the broadmoor.

G's parents have been visiting since we were at Children's in Denver... they not only came out to Colorado to see their granddaughter but also for a business trip at The Broadmoor. They were given one of the best rooms at the hotel... a cottage on the golfcourse. Millie and I decided to go spend the afternoon with Susan in her cottage... watching cable tv and just hanging out together! We were able to watch the royal wedding all afternoon! It was a perfect relaxing time... and we took a walk around the lake to show Millie the sights, too bad she slept the whole time. G came over after work and we decided to spend the rest of the evening with his parents. They invited us to the last shindig for their business conference... which meant free Broadmoor food! We had a ton of fun. Lots of interesting food choices and entertainment based on the Olympics theme that the conference had for the evening. I was able to try out surfing, and G & Cort played table tennis with a junior champion/Olympic hopeful player. And Millie had TONS of admirers... everyone loved her. It was a super fun day!

this kid was so good!

she's growing.

cardigan- walmart
shirt & pants- carters
sneakers- target

an appointment.

here is what we learned at our first appointment back at children's...
- she weighs 7 pounds 8 ounces... same as her pre-surgery weight.
- she is being switched from pregestimil to alimentum formula
(because of a taste preference... same special formula, different brands)
- we will begin adding an additional powder to her bottles to increase the caloric intake even more in hopes that she can pack on the pounds... or ounces!
- they are increasing 2 of her medications... mostly vitamins to help her gain weight
- the main topic of this appointment was her weight... if she doesnt gain properly in the next 2 weeks then they will need to but a tube into her stomach to feed her. we DO NOT want this... prayers for weight gain are needed. the doctor has faith that she will on her own.
- it is still too early to tell if the Kasai surgery was successful... the doctor likes to wait 3 months post-surgery to make a decision about whether or not it worked. she thinks that this amount of time is needed to truly see... it gives the body time to adjust and allows swelling to go down around the area. this was different news than what the surgeon told us... he said that most times it is known in 1-2 weeks post-surgery. our doctor said she isnt one way or the other right now. she is just waiting to see what happens.
- she also touched on a few details about liver transplant: babies usually wait to go on the transplant list until after 9 months of age because of the seriousness of the surgery & most babies get one by their first birthday. we have only begun to really learn about this whole transplant process... realizing that it may be a reality for millie. praying it isnt.
- our social worker also met with us about some possible funds for a bit of financial help, which was nice to hear about... we will see what happens with that!
i think that is all!

we stopped for a short walk on our drive home...

millie says...

thank you...

thank you...

THANK YOU!

and as a family we say thank you.

i took millie into young life today to let all of g's coworkers know how grateful we are for all the support & prayers they have given us during this crazy season in our life. she will be making a few more appearances in this dress to tell some other special people thank you.

a goodbye.

goodbye oxygen.

we will not miss you.

a quarter coffee date.

ready for our date.
i love dressing this little lady.

i was not a coffee drinker before working at compassion...
the monotonous process of making child packets drove me to consume caffeine.
i only like a few drinks and i only know how to order at the coffee shop across the street from compassion... so i am not really a true coffee drinker.
one of the few drinks i enjoy comes from the quarter coffee machines in the compassion break rooms. SO GOOD! the french vanilla is just perfect.
most coffee drinkers hate this machine. but i am paying a quarter and they are paying a lot more on their fancy starbucks.
i have been craving a quarter coffee so i had a chat date with my dear friend and coworker lori this morning during her break. it was great.

i also put in my voluntary separation notification today... my 2week notice.
it was surreal moment.
i havent felt much closure with my time at compassion since i didnt make it to my "last day" because of millies early arrival. no goodbye party for me.
i have been wanting to be done with this job for along time but i will miss the routine & normalcy of going to work everyday... and i will miss my coworkers.
and i will miss getting dressed for work... that was my favorite part of the day!
no more stuffing child packets for this lady.
i loved the ministry... just not my job.
goodbye compassion.

after compassion we spent our afternoon at home...
millie is loving her new activity mat! thanks grandma!
(and notice the change of outfit. she had a major dirty diaper at compassion... of course it happens when she is dressed super cute and not at home. i am beginning to call these incidents her "diva moments"... she knows that if she has a major dirty diaper then she gets to wear another cute outfit. the more outfit changes the better. she is her mothers child.)

happy easter.

from us.

millies first easter.

easter baskets!

i love a kgroup potluck.

the mamas & the papas.
(there was only 1 baby last easter!)

baby ella is here...
just 2 days old!

we had a fabulous time with our friends today...
thank you Jesus for blessing us with a great community.
He is risen! and we are so grateful!

a date night and a suprise.

their first time babysitting miss millie!

dinner... and then some thrift store shopping.
perfect.
it felt just like old times with my g.

date night fun finds.

we came home to a surprise... uncle grant flew home for easter!

so fun!

she's growing.

outfit- carters

socks- target

an update.

that's today!

flowers from the president of young life and another coworker.
so sweet.

thankful for our little family... wishing it wasn't so hard for us right now.

second of three steroid injections.

no more tubes or wires... ready to go home!

it began to feel like home in our little hospital room...
but we are so ready for our own bed.

goodbye childrens. we will not miss you.

- the doctors don't see any change in her dirty diapers...
showing that the surgery may not have been successful.
-they think that the first round of steroids should have made a difference if it was going to work... so the second & third rounds aren't super promising.
- she received the second of three steroid injections this afternoon.
we will give the third one orally at home tomorrow.
- the surgeon talked seriously with us about a possible liver transplant needed in the near future if we don't see a miraculous (his word) change in the next week. this was hard to swallow.
- we are going home with 5 medications that she will need daily.
- she will continue to have the special formula.
- and some good news... no more oxygen!
- we excited to get our little lady home and back into her super cute clothes!
please pray for a miracle in millies liver.
thanks.

an update.

some mama & millie time.

some dad & millie time.

lots of zzz's today.

first of three steroid injections.

- the nurses took out her final tube today...
the one being used to drain the area around her liver.
which just leaves her IV (capped off) and the pulseox monitor on her foot.
- she's been having pumped milk all day... and they've begun to fortify it with a special formula that helps the body absorb fat easily, helping her gain weight.
- her dirty diapers are still pale (which tells the doctors that the liver is still not working properly and the bile is not draining) so the surgeon & doctors suggested a steroid treatment to hopefully jump start the bile flow. she had the first dose today through her IV and will have another tomorrow in the hospital... we may be able to administer the last one orally at home.
- our doctor said that we may be discharged tomorrow afternoon...
its a big maybe but still a maybe.
thanks for checking in...