Kiera Rose's Big Adventure

Today we flew the coop! Kiera finally got to go outside ... not at the hospital, and not doctor appointment related! Yeah! We had a wonderful little family outing to the park today. There was a nice window where the weather was beautiful, not cold, not windy, etc. so we pimped Kiera's ride and took a stroll. Kiera rode in her stroller like a queen purveying all that is hers. She looked so important. :) She's been into kicking a lot more lately, and she kept kicking the foot rest on the stroller as if to command, "Giddy Up, Daddy!" She just needs some spurs. She wasn't big on the sun in her eyes, although she seemed to enjoy it even in the discomfort it caused because it was different.

The park is set up so conveniently for our needs. There is a padded walkway to the baby swing and one to the slide so we can wheel the stroller with the equipment up to it without having to get on the sand. Who'd have thunk that that would be so important for a special needs baby? Kiera LOVED the swing! She laughed and watched another little girl swing near her. It was so much fun to finally do something NORMAL. I can't help but remember that this time last year Kiera was in a coma with a 30% chance of survival. Just look at her now! God apparently never took a statistics class. :)

Of course, when we returned home, we bathed her and did her regular Sunday trach change so we feel like we were as careful as we could be about germs without being hypochondriacs. Besides, the swings are in the sun all day which kills most bacteria. Enjoy the pics. I can't wait till it's warmer, and we can take her to the zoo!

Love,

Therese

Be our Valentine!

Kiss, Kiss Daddy!


Practice your princess wave, Kiera.


Argh!!!

Bath Time and Trach care

Kiera fine tunes her pirate face with her "peeps" during her "field trip" back to the hospital at the end of January.

Kiera and I had a busy morning getting her bathed, trach care done, meds delivered etc. so we could get her dressed for her Valentine (Daddy). I am posting "pirate face" pics from today and from 2 weeks ago in the hospital. She is starting to do the face on command so it is easier to catch on film. She has a few games that we play that she has begun to initiate. When she wants to play "Where's Kiera" she pushes on your cheek to push your face away. When she sits up on your lap and then flings her head back into your shoulder she wants to play "Forwards,Backwards." She also likes to exchange pirate faces and makes the face to get us to play with her and make them back. During her baths this week she has been sitting up and playing more, and seems to enjoy bathtime. We have been a bit short on nursing this week, (shorter than usual) so Jer and I are exhausted, especially with her Neb schedule being every 4 hours. All in all, we are doing pretty well.

I have planned a Baptism for Kiera on March 1st to complete her sacrament. We had her baptized emergently in the hospital last February when she was in her coma with just Jer and I and the priest, so this is really just to have the formal ceremony, and a chance to celebrate her homecoming finally. It will just be family. I would love to invite everyone, but I still have to try to keep Kiera as sheltered as possible from exposure to viruses and whatnot, so I am limiting the people. Even with family that have said they are coming and her godparents, we are at 18, and I am nervous. :)

Have a great holiday! Hold your loved ones close.

Love,

Therese

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog...

Kiera is coming home today. I'm busy washing all her stuffed animals, bedding, etc, and disinfecting her crib and hard toys. I probably haven't done every single one, but I hope the effort keeps her from getting sick again. Some toys aren't machine washable. I put some in the machine anyway, and will have to try to surface clean a few that have music boxes and such inside that I don't want to ruin. (Hmmm...that word looks strange typed.) Anyway, here we go again. She'll be on daily antibiotic nebulizers, and is still on Albuterol every 4 hours and Mucomyst twice a day.

Gotta go to work and get some other things done before I go pick her up. Talk to you soon.

Love,
Tree

Kiera is So Funny!

Well, Kiera is definitely feeling better. She is back on the LTV at a rate of 28 and about 35% oxygen. She is still getting her albuterol nebulizers every 3 hours and mucomyst every 6 hours. Hopefully that will be weaned a bit before she comes home. Dr. Glasser wants to watch Kiera at least 24 hours after her steroids stop which will stop on Saturday, so we might be looking at Monday to come home.

Yesterday Kiera was cracking Jerry and I up! She has started making this face when she smiles that I think looks like a pirate. She squints her eyes, but mostly crinkles up the right side of her face which also enhances her dimples and shows her teeth. It's hilarious, and I think she knows it, because she keeps doing it when I laugh. I tried to catch it on my camera phone and got an okay pic of it, but the best ones came out blurry. I don't know how to download the phone pics, but I'll try to catch the elusive Kiera pirate on my digital camera today. I did have to wonder though, if this smile is genetic. I came home and looked at a pic we have of Jer Sr., and he seems to be squinting his right eye more than his left. Hmm...maybe Grandpa was a pirate in another life. :)

Later,
Tree