difference a pound makes on these little bodies!
In other news, both girls have tried applesauce and banana puree, and Eloise is working on pulling herself us to standing. Our house is getting smaller and smaller as the girls are getting more and more mobile. It's awesome to be a part of.
Cheers to everyone out there who is spending this week navigating all the "firsts". And a super special shout out to all the teachers and educators this week- your ability to demonstrate resiliency and continue to show up for your students is inspiring. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
With love and gratitude-

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