April 29th

We visited Gabi again today... she looks so sweet without any tubes hanging out of her nose! She was awake and batting her big blues at me... she is going to be a heartbreaker for sure!! She is eating much better and will take about 2 ounces at a time. She is not very good at eating fast, however... those 2 oz take about 1/2 hour to eat. I don't mind! She is so adorable. Her brother looks huge next to her... we hope she will soon be keeping pace and growing like a weed. Today was their original due date...my how time flies.

April 25th

We got to visit with Gabi and she was wide awake for us... usually she is fast asleep. I even got to change her diaper and change her outfit!! She was so sweet and alert. She is tolerating her feeding tube well and should get her nasal tube out by Monday if it continues to go well.
We are looking forward to having her live with us soon, but first Grandma needs to take an intensive class to learn about how to manage her dialysis. So much to do, so little time.
Anyone have a large home that they need to rent?? We really could use one!!

April 23rd

Gabi had her surgery today, which went well, but Gabi has had a hard time settling down and cries every few seconds... very distressing for her momma!! Poor little thing apparently had had enough!! Hopefully by tomorrow she will be feeling better. She gets more precious by the day. Grandma and Grandpa are so lucky to have her for a granddaughter!

April 22nd

Gabi is doing well, so they have scheduled her surgery for tomorrow at 1 pm. They will just be inserting her gastric feeding tube, so it shouldn't take too long. The Dr. says she doesn't need so many monitors, so she isn't so wired up. It's easier to hold her when you aren't keeping track of a dozen different wires! The dialysis is going well and she will get a break from it for a few days after her surgery. If she continues to do so well, she may get to come home in a few weeks. Before that happens, though, we need to be trained in the ways of dialysis so she can continue to get the care she needs at home. Apparently it takes a LOT of training... I'll have to see if I can get the time off work. Life gets more fun all the time!! She is such a sweet baby, it's easy to accept the challenge.

Saturday, April 18

I am looking forward to seeing Gabriella today. She is enduring the dialysis well as far as we can tell. She is not eating as much from the bottle as we hoped so the feeding tube remains in place for now. Jessica is able to hold her and cuddle with her a little bit every day which I am sure is comforting to Gabi.
Caleb seems to be enduring all the trips back and forth to the hospital very well, he pretty much sleeps through it all. But new-born babies do that kind of thing. We appreciate the continued prayer for both Gabriella, Caleb and Jessica.

April 15th - first day of dialysis

Gabi started her dialysis today. So far so good, and the good news is she is back to her birth weight, so she is keeping enough food down to grow. Yay! She tends to spit up a lot, but I guess that is pretty normal. She doesn't always want to eat enough or often enough, so they are debating placing a permanent feeding tube in her tummy. It would require more surgery, so we hope it won't be necessary. She is not even 2 weeks old yet! She is so precious and beautiful, with such big blue eyes just like her beautiful mommy. She can't be held for a few days, and it is hard on us to see her but not be able to pick her up to cuddle. Once her body adjusts to the dialysis, then we will be able to cuddle again... I can't wait!!

April 12, 2009

Gabriella is doing well today, she ate 24cc of formula/milk this afternoon and if she keeps up the good feedings on her own they well remove the feeding tube.

They most likely will start the dialysis on Tuesday, We pray that the treatments will go well and that Gabi will keep having a good appetite.

Saturday, April 11

Gabriella had surgery yesterday and did well. She could start dialysis as soon as Monday. She will be in the hospital for several more weeks. She will need the dialysis treatments every day until she is big enough for a transplant procedure.

Thursday, April 9

Jessica and I met with Gabriella’s doctor and a kidney specialist Thursday, the prognosis is not good. Her kidneys are barely functioning. We told them to do everything in their power for Gabriella. She is going to need a kidney transplant, but that is not possible until she is at least 20 pounds. The surgeons are going to give here a catheter so she can have daily dialysis treatments. If the dialysis begins to work Gabi can start eating again and hopefully begin to gain weight. If this goes well she will be released from the hospital in about a month and the dialysis can be performed at home. Keep praying for Gabriella and for Jessica and Caleb.

April, 8 2009

Gabriella is still in the hospital, they did some tests this morning and found that her kidneys are only functioning at one tenth of what they should be. Her potassium level was too high and her sodium was too low. They stopped the feeding tube and started I.V. fluids to help balance thing out. It took them almost 4 hrs to get an I.V. in the poor little baby. She is trooper though she hardly fusses at all, I (Jim) was there when they were trying to put the IV in and she was just looking around with those big blue eyes and putting up with everything pretty well.

April 3, 2009

Gabriella and Caleb were born April 3rd, 2009, Gabriella at 7:29pm and Caleb at 7:31pm. Caleb was born healthy and strong at 5 pounds 9 oz, but Gabi was much smaller at 4 pounds 3 oz. We knew from the routine ultrasounds during the pregnancy that Gabi had no hands or feet, but we hoped and prayed that there would be no other challenges. From the begining she had a hard time breathing on her own and needed oxygen from time to time.
At 2 am April 4th she was transferred to Emanuel Children's hospital in Portland where she is receiving excellent care.