I briefly mentioned the prayer quilt for Liesl yesterday, and you can check out some of the pictures below. Ingrid was pretty good in church but got excited when they said Jesus, which she pronounces "Jee-us". The dress she was wearing was a little on the small side (it happens when you grow so fast and are a ginormo-child) so at one point I gently tugged on it to pull it over her rear a bit more... Her reaction was to pull it up and flash the people several rows behind us, and she threw in a little booty shake as well!
Lisa, Ing, my Mom, and Liesl's quilt.
Beckett and his quilt.
The Priest saying a silent prayer and tying one of the knots for Bug.
After the church service, I got the privilege of spending a good chunk of the day at Children's with Carter, Jon, and of course, Liesl. It was great to be able to see the baby after so long, but she still has a ways to go before she can come home.
She still isn't back to her normal, smiley self, but I'm sure she will be up and running soon. She still has to feed through the tube because she refuses to have anything in or near her mouth. She has a very sore throat and is fairly hoarse, but her voice is coming back quickly. After having a tube down her throat for 8 days PLUS the irritation of a sore throat, I don't blame her for not wanting anything near her mouth! Her chest is very congested and she needs to cough but won't because it is painful and makes her gag (again, don't blame her!). Everything that is going on with her body made her a little pukey the last few days, but I will keep those details to myself.
Since she was on morphine for the majority of the 8 days she was sedated, she is experiencing withdrawal. The nurses and doctors have a rating system / scale that helps them evaluate the withdrawal symptoms, and as of yesterday, she was down to a 3.
She doesn't have a picc line and we are praying they don't have to put one in (it is basically a little tiny tube that is threaded through major veins and prevents the actual veins from disintegrating). She still has IV ports in her hand and arm, but nothing is connected to them right now. Carter suspects that those ports aren't even good any more, but the doctors are leaving them to avoid re-sticking Liesl if they suddenly need to get her fluids or meds.
She is happiest when she is in her parent's arms, but yesterday while I was there they tried letting her rest in bed because she had barely slept in several days. She did at least sleep a little better last night, but it is close to impossible for Carter to get any rest. If the monitor isn't beeping about something, a nurse is coming in to check vitals, or Liesl taking a loud and labored breath / gag combo.
Interesting Things I Learned
- In order to test if an IV port is still good, doctors inject a tiny amount of saline solution. If the patient flinches or quickly moves, they know that vein is no longer good (and the solution was injected directly into their body, not through a vein).
- Before starting another tube of milk, the nurse has a small syringe of air that she pushes through the feeding tube, and then uses a stethoscope on Liesl's belly to listen and make sure the tube is in the right place.
- I got to watch the nurse change the bandage under Liesl's chin, and I have to say, it was pretty anticlimactic. There where 2 tiny red dots, similar to what you would see after getting a shot. Although that part wasn't as exciting as I had hoped, I am glad that Liesl won't have a scar from anything so far!
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