Hey Family,
Today was a bit of a mixed emotions kinda day, both on a larger side of supremely happy and some concern as well. Would you like the upside or downside first?... ok downside it is. We got Lucille's head sonogram results back and they were not what we would have hoped for, although they were what we had been prepared for. Lucie-Lyn does in fact have two brain bleeds, which they said to expect for a "24 weeker", as that is common. They are a grade three and grade four (four being the most severe). Now, the doctor said that at this point he is not concerned, especially with how great she has been doing clinically. They will follow up with additional head sonos in 2-4 weeks, and continue to monitor from there. We are praying now that the bleeds decrease or resolve completely, leaving no long term effects on our sweet Lucille. I'm not going to lie, this is a bit scary for us, as what we want most is to know that our little girl will be fine and be in perfect health both mentally and physically. We know that from the way things have been going, this is Lucie Girl's "God Story" and God has indeed been receiving the glory in this. When Lucie was about to be born, and her lungs were not expected to be developed for a "24 weeker" they were strong and both her heart and lungs worked on their own, ALL GOD. When she took three rounds worth of medicine to close the duct in her heart, none of them seemed to get it to close, then 3 hours before they were going to make the call to operate or not, BOOM duct closed...ALL GOD! We know that this is a roller coaster we are on, and we are prayerful that we would continue to keep our eyes on the Lord when the ride goes up and down and upside-down. We are praying as much now as when we first started and I am confident that this will be another awesome part of Lucille's "God Story" that once the dust settles, the only answer will be that it was ALL GOD. We know that God works ALL things together for good, even tough circumstances (Romans 8:28).
So, on to the amazing upside. Today was a huge day for us all, as we got to start what they call "Kangaroo Care". Drea-Got-To-Hold-LUCIE! (#SoJelly - am I a "cool dad" or what?... if you thought "or what" you'd be correct... annnnnnnnd I'd agree)... But yes, I was so jealous. Drea got to hold Lucille for about 30-45 minutes and make skin to skin contact with her which is supposed to be extremely beneficial to preemies. While Drea held her, I also got to touch Lucie and hold her hand. This was so beautiful to see and we were able to take yet another family photo (picture below)! To my other parents out there, how long until they get tired of family photos?... 30 years?
Also on the upside, and I'll keep these on the quicker side; her vitals are still doing wonderfully, her nasal prongs are still in, they've increased her feed quantity AGAIN (again so jealous), she pooooooooooped, like for realskies, we saw the whole thing. The nurse was changing her diaper and KABLOOWIE! So that was great because it shows she is tolerating her feeds at this time. And, last but not least (can't be least after following that, am I right?) yet another upside, Abuela (Andrea's mom) got to meet Lucie today :D (also there is a photo below).
Please, please, please, continue to lift up Lucie in your prayers... that the bleeding would resolve itself and that she would be able to be completely healthy both mentally and physically. We thank you all so much for your continued support and walking with us through this journey. We cannot express enough how much it means to us.
We love you all!
Love,
Robert, Andrea, Lucille, and Bess
