Adjusting

Before After


Happy in her new crib Happy, who's happy?


Four little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off....

Two little monkeys... Big Sis

I love my big sisters, they make me happy....sometimes.

The day is here:

Carley is home. After a long day, we finally got her home today at 7:20 pm. It's surreal. Thanks, thanks for all the prayers!

CSR Day 2

Carley had a good night, alternating between good sleep and hyper activity. At 2 she got her last meal and she calmed down a little although by the time they came to get her, she was visibly hungry. Anytime anything came near her mouth she tried to eat it. At around 7:30 they gave her some medication to put her to sleep but she didn't react to it and they called in the anesthesiologist that is supposed to sedate her for one of the tests. They decide to go ahead and sedate her for all the tests. She was gone until around noon. She had a fluoroscopy of the Diaphragm. She then had a diagnostic X-Ray of her in various positions to determine the flexibility of her spine. She then had a tomographic image taken of her before her CT scan. The CT evaluates the volume of her lungs and the bony structure. Tomorrow a pulmonologist, orthopaedic surgeon and the thoracic surgeon will evaluate her and then meet with us before we leave around noon. Then on Tuesday, they get together and make the final decision on whether she is a candidate for the surgery.
Currently she is sleeping again after joining me for a three hour siesta earlier. Her vitals are great. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

CSR Day 1

Well Carley got here about any hour before noon. Bailey and I drove in around noon thirty. Carley's flight was a little delayed due to some miscommunication at UMC but once they got airborne it was pretty smooth. Carley was sedated and handled the trip really well. After another delay at the SA airport because her ambulance got lost and was late to picke her up, she made it to Christus Santa Rosa. She's had any EKG and some blood work done. If time permits the orthopedics will try to see her today, but last we heard they were in surgery. Tomorrow she will have a CAT scan and other test done. As i know all the test I'll let ya'll know. And of course as soon as we know the results we'll post it here as well. Thanks and here's to hoping Dolly doesn't altre our plans.

Big Day

Ready for trip to San Antonio. Made it okay at around 10:45 this am. Will keep you posted.

NICU to PICU

Yesterday, Carley made the move from the Neonatal ICU to the Pediatric ICU in preperation for her coming home. After spending 9 months in one place you can imagine how hard it was to leave. I think my wife took it the hardest. I hope Carley is too young to realize what is happening. Going home may be a lot harder than we ever imagined even though that was the goal all along. We’ll certainly miss everyone associated with the Neonatal ICU at UMC. There is really no way to pay someone when they care for your child, especially when you consider the quality of care and the amount of love she received. I’m hopeful that they will always feel welcome in our home and that they know how much we appreciate what they do.

Kristal and Allyson getting Carley ready.

Now she's gone. It looks so empty.

Settleing into her new "temporary" home.

Her first visitor, Nicole.

Picture right outside the Pediatric ICU. When I saw it I was scolded by my wife because I wasn't sure if it was Emiley, but after she saw the picture she wasn't sure. Sure looks like her what do ya'll think?

Went home for the weekend. Thought I'd share this picture, for those who know where home is.

New Pictures

Prior to the move. Update to follow.

Bailey and Carley

Nine

Carley is up to 10 pounds 11 ounces. (I'd like to say 10 lbs 9 oz, [her birthday], but I don't want to take anything away from her). She has currently been in the NICU unit for over Nine (9) Months. It’s hard to believe that she has been there that long. The prospects of bringing her home, believe it or not, come with mixed feelings. After the same routine for nine months, and seeing the same people almost everyday for that long, it is difficult to imagine not doing it that much longer. Those nurses at the neonatal intensive care unit have become a part of our family. They have been really good to us throughout these nine months, and in a way leaving the NICU feels like the first time I left Van Horn to come to Tech.

All this means is that soon, our baby will be home. For that we are really excited. From day one, our goal was to bring Carley home. Now that we are close to achieving this goal, it is time to look at the next step. Next Sunday, July 20th we start our rooming in at the hospital as we prepare to bring her home. We will do that for three days then UMC will medivac Carley to San Antonio. She has an evaluation on Thursday and Friday at Christus Santa Rosa. She comes back to Lubbock on the 25th and depending on how she handles the trip, could be home as early as that Friday. Because of the weekend, we’re thinking of waiting until Monday. Either way, we hope to have her home at the latest by Monday July 28th.

Thanks to everyone who in one way or another has been a part of Carley’s life for the last nine months. We are lucky and grateful to have family and friends like you.

Birthday Balloon Video

Here is a video of Carley playing with the balloon her NICU neighbor Ethan Rocha gave her today on her 9 month birthday. She seems quite amused by it.

Fw: new pics

----- Original Message -----
From: Allyson <allysonk@suddenlink.net>
To: Garcia, Carlos
Sent: Wed Jul 09 20:48:36 2008
Subject: new pics