Arabella has a lot to smile about lately...
Her g-tube has been a total success. It has helped her reflux immensely, to the point where we haven't seen her throw up in weeks.
And a few days ago, she got the O.K. to come off oxygen, which means no more cannula on her face.
"Oh boy! Do you really mean that?", says Arabella.
"You bet, Bella. No more tubes on your precious face."
We were so happy to see her tube-free. Finally!
It's such a big difference, isn't it? Now we can leave her face alone, her cheeks and skin are not irritated by the tape, and we don't have to worry about getting the cannula tubing caught or tangled on anything. We can pick her up without hesitation.
Finally, no attachments. Bella is cordless...
This is the new you, sweetheart.
We can also say goodbye to this loud and obnoxious machine, the oxygen concentrator, which has been running non-stop since we came home in August.
It's time to power it off for good...
Little things sometimes make the biggest difference, don't they?
Now when we're out in public, no one will know she was a preemie unless we tell them. There's no obvious signs that she is (or was) different from any other child.
She's just a tiny 14 month old...but no one has to know 😉
We have so many things to celebrate lately. So many blessings that we're thankful for each and every day 💗
Happy Easter - from our little bunny family to yours!
We'd like to wish everyone peace, love and happiness during this Easter weekend, and for always.
Last year at this time Arabella was two months old. She was stuck in the hospital with no end in sight, weighing a bit over 2lbs, and she was still a month away from her actual due-date.
Bella had a long way to go...
We were constantly worried about her, and the issue with her pulmonary artery was giving her a lot of problems.
Some days things appeared to be getting worse, and not better. We had so many unanswered questions.
"Happy Easter", Kiera and I whispered to Arabella through the incubator doors. We brought in an Easter bunny and placed it on her shelf. It was a pink 'mother bunny' holding a little 'baby bunny' between her arms. It was perfect.
That's one of those moments I'll never forget. That was our first Easter together.
So today we send our thoughts and prayers to families that can't all be together at the dinner table - families who have no choice but to spend Easter at the hospital.
To everyone dealing with difficult situations, we send you all our love, hope and strength. Whatever happens, know that God is with you. After all, the spirit of Easter is about hope and faith.
Wishing everyone a blessed Easter.
Love Dan, Kiera, and Arabella 💗
