6 Weeks Old

Aberdeen is six weeks old today, and has moved back to the cardiac step-down unit after gracefully recovering from her cranial surgery in the CICU. She is acting more like herself little by little, and has been enjoying some well-deserved snuggling.

We are completely in awe at the difference this surgery has already made in Abby. Immediately after the operation was completed, the craniofacial team ended our excruciating wait by letting us know that the surgery had gone well, but was so complicated that it "took a year off their life." Once they were able to remove the fused sutures, they said her brain essentially sprang back into place, indicating that it really was cramped in there and that we would have been looking at some serious intercranial pressure issues later on if left uncorrected.  This helped solidify in our minds how necessary it was to do this procedure now. She's probably still going to need another operation in about six months to fix any problems that pop up as her skull reforms, but we're already shocked at the improvement in her head shape. It's possible that just giving her brain some room could help with some of her feed tolerance problems we were originally admitted for, and we are so excited to see what improvements Abby might encounter over the next days, weeks, and months! 

We could not be more thankful for the prayers she received throughout this ordeal, the skill of the surgeons, or the grace that God has provided - we are feeling so incredibly blessed. 

Our beautiful baby a couple days before surgery vs. one day post-op: