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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Cardiology Appointment and development update

We saw Dr. Alhadheri for our monthly follow-up. Her heart looks stable, comparable to last month. No additional enlargement of the left atrium, and function looks about the same. He said she is still looking fantastic and lucky to be without many symptoms! The only new thing I have seen over the past month or so has been additional napping, but her body just needs the rest.

The best part of the whole visit is Gabriella GAINED weight! FINALLY! We are at 38.8lbs (she's 45" tall), and hopefully can get to 40lbs by the January visit! I can't even tell you all how proud I was! She has been on the appetite stimulant for a month now, and it seems to be doing it's job! We haven't had a meal war in a month, too, which makes me so happy!

Gabriella's words are coming, yet still slow. We are up to 11 words now! She makes a lot of the sounds, but has a hard time putting them together to make words. So when I say she has 11 words, they are 11 words she says unprompted, and in context of what they are necessary to be used for.

More
Mama
Papa (for food)
Boo
Wow
Mommy
Baby
Daddy
Me
Mine
No

A friend asked how she was doing emotionally. Gabriella and I have an amazing way of understanding each other. Of course, it is easy for me to communicate to her because she still fully understands everything. But she can 'talk' to me and by simple gestures and the look in her eye, I know exactly what she's saying or needs. I would have to guess that MAYBE once a week there is an incident or time where I cannot understand what she is saying and am forced to tell her I don't understand (with so much regret and sadness on my end). She gets upset, but it doesn't bring her down. She is struggling in therapy because she is not one to try things. She doesn't like to try because she doesn't like to fail. And when we do convince her to try something and she gets it right, she takes OFF with it! She is the hardest kiddo her speech pathologist has worked with thus far. That's my girl, giving everyone a run for their money (including me, darned copays).

So, though this is a short post, I am glad it is! Little to no news, in our situation, is GREAT news!

3 comments:

Nikkie said...

Sounds like she is doing great!! Jason doesn't like to try new things either. We put him in skating lessons this fall and he had never done it before. For the first month he wouldn't try AT ALL. He'd lay on the ice and crawl to where the group was. We talked about it endlessly and then out of nowhere a few weeks ago when i went to give him his pep talk he says "I know MOm! You dont' have to tell me what to do at skating. I'm gonna do my best." And he did! He is more or less keeping up to the rest of the group now, so yeah..super frustrating when they won't try something! GO GABRIELLA!! We are rooting for you all the way from Saskatchewan!!

Corey~living and loving said...

Again with the tears. It just gets me right in the old soft spot. sigh....

thank you for the update. so many continued prayers. Not a day goes by that I do not sending my thoughts up about Gabriella. ♥

Anonymous said...

Kristi - My dear friend, Chris Atherton, her husband, Rob, and their family put on that amazing holiday party every year. They are the most incredible family - and all I know is that they ask for absolutely nothing in return than the smiles that your daughter had in place on this day!!! That is the real joy for them - and me. I attended that party as well, and do every year, as my daughter's best little buddy is one of Chris' daughters. Neither have a heart condition (that we know of), but both are sensitive to all of God's "elite" group of kids and their families and needs. I'll send extra prayers and thoughts your way. And pray for the heart transplant that your precious daugther needs. God Bless all of you!