Francesca is HOME!

So sorry for the long time since my last post. My family (well, I guess my husband managed to stay healthy) have all been battling colds. Apparently my son handles colds much better than my daughter...she had been pretty miserable. She is a very happy baby normally, but man have we heard our share of crying over the last week and a half! Plus it interfered with her eating, so she was waking up in the middle of the night wanting to eat...not good for Mommy! Anyway, I think we are all getting better now, so hopefully I can get back into some projects I need to do.

Well, the awesome news that I have for you is that baby Francesca is HOME!! Maureen and Ronny were able to take her home last Sunday and she seems to be doing quite well. She still has oxygen and is being supplemented with tube feedings, but she is home where she can sleep in peace! Unfortunately, they haven't posted any pictures of her yet at home...hopefully over the weekend. Maureen and Ronny, I am sure, are happy to finally be sleeping in a real bed even though their days may not change too much. They have a lot of care they have to give her plus twice a week doctor visits, but nothing is quite like being home!

That is all for now. As usual, I have included their actual journal posts below. Thank you again for all of your continued prayers.

Posted on 1/26/09:

"Hi Everybody,

We are excited to report that Francesca was discharged to home from Children's Hospital Sunday evening!!!! Per Maureen and Ronny's report, Francesca is settling in well, and appears very comfortable at home.

After having some congestion & trouble breathing on Friday morning, Francesca had regular chest PT (every 3 hours since Friday morning) and a breathing treatment, which both seemed to help. Francesca was sent home with a nebulizer, oxygen, and a feeding tube, as well as two very trained parents (thanks to all the nurses at Children's!).

We can't thank the NICU staff at Children's Hospital enough, for their care, support, guidance, and encouragement. Francesca was really so blessed to have such great nurses, respiratory therapists, and doctors...and our entire family will never forget them. In fact, I'm sure we'll see them again, but hopefully just for appointments and visits...no extended stays!

Thanks again, for continued prayers for good health for Francesca Maria!"

Posted on 1/28/09:

"HI Everybody,

Francesca seems to be doing well at home! Per Maureen and Ronny's report, Francesca seems to be sleeping well at night, and enjoying more awake times during the day...she is probably glad to rest without having to get her temperature or blood pressure taken every couple hours! Francesca has gone to meet her new pediatrician twice this week, to monitor her status. Francesca was having some increased work of breathing early in the week, so she has had to have regular nebulizer treatments and had her oxygen turned up for a bit. Maureen did make one "peace of mind" call to Children's NICU, to talk to one of the wonderful nurses and get some advice... thanks for your support Nancy! We are learning that it will continue to be a day-by-day process with Francesca, as her breathing, feeding, and weight need to be monitored continuously.

It sounds like Maureen and Ronny are glad to be home too! They seem to be a great team, establishing a routine and caring for little miss Francesca. They seem to treasure every little thing she does! We will hopefully get some pictures of Francesca at home this weekend, so we can post them on the website.

Thanks for all the prayers and excited messages for Francesca, Maureen and Ronny."