Home Sweet Home!

We are home! I have never been so happy to be back. Ava and I made the big break out thanks to my Aunt Angie, who happened to be in Boston at the time and drove us out of the city, and my Dad who met us outside the city and brought us the rest of the way home. And Aunt Lynn who coordinated! We made it back around 10:30 pm last night. It felt so good to be back home! When I put Ava in her crib she rolled around laughing and giggling and was obviously just as happy as I was. We both got a full night's sleep and she is feeling great!

A shout out to home!

Here is a video of a little cuteness from a sweet pea today and a shout out to the fam back home. Don't mistake that grimace at the end as pain. That was her, "OK I'm annoyed- turn the TV back on" look. We have been moved to the floor today and she is doing fabulous. One step closer to home.
She is doing everything they want her to do. When we got here the recovery room doctor accused the ICU of keeping her so long because she was so cute. That would explain why every time I left I would return to find three nurses doting on her and playing with her... hmm... ;-) Not to mention she is extremely compliant with all of the stuff they have to do with her. She's a rock star! They say we could be going home on Saturday. Fingers crossed! We miss you!

We are making progress

While we are still in the ICU it looks like we will be first, making a move to a real room in the ICU. NICE! And second, Ava's heart has started to beat regularly without the pacemaker! It was disconnected around 11 am. So that means that if she continues to do well without it we can finally move to the floor 24 hours after that disconnection. I'll just be happy to have a real room with a real door, not just curtains. And a bathroom in it too! Luxury I tell ya! Ava started to smile at me today and interact rather than giving me the "eye".... Oops! She just woke up and is asking for food. More later!

Still in ICU...

Well we haven't been moved to a room yet unfortunately. Ava is currently on a pacemaker because the two sides of the heart aren't working cooperatively yet. This is common when you interrupt the function and it has to relearn how to create that electrical connection.  So we can't leave the ICU until she is off the pacemaker. Her spirits are better than they were. She has eaten and peed in the potty a couple of times now so everyone is really happy with her progress. She looks great!

This morning chowing down on some breakfast.

This afternoon coloring and watching TV.

The next morning

All continues to go well. Ava lost some of her tubes last night because either they were going to do it or she was going to do it for them! She's a strong little bugger that's for sure. They extubated her last night around 6 pm and she looks great. Her vital signs are all strong and the tests are all good. They pulled in a bed for her and I to sleep together. She wasn't really happy unless I was at the side of her bed with my arm stuck under her head so they thought it was best that they pull in the bed so I might be able to get some "sleep". That's a relative term in an ICU that is bright and bustling throughout the night. We got the bed all set up and wouldn't you know it, she tried to push me out! She has not been happy with me, nor the nurses for that matter. Obviously she is uncomfortable and more than a little angry at us. I don't blame her, poor baby. I remember reading on some adoption forum that surgery was a great bonding time. So far I've been wishing Aaron had stayed and been the bad guy. I'm sure she will be better, and ahem, nicer, once we get these various bandages, tubes, and boxes pinned to her nightie off her. I think these annoy her more than the pain. For a kid that can't stand food on her fingers, marker on her or even a sticker on her to now have something on every part of her body is a lot to handle. We move to a room today!

She's doing great!

Ava's surgery went very well according to the doctor. We are in the ICU now and she is still sleeping, and has the breathing tube and all kinds of other tubes hooked up. Which does take you by surprise no matter how prepared you think you are. I was also surprised that her color looks so good and she's not that puffy. The nurse thinks they may be able to take her off the breathing tube tonight! She may even wake up which would be great to see so soon. I get to sleep right here next to her and we'll move to the regular room tomorrow. Aaron has headed home so it's just her and I now.

She's back to doing it herself!

Her lungs are working and her heart is beating on her own! Apparently she works much faster than the doctor expected. That's my girl! The doctor will be meeting with us in a bit to talk about how the surgery went. Based on what the doctor said on Friday she still won't be awake for 24-48 hours- that's when they will extubate the air tube so she can breathe on her own. Thanks for the support everyone! It's been a nice distraction emailing and talking to you all! I'll continue to keep you posted.

Surgery is Complete!

The nurse just updated us that the surgery has been completed. They are now rewarming her blood so that she can be taken off of the bypass. This should take about an hour and a half. On the homestretch now!

Surgery Update

10:00 am update-
All is well, she is on heart bypass and a machine is now doing her breathing and heart function for her. We will hear more about her progress at 11:30 a.m.

When do smiles cause the heart sadness?

When they are from your little girl induced by medicine they gave her before they wheeled her in the surgery room. This was so sad to me. I just can't get over the fact that she has just learned to trust us unconditionally and when she comes back she will be hurting. I just received notice at 9 am they made the incision to her heart. I already miss her and I wonder how long it will be before she bounces back to her old self and when we will see that smile again.

Three months home...an update

Ava has been home for 3 months!
I have always heard stories of these little ones coming home and adjusting quickly and parents amazed at their progress. I don't know how many times I've read on blogs that they can't believe how easily these kids understand what is going on around them and seem to accept being a part of the family so quickly. It is the miracle of adoption. Not to say that everything is easy and there aren't some ups and downs - attachment is a process, but we consider ourselves so lucky. Ava is so easy going;  an old soul, with such a strong and calm character and I have thoroughly treasured these past months and getting to know her. This month was all about learning and opening up.
So what is she up to? 
Talking- She knows and says some words, like potty, eat, owie, uh oh, ride, meme, grammy, mommy, daddy, Adam, drink, please, I love you, thank you and lots more. Someone on the outside probably couldn't understand many of these words because of her cleft palate, but it's like when a one year old starts talking and mommy and daddy always know what they are saying. She understands everything we tell her and most of the time even accepts the word "no" ;-)
Learning- She has preschool screening on Monday! She won't start until the fall but I can't wait to see how she does with other kids her age! She repeats ABCs back to us, is learning how to do puzzles, and loves to read books. She likes to "read" along , quite loudly actually, so a gentle reminder to shhhh and she will quiet down and listen. But it is her job to turn the pages, don't forget that! We took the pullups away (yes we had essentially trained her to go in them by always having them on, oops) during the day and she was potty trained within two days.  Sometimes she still wakes up wet but for the most part she's dry. Oh, and she knows "wet" too because she will tell us if she is. 
Loving- She loves cuddling, giving kisses and saying "I love you" - on her terms that is, don't push her to do it because that just backfires! She is the sweetest little girl in the world, but with an independent streak! If her brothers ask for a hug and kiss she will usually look at me like- do I have to mom? I nod my head and she does it. Unfortunately, they usually aren't happy with just one so they push it and she gets annoyed. They have a thing or two to learn about women still ;-) She does get jealous when I cuddle with Aidan and she will purposely sit between us or demand a space on my lap if he is there. She loves family hugs and will come running not to be left out.
Beautifying- She loves to brush her teeth and will do so 20 times a day if you let her. Obviously we don't but she tries! She demands that I do the same to her that I do to myself. Lipstick, blush, hair, nails- she wants it all! I love that she is a girly girl.
Helping- She watches everything and tries to do everything we do. This makes for a very big helper! The other day I took the garbage out and when I came back she had opened the cupboard, pulled out a new garbage bag and was holding it out to me when I came back through. She's a genius I tell ya!
Singing- She loves to sing along in the van with me and the other kids and has become an important voice in our little choir.
Leaving- She can get herself totally dressed to go outside, snowpants, hat, mittens, jacket and boots. She still loves to go outside or go for rides. She now understands when she can't go because only half of the tribe is actually leaving. She no longer cries but will take off her boots and grudgingly walk back in from the mudroom. She has become comfortable with people where ever she goes. According to Daddy she likes to interact and "chat" with people at stores. She stays home with Daddy some days and Meme on the others so she hasn't had to be left with anyone else. This has helped make her more secure I think and why she can open up to others so easily compared to when we first brought her home.
Out and About- She is walking outside! At first she wouldn't let us put her down- she couldn't walk on the ground. She didn't know what it was, I guess. And now she trudges through snow, which initially terrified her, just like bubbles in the bathtub did. Now she is an old pro at it. I can't wait to show her this place in the spring and summer. I look forward to showing her blooming flowers and bringing her to the beach...{sigh}
Having Fun-Her biggest brother Adrian bought a four wheeler so she is enjoying getting rides around the house on that. She enjoys sledding down hills with Daddy too. I say she enjoys, only because she doesn't protest. She is not one of those kids that shows a great deal of excitement for these fun things, but stays calm with an unreadable face, soaking in the entire experience. Reminds me of Adrian when he was little. Her favorite cartoon is Backyardigans. It's the singing and dancing, she can't get enough of it! We have to get her into some dance classes because she's obviously a natural!
Sleeping- She now goes to sleep on her own! This was the hardest adjustment for us because she fought us so hard at bedtime and we would lay next to her crib, sometimes for an hour before she would go to sleep. She would always catch us if we tried to sneak out before she was sleeping soundly and would start frantically crying. Nothing is more frustrating then wanting to spend an hour relaxing, reading a book or watching TV at 7 pm, and being stuck in a bed pretending to sleep. And the kid won't do it! I know a mother is supposed to sacrifice, but I honestly had a really difficult time with this one. I finally convinced Aaron to move her crib into our room which mean we had to climb over each other or the end of the bed to get in or out, but what a difference. She finally slept through the night. But we still had to lay with her. Then we started to put her in our bed, read to her, tuck her in (this always brings on the satisfied giggles), turn off the light, and walk out. She yells "night night" and that's that. Thank God! Time to myself, what a wonderful gift this is!

We are leaving for Boston this Thursday the 9th for her open heart surgery scheduled for Monday, February 13th. She has a Partial Endocardial Cushions Defect that needs repair. This surgery will close a hole in her heart and widen two arteries. She hasn't had so much as a cold and no symptoms of the heart bothering her, which makes it difficult to put her through this. But we know it is for the best and has to be done sometime or else she will eventually experience difficulties. We hope to be back by the 21st.  Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.