Written Monday Night, September 18, 2006

Hello all,
I hope everyone had a good weekend. Kelly’s birthday was on Friday and I am happy to say that Abby was able to give her the best gift possible. She smiled at Kelly for the first time! She has done quite a few times since too so we know it’s not a fluke.
Abby is really beginning to smile. I love it.

Abby was in great spirits for Kelly’s birthday as well as for most of Saturday. Her good mood took a nose dive Saturday night though. Her g tube was irritating her again (shocker), and she hadn’t been able to go poop. My poor little angel was grunting and fussing all night long. Apparently the milk of magnesium we were giving her wasn’t working. But get this. Even with all that discomfort, on Sunday morning, Abby took her first full bottle in weeks! 60 CC’s of milk, down the hatch with no real problems. She was fighting it a bit at the end, but Kelly knows how to calm her down and get her take another 10 cc’s or so if she needs to. It was so exciting. She took a full bottle tonight too so we’re hoping this becomes a trend. We would love to see Abby take a full bottle at least once a day. That would be fantastic. She was also able to go numero 2 today as well. It’s amazing how much different she is after this. She is so much happier. I want so much for her to get past this problem because it’s painful to just watch Abby grunt and cry and scream. I hate it.

Abby is starting to look around and really focus in on things. We like to lie her down under this little bridge like contraption that has a bunch of things hanging from it and some flashing lights and music. We shake all the hanging toys and she loves it. Tonight it kept her attention for quite a while. It was encouraging to see her so interested in all the toys and lights instead of looking around and not paying attention. Abby’s therapy and appointments are still going strong. Kelly has at least 1 a day and sometimes she can have three. Abby is getting an MRI soon. We’re a bit nervous because we’ll know more or less what functions of Abby’s brain have been compromised as a result of her brain hemorrhage at birth. I know it’s not going to change anything regarding our love for little Abby, but it will still be difficult to hear some hard facts. While Abby hasn’t been formally diagnosed yet, she most likely has cerebral palsy. To what extent, we have no idea. It could be as minor as her needing shoes with extra support to wheel chair dependent. But this is what all this therapy is for. With Kelly as the conductor of this Abby Train, you can be sure we’re pulling out all the stops to ensure her best possible outcome.

No matter what though, she is Abby. She is the girl that in 4 and a half short months has touched so many lives. She has a website dedicated to her that has more than 27,000 hits on it. She and her sisters are the ones that have taught a lot of us about what really matters on this planet. A good friend told me after attending the service for my girls that he had personally become a better father that day. That’s fantastic. I am eternally grateful that Heavenly Father chose me and Kelly to send Emma, Maddy and Abby to. We are blessed to have them in our lives and while we always miss Emma and Maddy, we know they live on through Abby.
I decided to rewind a bit and show some pictures of Abby’s beginning road. Remember the CPAP breathing machine? Just look at our little angel. Look at all those IV’s and wires and what not. Seeing these only confirms just how much of a miracle she really is.

Have a great day my friends. Thank you all so much for checking in. Please keep Abby in your prayers for her continued strength and continued success with her feedings.

Love,
Us