Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Its been TOO long

I can't believe its been so long since we've posted an update! I hope you all assumed that Julianne is doing great, because she is! I'm sure you can guess that we're still dealing with the gagging issue, but other than that, great, great, great!

Julianne has successfully transitioned from Neocate, an elemental, "pre-digested" formula to regular 'ol Enfamil formula! She had no problems other than needing a little stool softener. Now she's one step closer to eating like a "regular" baby her age.

Julianne had labs drawn again to check her Amiodorone level. If it was low, she was to be taken off of Amiodorone and started on Propranorol. Her level was low and the new med was started. She had to get the first dose in the cardiologist's office. They checked her heart rate and blood pressure every 15 minutes for an hour just to make sure that we didn't see any affects such as what happened when she received Esmelol WAY back when she was a few weeks old. While Amiodorone was a life-saver for Julianne and others with life-threatening arrhythmias, the reasons for ending it were: 1.) the thyroid problems were more than likely being caused by this med (we'll find out next week), 2.) long term use of Amiodorone can cause lung damage, and 3.) she doesn't seem to need such a strong drug anymore. So, if she doesn't need it, we'll gladly switch to something else.

Julianne is really doing well in catching up on her motor skills. She's still rolling over. She's sitting up GREAT with just a few topples here and there. She hasn't yet put herself in the sitting up position, but Physical Therapy starts tomorrow, so hopefully we'll see even more progress in the gross motor skills department. Julianne is now saying, "Hi", "Mama" and "Dada". We're not convinced that she knows what the words mean, but its still exciting! She's really enjoying playing with toys, beating on things, laughing and studying our mouths as we talk or chew. Julianne is always a hit when out in public. People stop and talk to her, play with her and comment on her enormous cheeks. :) A spanish speaking lady called her "gordita" yesterday...it means, chubby or little chubby one. Our little gordita...

This past weekend, Kent, Julianne and I traveled to Fort Worth, TX to see Kent's brother, his wife and kids. We had a great time and I think Julianne enjoyed meeting her cousins. Unfortunately, Kent and I failed to take many pictures. We do have some being emailed to us though and I'll post those as soon as I can.

Until then, here are some new pictures and videos of our chubby one!

Chubby cheeks

Like I said, she still topples over so this is how Julianne watched me do the dishes...surrounded by pillows!

Mid-yawn

Playing in her high chair

This video is from a couple of weeks ago. Julianne was hamming it up for the camera! She loves that camera...



This was the night we got home from Fort Worth. She's SUPPOSED to be getting ready for bed, but thought that mommy shaking her head and panting like a dog was HILARIOUS and preferred to stay up and laugh!



Thanks for checking in on us. Julianne amazes us on a regular basis! Each day is a gift and we're so very thankful for it! God has given us more than we could've ever hoped for!

8 comments:

Elysmom said...

ahhh...she is absolutely adorable.

Jason, Denyse, Hannah and Carter said...

What a beautiful little angel. She is precious. Isn't it great to see the smiles and hear the laughs. They are wonderful. We are so glad all is well and look forward to more updates and pictures.

Anonymous said...

She gets so excited. What a joy to hear her laugh! God is glorified by her life. We love all of y'all!
Mimi and Papa

Anonymous said...

We wished you Sunday, but glad you all had a fun trip. She is getting more adorable by the day. We're thrilled to everything is progressing ahead.

Squeeze those chubby cheeks for us!!

Luv ya

A. Stac

The B Family said...

Precious! I love the look on her face right before toppling over...so cute! She just gets more and more beautiful!
Heart hugs~ Rebecca

Anonymous said...

I love the way Kent says dada! Glad you had a great time on your vacation. Julianne is so cute. She looks like a little hushmuffin. Loved visiting with you.

Anonymous said...

Yay for an update!! I love the new pictures and both of those videos had me laughing out loud! She is so funny :)

Rachel U.

Unknown said...

I just love that little girl!