Abi 2.0 -

     It has been over a week since Abigail's surgery and she still is continuing to do phenomenally! There are hours on end where she is content instead of hours on end when she is fussy! She has been napping more during the day and has consistently been sleeping through the night (somewhere between 10pm and midnight to - 7/7:30 am - then sometimes I can even get her to fall back asleep until 10/10:30am!) It's been fantastic! She is eating better over all - she takes anywhere from 3-5 ounces per feeding, we are still foritying the milk that I pump and/or the supplements of formula she gets. We are still supplementing because my milk production has become junk! I will pump for 15-20 minutes and get MAYBE 2 -3oz -- 4 oz on a good day. And when she nurses it's extremely frustrating for her because my milkjugs are the opposite of firm and when she goes to latch I like sink in and she can't get latched! It's so frustrating for her to work so hard for such a little return. But! On a good note, the formula we started using is so much easier on her tummy and she has been pooping a lot more - like once or twice a day! She is becoming a relatively normal baby with still a few AbiNormal-isms.
     She is still suffering from SEVERE reflux-we have her on omeprazole -- which is the generic for prilosec -- but we may need to increase her dose...i'm not sure how much it's helping anymore because there were a few days there where she was just miserable all day long, and when she did sleep it was not at all a comfortable sleep, but I will call the doctor on that when he gets back Monday - yesterday and today she seemed to be doing just fine! My neighbor, Emily, mentioned something about day 5 after surgery being a rough day..one of those like old wives tales things? It was days 5 and 6 that were so hard for her. But right now she is on her second nap of the day! And she wasn't even fussy until I put her down, and then not even for long after that!
    I started working at the pool Thurs-Sat 11am-5ish pm and Jaren has been keeping her all day. This is the first time since she was born that he has taken care of her all day, by himself. He seems to be doing a great job dealing with her noises and slobbers. He even changed an explosive poopy diaper today and didn't even complain about it! (I wasn't home, but still!) I'm sure it's a bit easier now that she is more content and happy too, but i'm happy she's not stressing him out all day long. (Although, I wouldn't mind him getting a glimpse of what a day with Abigail was like before the surgery! ;))
    Another ism she has been up to lately are these really weird eye spasm things. I can't even explain them - If any of you are familiar with nystagmus, (quick, involuntary movements of the eye - also have been called "dancing eyes") it is normally a horizontal phenomenon, Abigail's seem to have no pattern or rhythm to them. They spaz all over and are relatively big "jumps". I want to get a video of them, but can never tell when they are going to happen, and when they do happen it doesn't last long enough for me to get my phone to get a good video of it. I have, however, noticed that it happens relatively frequently when she is upset and is about to calm down with either a binky or a bottle. Next time that happens I will try to have my phone ready to go. I don't know if is it a result of a seizure or if it's just a side symptom from her over-active neurological brain impulses. I've mentioned this nystagmus to doctors before and they haven't seemed worried, I guess because she does have a neurological disorder, but they weren't worried about her breathing either and we ended up getting surgery on that! So i'm going to mention it again and push it a little harder, because everywhere that I've read says if we notice it to go see a doctor about it. We've already seen and eye doctor and he didn't see anything that worried him - but maybe I can get a referral to a second opinion...maybe at primary children's!! :)
     But over all we have happy news! She is seeming to be a completely different baby! AND she has been SO much better at hold her head up for longer periods of time! I got her a new jogging stroller that sits her up and lets her look out at the world and I think she likes that! Now we just need to work on the rest of her body to get her to learn she can reach out to grab and kick stuff. But her physical therapist said her overall tone felt so much better than before. I think she will be fine physically once she learns that's what all those things attached to her body are used for. I did notice her looking at her hand for one of the first times ever yesterday! That made me so excited! She wasn't opening or closing her fingers, but she was looking at her hand! That's a start! She had been gnawing on them forever, it's about time she figures out what those tasty snacks are! She also brought her own hand to her mouth yesterday. I don't know if that was on purpose, but it was sure neat!
     I love my little Abigail Kate so stinking much. She amazes me everyday with the tiny little improvements she is making. She coos and smiles WAY more than before - more in this last week I've heard coos and seen smiles than I had in the last 5 months of her life. Although we still have quite a ways to go before we are fully in the clear of her disabilities and isms, the progress she has made is quite spectacular!

This is AbiNormal