Day 2 Update

I just wanted to let everyone know that today has been a great one! It started off with a bang when the doctors removed Savannah's turban of bandages so we could finally see her forehead.

Yesterday evening Savannah was running a fever of about 102 and stopped eating because she wasn't feeling well.  But overnight the fever went down and she's been eating every few hours today without a problem.

This morning she started being a little more awake and aware of her surroundings.  I could tell she was frustrated that she could hear us but not see us.  Then, around lunchtime, I was talking to her and she cracked her eyes open!!  She was looking all around the room through a tiny slit in her eyelids and started making the squeaking Savannah sounds we all know and love.  Of course, we are thrilled. 

 She's still swollen but it seems like every time we turn around she's looking better and better.  Heavenly Father has heard and answered everyone's prayers for a fast recovery.

 

Savannah's off her IV and they've disconnected her from all of the monitors.  We're supposed to give her pain meds "as needed" instead of every 6 hours on the dot.  And, drum roll please, we'll probably be discharged tomorrow!!  I can't quite believe it.  On one hand, it's a little scary, but on the other it's going to be great to let her keep healing in her own home.  This little baby is one tough cookie!

Cranio Surgery: Day 1 Post-Op

We left the house yesterday morning around 4:30 am, checked in by 5:30.  Savannah was a champ through all of the traveling and the waiting and the pre-op routine. 

In her sweet surgical gown.  Remember this face....because it looks REALLY different right now!

Her surgery went from 7:30 am until about 2 pm yesterday.  During surgery they called us every hour with updates (which was SO nice) and afterwards we met with Dr. Teichgraeber who said everything went smoothly, as expected.

When we finally got to see her in the recovery room she looked like a little Rocky Balboa after one of his prize fights.

About 30 minutes post-op; she could still see out of her right eye, barely

We knew the swelling was going to get a lot worse, and it definitely has.  Now that it has peaked (hopefully) she looks a lot more like Jabba the Hut than even a really, really banged up Stalone.

In the PICU snuggling my baby...very gently.

We've had some great nurses so far, but the first few didn't have a lot of cranio-kid experience.  Then this morning, Natalie came on duty.  She's cared for lots of cranio-kids and knew about these awesome, cold gel-goggles that really help keep swelling down in the eyes.  Just before she put them on it looked like Savannah's eyelids were going to flip inside out because she was so swollen (not an uncommon thing to happen 24 hrs after this surgery).  Luckily they've worked wonders and it seems like the swelling hasn't gotten any worse. 

Sporting her cool (literally) gel-goggles

Even though we'd seen pictures of what to expect post-op and we haven't been really surprised by how she looks, it's still a little hard to take in.  So I loved when she was finally able to start breastfeeding she would do things like reach up and play with my necklace that let me know it's still my little Savannah under all of that bruising. 

With the blanket Uncle Rico (Erik) gave her

Lily has been a champ through all of this.  Monday was pretty tough on her because we were in various waiting rooms all day and she hardly got to nap at all.  Today was much better.  She got a good night's rest in a Ronald McDonald House room (on the same floor as the PICU), and took 3 good naps in quiet dark rooms we tracked down. 

The babies are reunited after Savannah's released from the PICU. Bonus points for anyone who can come up for a good caption for what Lily's saying here.  :)

My mom wasn't supposed to fly in until Friday, but changed her flight when she found out my Dad would be out of town on business this week.  She flew in this afternoon and drove right down the hospital to love on her little grandbabies and help Rob and me keep up with everything.  We're so grateful she's here!

(A video is supposed to go here, but it won't upload on our hospital wi-fi connection.  We'll post it on Friday.)

So, we're here at the end of Day 1 post-op and I know that every day after this will just keep getting better.  We've had some rough patches today, but overall I've felt very calm and peaceful--which I completely attribute to all of your thoughts and prayers.


So thank you, thank you, thank you.  Very much.  It means a lot to know there are so many wonderful people who care about our little family.   We'll keep you posted on how things go tomorrow.  Dr. Teichgraeber says we should expect to be out of here by Friday....I don't know that I've ever looked forward to a Friday so much in my life!!

Craniosynostosis

Just minutes after Savannah's birth the doctors diagnosed her with metopic craniosynostosis (also known as trigonocephaly), a congenital defect that causes the front (metopic) suture of her skull to fuse early (in her case, while she was still in the womb). They don't really know why this happens; although it happens slightly more often with twins, so one theory is that because there is restricted space in utero the skull thinks it's done growing and fuses. 

When the metopic suture fuses early you get a ridge running down the center of the head to the top of the nose and a triangular-shaped forehead (from a top-down view).  This also results in a pinching of the temples and eyes that are too close together. 

Savannah top-down

The premature fusing of the suture also results in increased pressure on the brain that can impact the child's development if not corrected.  

You can see her ridge, compared to Lily

So, on Monday (Feb. 27), Savannah is going to undergo a "cranial vault remodeling" at the Children's Hospital downtown.  It involves (without going into too much detail) removing and reshaping the upper-front half of the skull, as well as cutting, breaking, reshaping the brows/temples.  It's a 4 or 5 hour surgery, with a 4-5 day hospital stay.  After all of the swelling goes down she'll be fitted for an awesome helmet that she'll have to wear for about 8 weeks. 

Beginning of Surgery

End of Surgery

Although this is a really big deal and it breaks my heart that my sweet little girl will have to go through all of this, we do have exceptional surgeons and medical teams and we feel peaceful that this is the right thing to do for her.  We've known it was coming since she was born and I'm honestly looking forward to it being over and done. 

We'll keep everyone updated after the surgery and as she recovers.  I've seen pictures and connected with a few cranio-moms and I know that the first week post-surgery is not pretty--the swelling will probably be so bad that her eyes will swell shut--but I've been told that these babies are very resilient and bounce back incredibly quickly. 

We sure would appreciate any and all thoughts and prayers you can send our way!  We have faith that Heavenly Father will be very involved in this process and that He loves our sweet Savannah.  We're so thankful to have so much support from great family and friends!

Such cute little kiddos...  :)

PS If anybody has any good helmet design ideas, I'd be interested in hearing them!

A Mini Reunion

Last weekend my oldest, bestest friend from New Canaan, Alia came to visit.  We met when I moved there in 8th grade and as soon as I saw her, I knew I wanted to be her friend....because she was as tall as me!  Who knew a friendship with such a solid foundation would last so long?  :)  

When the Sox finally won the World Series

We were roommates at BYU and had so much in common; from our love of DDR and the Boston Red Sox, to working out at the RB, and always, always trying to get to bed before 11pm, we were perfectly suited for one another.  Then she traded me in for an even better roommate, her husband Brian, and life started getting a little more complicated.   

Somehow this picture from a camping trip in Moab is the only one I have of Brian!

I married Rob, we moved to Boston, they moved to Tuscon, we moved to England, then here to Houston, and so even though the last time we saw each other neither of us had any kiddies, somehow we both now have 2! (Although, Alia took the more standard route to get there.)

Cameron, her 2-year old stayed home with dad (thank you, Brian!!!!), and Alia brought her 5 month old baby, Jackson, to meet our little girls.  Because you really can never start planning too soon....in about 20+ years wedding bells could be ringing!

Or, maybe, not so much...

While Alia was in town, two of our other New Canaan friends (Hilary and Hilary) who now live in Texas came to visit with their husbands.   Both Hilary's are expecting their first babies so we spent lots of time eating good food, commiserating over morning sickness, expanding waistlines, and all things baby. 

Rob, Christa, Lily, Hilary, Savannah, Hilary, Alia, Steven, Mike

Even though we hadn't seen each other in 4 or 5 years, it felt like no time had passed! It's so great having friends like that. 

And if you ask me, we haven't aged a day  ;)

It was a great mini-reunion, hopefully the first of many to come!

6 Months Old!

Savannah and Lily wanted to do a little post for their 6-month update.  I agreed to be the baby-translator and typist...

Here are our latest stats as of the end of January:

Height:  Savannah 24.5" (8%),   Lily 24.25" (5%)

Weight:  Savannah 15lb 7oz (32%),  Lily 13lb 7oz (5.5%)

Noggin:  Savannah 17.25" (82%),  Lily 17.25" (82%)  <---yep, we take after our Mom and Dad!!

Can you believe we used to be the same size as this tiny teddy-bear?

In other news, Mom is officially in love with us.  She can't hold us for 3 seconds without snuggling our necks, kissing our cheeks, and telling us how cute we are.  Even when we act like this...

...she still feeds us, clothes us, and tries to help us be happy again.

So, as a reward for good behavior, we've finally agreed to sleep through the night for her.  We figured it was the least we could do.  (They also MAY have realized that had this whole "no sleeping" thing gone on much longer, they might have lost their dear mother to the loony-bin...)

Since we're so big now, we've learned a few new tricks!  We sit up, roll all over the place, and are thinking about trying to crawl one of these days.  There are so many exciting nooks and crannies to get into in this house...we can't wait to go exploring!  (Yikes!)

We love our Mommy, but we definitely have a special place in our hearts for Dad.  He's just the funniest guy in the world.  All he has to do is look at us sideways and we break out into stitches.  Mom is a little jealous, but Dad has that affect on her too so she doesn't blame us.  (See above outfits)

We both like to try new foods now, too! 

Lily:

 

My favorite foods are....everything.  I'll eat as fast as Mom can get the spoon to my mouth.  But when I'm done, I purse my lips, wrinkle my nose, and sniff repeatedly.  I think it's hilarious.  

Savannah:

 

I also like to eat, but I prefer to DO IT MYSELF.  Yes, this can get messy, but I'm 6 months old now and definitely have an opinion about these things!  I also think it's really fun to pretend to be an owl while Mom's feeding me.  I twist my head and body as far around as I can and see if Mom can still get the spoon to my mouth.  And in case you're wondering, yes, I usually end up with more food ON me than IN me. 

And on Sunday mornings before church we love to hang out on Mom and Dad's huge bed and allow our parents to bask in the sheer cuteness of their children. 

This is the face I make right before I make a sound like tennis shoes squeaking on a basketball court...yes, my mom is now partially deaf...so what?

How did they get so lucky??